New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-16

HTULEU WLLIL OWCII ~
Fighting Equipment.
In one experiment, last February, the gun vas
mounted on an srmored Deperdussin monoplsne,
piloted by Provost. Mr.. Loiseau, who devised 4
way of mounting the gun that 1t could be
fred over the range of the propeller, the aviator
standing inside of a rail, was the msrksmsn. He
operated the gun on the ground and in fight.
The results were reported thoroughly sstlsfse-
tory.
Lieutenant Msilfert, of the French army, has
made number Of secret trials Of a machine
gun of a revolutionary nature. The reports state
that during the trials Lieutenant Msilferts gun
flooded target with shots from height OF
1000 feet and that seropsne equipped with
it would given a margin Of speed, be capable OF
clearing the sky of a squadron of seroplsnes IN
five minutes.
In the last three months several experiments
have been made with regular rapid-Hre guns
mounted on large aeroplanes. One Of the expert
ments in France came TO light through 37-milli-
metre projectile fired from seroplsne hitting
a house inhabited by English family and going
through the wall early one morning. The pro-
iectile being blank could not explode, and was
identified as being from regular 37-millmetre
Hotchkiss marine gun Everybody puzzled
there was no explaining how it got there until
it was found that such gun mad been mounted
on a large aeropane constructed by Gabriel Vol
sin and was being tested at Observation-Disclosures.
The war had hardly broken when reports came
that avators had been dropping bombs from aero
planes. This is to be expected throughout the war,
since the nations have not agreed to prohibit II,
has heen proposed number of times.
DROPPING BOMBS FROM AIRCRAFT NO NEW
WRINKLE.
The idea of dropping bombs from aircraft BE-
an old one. and it will be remembered that even
before the first public aeroplsne flight was made
the possibility of its employment for warfare was
considered at the second peace conference held at
The Hague June IS to October 10. 1907, when
proposal was made to agree TO prohibit the dis
charge of projectiles and explosives from balloons
or by other new methods OF similar nature.
Later IN 1901, exhibition sviators used to drop
oranges on dummy bsttleshps, Glenn H. Curtiss
having been the first to do so. But the art Of
flying was still in its infancy, and it did not seem
that it would be possible for many years TO
come for aeroplsnes TO carry and drop such loads
of explosives could seriously damage anything.
Carrying load Of explosives in aeroplsne was
explosion in rough start or landing; dropping
weights above ten pounds during flight was sup
posed 20 affect the equilibrium OF serOplane,
and dropping Of bombs with any accuracy seemed
impossible. But these limitations removed
in the Enthusiastically speedy way in which all
limitations are removed in aeronsuties.
In March, 1912, at St. Louis, Tony Janus
dropped Albert Berry, weighing 175 pounds, from
a. aeroplane demonstrating that load large
enough to blow up a battleship could be dropped
during flight without endsngering the life of n"
pilot. Later in the year the Michelin bOmb-drop-
ping contests induced experiments at bomb drop
ping which resulted in Lieutenant Riley T. Scott
rlscine twelve out Of fifteen bombs in the target
and winning the $4,000 prize
These demonstrations were convincing, but lit
lie attention was given to the matter by the
military authorities outside OF Russia and Ger
many, where housekeeping contests were held.
But individual inventors and military men con
tiuued their experiments and there evolved
devices and bombs which collectively, II not
sngly, could be said to solve the problem. To
eliminate the danger of explosion due 70 shock,
for instance, bombs were devised. such the
Narten. Hale, which must fall distance to make
them effective. The Marten-Hale bomb weighs
twenty pounds, carries an explosive charge Of
four pounds Of trinitrotolusul and $40 stee balls
1t is now the general opinion shat an airsnip
has more actual lighting value proportionstely
than batteship, its ability TO operate at night,
and its excess of speed he fastest battle
ship being considered factors unequslled in value
by the best features of batteships. Adding the
fact that the best Of airships can be built housed
and operated fo- year at fraction OF the cost
of a battleship. it is nO' surprising that Ger
many's aeronautical programme Involves the eN-
penditure Of sS5,OOO.OOO, and England, France
Italy and Russia are constantly adding to their
airship fleets. IL may be added that the prooseA
Of defending airships from aeroplanes, which per
picked the authorities up TO a year ago, has beea
solved by making the aeroplane auxilisries Of
airships.