The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-11

TO crash into wreckage, or blown up
or set afire. a curious intoxication
Of destruction was on the population
that night. Prosperous, dignified cti-
zens came out with axes or with oil
and fire. and helped in the ruin.
In the army headquarters. where a
single short order had set loose all
thk saturnalia Of destruction, the
Commanding General and his staff
were busted with something that was
OF more immediate importance to
them. Desperately they were thrust
ing out for information. and always
they were bafiied by superior num-
hers. superior resources.
They had pushed cavalry toward
the coast. and II had been driven back
by artillery and long range fire from
the ships whose aim was controlled
by aeroplane signals from the sky and
wireless from the shore. They had
pushed out motor scouts, and the ar
t!llery had found them. Always, at
every approach. during the night Or
since daylight. the ships fire had
swept the roads.
Now. scarcely an hour after sunrise.
Wv uti'pIdIltS *,
after only haphazard scouting. They
had not been able To fly over the in
Naded coast. Wherever they tried II,
they reported. they were met by en-
envy planes in superior numbers
One United States airman had been
driven by four enemy planes into Mar
ragansett Bay. where he had been
picked up by boats from the New
port torpedo station. Two others,
borne down by three enemy mach mes
faster than they, and fired at by anti
aircraft guns from an inly!ng ship,
had barely managed To escape behind
the defences of Fort Wright in the
Sound
The Others had been pressed back
incNorahly. hy The screen of naval
planes that swarmed over the coast. %
The enemy planes came from the
sea. To the marvcl,ing eyes In the
American defonces I seemed as IL
the ocean were spewing them forth
one after another rose from the At
lantic under Block Island.
Three strange vessels lay there.
They had tunnels set extremely far
aft, like certain types of clumsy
tramp ships, hut they were big as
passenger liners and IN lr lines
showed all the efficiency Of the naval
architect.
Torpedo netted. guarded by destroy
ers, guarded by even small s-mi-
rigid drigible that lowered a thou
sand feet high overhead. they were
sending out Their spies to search the
land.
no ',,t,. g.
ing 10y their machines IN Fort Wright.
looked at the ascending swarm. NO
wondc.'' said one. you know how
many one Of those nations had at last
accounts? Twelve hundred '-l
And we've got twc.ve in the army
and thirteen in the navy" Ills COM
panion laughed. And Serv "A had
sixty, before the Great War"
They said NJ more, but watched in
silence. That asc nding continually
growing line of flying things was like
something that was writing into the
sky the word Resources"
Suddenly the American a!rmen
not Ced that tht Sc new machines were
not flying to the coast near them
They were turning off. in regular Or
der. one turned west. to fly over
Long Island. The next one turned
east, toward Buzzards Bay. They al
ternated thus till the entire division
had separated, and disappeared.
One of the scouts slapped his thigh
Il believe" said he, that they are
gong to show themselves to Boston
and New York"
That was at o'clock in the morn.
ing. AT noon the crowds in the two
cities We're startled by distant roar
that grew, almost before they had first
heard i, into laundering that shook
the air. They started upward and be.
held the first squadron of armed fiyine
machines thai America ever had seen
'Copyri0ht. 1918. ~ J. ". Mullcr. Al
Rights Rescrrcd)
hs. IA S.s !,