Evening star., 1914-04-24
BOMBS USED IN WAR
EnqHes of Destruction to Be
Dropped From Airships.
PROPOSED TESTS OF DEVICE
Variety Of New Weapons of 0ffense
Probably Will Be Employed
in Mexico.
PROPOSED TESTS OF DEVICE

former Lieut. Reilly Scott OF the army,
the designer of a bomb-dropping device
which won the majority Of prizes In the
Michelin bomb-dropping competition in
France about a year ago.
The idea OF the experiments is to deter
mine how far effective use can be made
of the aeroplane as a weapon Of offense
in warfare Up to date it has been found
very difficult to drop bombs with any de-
gree Of accuracy. The ordnance depart
ment Of the army has already developed
explosive and incendiary bombs, as well
as Illuminating boznba. for use at night.
but the trouble UP to date has been to
secure some method Of placing them ac-
curately.
In the Michelin competition 1t is re-
ported that Lieut.. Scott succeeded in
placing twelve out OF fifteen bombs
in a circle sixty feet in diameter from
a height of 1000 or $500 feet.
Method Employed.
The theory on which this device
works is well known in mathematics
and depends on being able to deter
mine the area of a triangle from hav-
ing the height and one side known. The
height Of the aeroplanes in this case
strument for recording height which
all modern aeroplanes carry. The speed
of the aeroplane from point to point
is measured by stopwatch. With these
two factors known, 1t is simple mat
ter of calculation to determine the
parabolic curve that will be followed
by an object dropped from a moving
aeroplane. Thus 1t Is possible to sight
from the aeroplane at given angle
and tell just where projectile dropped
from 1t will light on the ground. Ia
bles giving angles for the various
heights and speeds are prepared in ad-
vance
The aeroplane carries a telescope
which can be spun around a graduated
scale. The aviator sets the telescope
at the angle called for in his table of
heights and speeds and. looking through
the telescope. drops his bomb when the
target on the ground. This Is quite a
simple device, but has proved decidedly
effective. 1t was tried at College Park
over year ago when government
aeroplanes were being flown there, but
there was no immediate prospect of
using 1t and the War Department did
not take the precautton of securing the
use Of the device.
Obstacles to Be Overcome.
1t has been theoretically known, Of
course. for long time that great de-
struction could be caused either to a
battleship or fortifications by dropping
bombs on them If the bombs could be
accurately placed. One of the troubles
In connection with SO attacking a bat
tleship has been the fact that a bomb
naturally explodes on contact. and the
top deck Of battleship is not its vul-
nerable point Under the top deck OF
a battleship is the armored deck which
protects the vitals of the ship, and il
has been generally feared by aviators
that even where bomb exploded on
the upper deck It would do little dam
age to the vessel itself.
Or late, however. experiments have been
tried with large masses Of explosive gela-
tin, and 1t has been found that a heavy
charge OF this viii rack a vessel to pieces.
Aeroplanes have developed an efficiency
so that they can now carry at need a
bomb weighing 15O pounds. And an ex-
plosive of this size even on the upper
deck OF warship would be apt to cause
considerable havoc among the crew.
Another weapon Of offense that has
been developed in this connection Is the
chemical bomb which has been developed
by the krupps in Germany. This is a
bomb Weighing about $50 pounds. 1t is
made of thin and brittle cast-iron, and
filled with chemicals that mix when the
bomb is broken and form heavy. suffo-
eating gas, The gas was intended origi-
nally for use against Notifications and in
trenchments, where the bombs could be
thrown by cannon:
The gas being heavy naturally would
settle like water in the lowest areas and
cause instant death to those breathing
1t. The idea in connection with battle
ships was that bomb of this sort
broken on the deck would make an
asphyxiating gas that would be drawn
into the area of the vessel through the
ventilators.
An Additional Explosive.
An additional explosive weapon has also
been designed by the ordnance depart