Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-12-24

until Toe starts to the surface to
take Pep around. Then they swoop
down and. swishing along the surface
Of the sea at terrific speed. pass right
over the U-boat. breaking OF its peri
scope and leaving It helpless.
"One Of the marked features of the
seaplanes now IL the great strength
with which they are built. We no
longer use the fine silk that was put
on the America, and while am not
favoring metal for the surface of the
planes. much of the framework is of
metal am not at liberty to give d.
mansions of the biggest smachine yet
turned out. but ! can say it is consid-
erably larger than the America and
more than eight times the weight OF
the machine with which l few down
the Hudson FIVE years ago and won
the Worlds $4,000 prize for the fight
from Albany.
More important than the increase
in size is the increase in reserve en-
CINE power. On the America we had
two motors of 80 horse power each.
but they developed only so horse pow.
er, or together 160. On similar ma
chine today we put two 160 horse pow
er motors.
Aeropiane That's Safe.
Were we now building for peace
purposes we could build enormously
larger machines than we are turning
out. But in war machines very high
speed 10 essential rather than size.
1t Is absolutely necessary. Of course.
that aircraft In ware shall be able to
rise very speedily. The perils of war
are evolving an aeroplane that is a.
safe. apart from war perils. as a coach
on q paved road.
Among the war flyers of the allies
the mishaps essentially aeronautical-
that is. not due to war conditions
have been fewer. l understand. than
accidents among a similar number OF
automobiles. Taken altogether. the
losses in the flying corps have been
remarkably light compared with the
amount Of flying done and the risks
run.
:. Records of their work show that
some of the men we trained have been
in the air more than one thousand
hours In less than year. and one OF
them has recorded 1000 hours aloft.
which means more than four hours q
day in the air over the foe without
being hit or having a mishap to his
machine. Some of the escapes have
been miraculous. From one fight q
man returned with more than hum
dred bullet holes in his planes. but he
had not been hit
Two other developments illustrate
the inherent reliability Of the aero
plane today. The first is that flight
is now made with safety no matter
how rough . wind is blowing. Weather
no longer counts. The other IL that.
though in peace flight over city was
forbidden because Of its danger.
cities are now being protected by
aeroplanes and we have not heard of
any disaster through q machine fall
ing.
Expecting Too Much.
Il am often asked why the British
flyers cannot protect London from the
Zeppelins. My answer is that that IL
expecting too much. It 10 impossible.
The truth 10 that they are 80 far pro-
tecting London that the Zeppelins dare
not venture near in the daylight and
can make their raids only under cover
Of q dark night. Even at night the
raiders have to turn back II the sky
IL cloudless.
But even II the aeroplanes were
already lowering high over the city
when the Zeppelins came the chances
would be in favor of the raiders. It
would be possible to fly quite close to
. Zeppelin and not know It. II you
did happen to see 1t. the next moment
1t would be lost in cloud. II. AZ must
be the usual case. the defenders have
to wait on the ground until the Yep
pelin IL picked up by q searchlight.
the raiders will have done their work
and be fleeing at top speed before IN
aeroplane can reach their height
The Germans say they make their
raids at an elevation of 5000 feet. but
believe 5000 feet IL nearer the marx
That IL why they escape the guns.
Londoners will have to bear with the
raids a. part of the fortunes Of war.
They can put out their lights. but they
cannot hide their river"