Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-11

Des Moines, Sept. liza rare chancc
for some man OF Iowa to earn fame anu
do good, or a group OF men. or city
or community.
The way to do II Is to provide inc
funds for the purchase by the state'
conjoiptly with the Aero CLUB OF Amer
lea, OF an aeroplane for military use
and organization Of an aero depart
ment OF the Iowa National Guard. INC
aero club vii pay half the expense OF
flyer. The state has set apart no
funds for such purchase. 1t would DC
a great stroke to provide the rest %
private appropriation or contriou1ioh'
Probably fund OF four or nve tnou
sand dollars would be all sufficient. ~
some one would start 1t off, FUNDS
would be contributed quickly to start
the flying squad. Why not?
The demonstrations made by ART
Smith, a: the state fair, have opened
the eyes of a lot of people as TO the
possibilities of air navigation. A very
high degree Of safety has been at
tanned. In America, where the most
important inventions regarding aero
planes were developed there has been
no follow up. largely because the SUD-.
jec: has not been taken up by the wal
department. There Is real demand
now that in some way this follow-up
be made. Iowa might easily get INTO
the front rank by prompt step for
ward.
When Art Smith tried to make MS
machine turn a handspring on the hill
side. at the fair, he was able to seno
at once for a new plane and have II
all n a
ago But the European war has en-
couraged new American factories ana
made old ones grow rapidly. The
American factories could today turn
out upwards of 100 finished aeroplanes
a week, or 5000 q year: but they could
not have made hundred in a year.
before the war. Orders aggregating
over eight million dollars have been
placed in American factories by for
eign governments. There are four rae
tories in operation. big aeroplane
motor plant has heen established. All
the flyers made are biplanes, after the
Wright pattern. The Curtiss firm Is
working in the United States and in
Canada, hut makes all the motors on
, the American side of the river. \ BIZ
plane Is being built at Toronto for the
British government, that will have two
engines OF 100 horse power each ana
a spread sf wings of nearly 100 feet
I Two machines are being made at Buzz
faIo for the Russian navy. A
year ago the United States navy
department could not finh a
motor in Aeerica OF 100 horse
power; now the department has an or
der for two machines TO be made at
Ithaca each with 140 horse power en-
gines, and the factory Is turning them
out in large numbers to be sent TO
Europe Six hydro aeroplanes are be-
ing made at Los Angeles for use IN
Java. and orders are in hand for thirty
FIVE machines for the allies. All OF
which shows how the American aero
plane industry has grown by reason
Of the war But Americans have not
walked up as to the usefulness OF the
I air craft as a war adjunct.
J The dispatches in the papers have
no. done full justice to the part being
! played in the. war BY the aeroplanes.
The other day. there was dispatch
intimating that experts have pointed
out that the repeatsdt defeats and re-
treats Of the Russian army in the north
were due largely to the failure to pro-
! vide aeroplane scouts. A French re-
/ port made recently gave a record Of