The Washington herald., 1915-09-26

| ment of the type and in the training
of the personnel in its operation. and
il is possible that as result Of the
performances abroad the dirigible will
be regarded as of increased importance
and as an indispensable ally of the aero.
plane.
At all events, there is a chance that
| the army will next year take steps to &C.
quire a dirigible on the strength of the
achievements in Europe and as a sequel
| to the tests which are possible with
| the navy dirigibles. There is no avoid.
ing the fact that aviation events in Eu.
| rope will have a decided influence upor
| the design and construction, as well as
upon the employment Of aerial devices
with the additional prospect that the
| dirigible is coming to be more of a factor
than it has hitherto been regarded.
The prospects are that the cavalry
equipment board will take some action
as to modifying saddles. Neither OF
the new saddles issued to the army is
satisfactory, and complaints are COM
ing from the service which will re-
, ceive serious consideration by the
board. The chief objection to the new
| saddle is the jointed side bar, which
! is said to have proved to be a dis
appointment to even the officers who
| advocated its adoption. The attach
ment to the jointed side bars has had
| the effect of raising the rider too high
above the horse. Some officers have
described the sensation of riding on
the new saddle as that of being mount
ed on a Cossack saddle. The side bars
also increase the motion and make 1,
impossible to maintain as firm a seat
as on other types of saddle.
The side bars, it is insisted. have
not proved to be easier on the horse.
as was expected, and it is doubtful
whether they will be continued by the
new board. II they are, there must
be some radical changes in their con-
struction to make them satisfactory.
number of officers have advised tina,
the board adopt the French saddle.
which is regarded as superior to any
other service saddle. 1t has been de-
veloped at the French riding schools
after hundreds of years of experiment.
and it is insisted that it is doubtful
whether any improvement can be made
upon it.
A number of aviators at the Signal
Corps Aviation School have recently
made cross-country flights to various
points of interest between San Diego
and Los Angeles. On a number Of
these cross-country flights landings
have been made in a very bad terri
tory in order to repair some portion
of the power plant. All repairs were
made by the pilots. thus illustrating
the thoroughness of the system of in
struction at the Signal Corps Aviation
School.
Each aviator student is required to
be under instruction. both theoretical
and practical. on the subjects of aero
planes and motors. For example. the
class in motors is under personal and
Individual instruction at all times. A
certain motor is turned over to this
class and the avia ton students musr
take il down, overhaul it thoroughly,
and put it together. 1t is then put on
the block and tested. Finally. the
students must pass a theoretical and
practical examination on motors.
The last portion of the course in motor
instruction consists of extensive practi-
cal work in trouble shooting. The in
structor. when the class is not looking.
tanners with the motor. The class then
starts the motor and must shoot the
trouble This is carried on until each
student has individually had suficient
practice to demonstrate his ability to
shoot trouble in the field. The instruc-
ton in aeroplanes is under the same
system. Certain aeroplanes are turned
over for the purpose Of instructfns the
aviation students. The class must take
properly align them again. New sur
faces are made and covered, and in gen.
eral. the class must do everything that
is to be done with respect to the build
ing of an aeroplane.
An interesting experiment has been in
progress under the military authorities
in the Hawaiian Islands, being the or
ganization and instruction of pro-
visional company of recruits of the
Inf Of Cchnfa1d
racks with a view to ascertaining to
what extent and in what period it is
possible to turn out well-instructed SOL
diers fit to enter the reserve. Maj. Gen.
w. Fl. Carter, commanding the troops
in the Hawaiian department.. has for
warded this report to the War Depart
ment, with the remark that the results
demonstrate that with energetic work
We can turn out In six months. and GER
tainly in one year, well-instructed men
fit to enter the reserve"
Gen. Carter also calls attention to the
fact, which. he says. is empha sized by
the report of the board of officers that
commented on the system. that the
commissioned officers in charge must be
of exceptional energy, and that a force
of excellent noncommissioned officers,
amounting to about 20 per cent of the
organization. must be available for the
nent-of noncommissioned officers is.
therefore the first desideratum.' This
experiment in Hawaii is much the same
as that conducted In this country with
provisional organizations of recruits in
the infantry cavalry. and field artillery
arms, and the results are much the
same.
The army quartermasters who have
to do with the problem of suitable ma
terial for uniforms are now entertain
ing the hope that the difficulties which
have been anticipated in that direction
on account of the war in Europe may
be successfully overcome or avoided.
The trouble with the dyes, on account
of the failure to obtain the chemicals
from Germany, is understood to be ad-
justed. in part at least. by the develop
ment of the manufacture of that ma
terial in this country.
At all events, there appears to be no
great difficulty in obtaining dyes from
abroad. and it is surmised that there
must be some method by which the
Germans are able to export this ma
terial. The firms which have contracts
for cloth for army uniforms are still
delivering IL of the shades required in
the specifications. with the prospect
that they will be able to continue the
deliveries in the quantities required.
For the present, therefore, the quar-
termasters have postponed their recon-
mendations regarding any change in