Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1914-08-08
Gun TO DESTROY
WAR AEROPLANES
field Guns With Split Trails
Found the Most Salts
factory
MAKES WEAPON FOR
USE HIGH IN THE AIR

WASHINGTON. Aug. SIN the
nture every field gun made for the
army will be constructed with spe-
cial view for it's use against flying
machines, though its availability for
ordinary lighting against land forces
will not be destroyed.
While every make Of aeroplane gun,
ss we'll as all the special models
made to fight air craft, has been
carefully Investigated BY the war de-
partment authorities. the attitude has
been taken that II is useless to at
tempt TO stop attack from the air by
means Of any special gun. Therefore
the transformation OF field artillery
10 such form az will render 1t avail
able TO repel attack from the air as
Well as on terra firma has been the
decision reached by our military au-
thorities.
This object has been achieved by
the use Of the split trail' for all field
guns, The trail Of a field gun IS the
part upon which the recoil comes
when the gun is fred. and in all old
style guns this was one piece. while
IN the new guns being made 1t Is di-
vided like a compass used for draw
ing BY this means the ordinary field
gun can be given SO great an eleva-
ton that 1t is able to fight the enemy
thousands of feet above, while in the
howitzer with It's superior elevation,
this feature becomes still more use
Tui. IN case an extreme elevation In
needed where an aeroplane attack Is
expected, the trails, already divided
TO give the highest elevation possible
under ordinary circumstances, are
buried IN the ground. while the
wheels Of the weapon are loft in their
normal position The six-pound how
tier, with the changed trait, can
be given an elevation Of 40 degrees,
while the field guns which under the
old system had only an elevation of
20 degrees, BY sinking the trails may
easily hit an object al an angle OF so
degrees.
Like Duck Shooting.
This, however. is but small part
of the work being done for defense
against aeroplanes. as 1t IS generally
realized that with the tremendous
speed of the modern air craft their
destruction is simply an exaggerated
form Of duck shooting with the duck
ready to FIRE back at the hunter. There
fore 1t is believed that il is only BY
lighting back with like air craft that
much will he accomplished.
Col. Isaac n. Lewis, Il. S. A.. re-
tired, has perfected a gun which has
given some remarkable results in
tests held both in this country and in
Europe. With this weapon Lieut..
Stiilingwelf Of the Belgian army. fir
Ing from Graham-White biplane
yhich WAS travelling at the rate OF
s0"miles an hour. placed II shots out
OF 3 IN q S0-foot target The gun is
capable Of firing a maximum OF $50
shots a minute.
This weapon is one of the air-cooled
type and weighs hut 26 1-2 pounds,
while II fires the ammunition used In
The ordinary type of small arm OF
the country which may adopt il, in
the United States this being q 81
caliber.
Perhaps the greatest danger from
aeroplane attack comes from the
fact that bombs OF considerable
weight filled with high explosives,
can be dropped from flying machines
and are certain to inlict great dam
age, provided they are aimed with ac-
curacy. Lieut. Riley Il. Scott, a noted
aviator. who was formerly an officer
n the United States army, says that
he believes that great accuracy can
he attained in the dropping or such
proiectiles from an altitude Of a mile
and quarter. height which would
render the thinnest of armor COM
plete defense against small calibre
bullets from the ground.
AGAINST MOrtars and Dirigibles.
Lieut. Scott believes anything as
large as a wagon or tent may be dis
tinguished very distinctly on clear
day from an aeroplane a mile in the
air. In use against mortar batteries.
Scott believes that the use Of a heavy
charge Of nitrogelatine would be espe-
oiaily effective. as. while Il might not
iniure the guns themselves, 1t would
be practically certain to destroy the
range-hghting system upon which the