The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-05-05
LIEUT.. BELLINGER
IS WAR BIRDMIIAINII
SOUTH CAROLINIAN is MEN,
BER ARMY AVIATION
AIRCRAFT SERVICE
Aeroplanes Have Been Flying
Over Vera Cruz Watching
Movements
tFrom the CoiuHloia siatco

I Will lHt
cruiser Birmingham. The party of
! airman were ordered to the Florida
.port some weeks ago from Annapolis.
| Lieut.. Bellinger was born In South
Carolina. October 8. 1885. He entered
the naval academy June %. 1903. On
his return In November OF 1912 from u
tour of sea duty, he WAS assigned to
the aviation corps. He has had. &C
cording to the latest issue of the Navy
and Marine Corps Register. five years
and eight months of sea duty with
four years and nine months of service
ashore. His number In his present
grade Is 1876.
The Birmingham is the flasshiP 0f
! the Atlantic fleet torpedo fiotilla. She
, is third class cruiser OF $3.50 tons,
10000 horse power.
| Dispatches from Vera Cruz, pub
/ lished yesterday. said that one of the
hytlroplanea had already flown over
saG. city and harlnr Tho function
Of tho corps in such u situation as
that existing at the Mexican ports Is
to keep tho American commanders in
formed Of the enemy's movements and.
to make military maps of tue country.
Function Of AVintOrss
There are few things about which
the general public understand less
than tho military value OF acronautics
There is general idea that the aero
plane may be very deadly weapon,
destroying battleships and fortifica-
tions by dropping bombs on them. On
! the other hand, there are many peo-
pie, probably majority who do not
believe the aeroplane can accomplish
any destruction, either OF Notifications
or battleships. , @
There is no picture that artists SO
glory in drawing as q flock of aero
planes swooping over battleship at
an altitude OF about 200 feet and de-
lBtPoying II by spectacular bomb drop
ping. OF course the saeroplanes, IL
they ever got that close tola battieshIp
| would be ahot as fun OF holes n u cane
scat chair. 'Likewise the explosion IL
| 1t occurred would net be spectacular.
If the a6roplane succeeded in ptac-
do 30 from height or 5000 or $500
! ing a bomb on the battleship 1t would
feet and would be absolutely invisi-
Bile in picture. Therefore, though
Uncle Sam may uBe aeroplanes in q
! war with Mexico and they may be
used againFt Uncle Sam, there is not
| likely to be anything sensational or
picturesque in the pToesdure.
! About the only conclusions that can
be drawn as to the o!fe lsive value of
aeropianes come from the three wars
IN whitl, they have already been used
In the case os the Italians, fighting
the Turks and Moors in Tripolitania,
the aeroplane proved itself deadly ef-
fective. but not as an offenseive
weapon. ,.-a--8 i ,as.
Bombs Dropped as Experiment.
| A few bombs were dr0ped, more aS
4 an experiment than anything else, and
before the .MooFs learned to scatter
and take open order when an aero
plane appToa5ileii quite a few OF them
were killed by the explosions. After
i wards as soon a5 an a6ToDiane az
peared overhead, ,thc tribesmen scat
tered SO that it was impossible to find
any number of them among whom to
4 drop an explosive.
! Az .rc same time the aeioplane did
Il prove. disastrous enough to 'she
4 tribesmcn by ar'irst- eliminating
h tn. eitment of s, rpriS9 nnd serrecy
from tI'eir operaf.ons. They fouf.I
| it impossible to n'nbuscade the Italian
i columns as the, Tad ioae in the war
in Abyssihia NJ .ty two decades pre-
.IViously. They 1came so discouraged
4 that the war lasted a much shorter
i time than eyon the Italians had hop
cd. In Iact, was very much on the
order OF 'ktaiing's poem about the
mountain b. iery.
kJust send .a your chief and surren-
Il der i
/ IT'S wor Q It You fights or IL you
i runs: ,SNT
| YOU cDu 80 where you please. you
r!can skid up R'tree.
But you can't get u way from che
II guns. s@ r. rs r
4 Il proved the same way In the iE3ai-
fitnn cdmnaigh. FThtfe was 7ittle
4 sthonltIdPunp.nR aR0.iad AdeiHnople,
wi:sn that stronghold was making lta
! Iaat stand, bat It cannot be said that
j tine bombs did much apparent dam.
tIHge Where the real harm 90 the
!. defenders was tlo6e, was in seNposihg
1.-THE weakest points IN the sfoftifiaa-
II ions for the final sssault, which was
] aceofpp pIi she'd with much less loss OF
life than had been expected. although
even at tint 3twes heavy enough.
4 Ussta largely 1y Allies.
AZ the Oatbreas OF the war there
!. tgorel f5 aefoplaHeS sn The hands ol
, Bulgaria. There were about tie same
number 0f army officers hainz taught
Ito fly at the European aorodfumes.
Some Of these had finished their train.
iiffaE aIia Sonf6 1e allowed 10 go ur
lalone, but the majority were by nc
means finished avis.Sta. safs 3s-sss
Il The RESULT wassthat tho allies had
to hiressneh civilian aviatofsi as they
! coalG fiji. .Tffsy got 20 ali togeSfis1
from eFeFy country In EurobS,s IN
Icindilg England and Russia Sdtne -oi
\ the RassiAn eviato5s proved anohg