Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-05-03
MOVEMENT OF TROOPS
into MEXICO
Generals Scott and Funston On the
Scene--Conference With General
Oregon.
SITUATION IN WAR ZONE.
Brave and Daring Aviators Of the Army
Fail to Accomplish Desired End
After s Years Trial---0nly 2
Hulls Remain After 6 Weeks.

hulls Remain Alter Weeks.
special 70 The Evening Capital. by Jean
SabeH o'Neill. Columbus, y. NJ,
April ~.
Sixteen hundred troops left us to
! day for Mexico. This is the largest
single movement OF troops from this
port since the beginning of the Mexi~
can campaign All of the t.Lcks are
away at present, but a string of emp
| ties are expected in tomo erow and he
shipping clerks are busy getting out
freight ready TO loa,l promptly for a
return trip TO the nav stations which
are much further north than the base
OF a few weeks ago.
More than months supply of all
| sorts of army supplies are now on
hand i'm Mexico. a pret fine record of
transportation considering the diff
culties in the way The old trail has
become so :ut by the Tires Of Tie heavy
motors which carry Iree tons or more
in addition TO the weight OF the car.
that a new trail o. seventy miles has
been trok 10 further north point.
One of E e auto companies have been
experimenting with a wide guage car.
which win run on the ground on the
usual tire or can be adjusted 10 a broad
euage railroad in Gftren minutes II
is heirL tried out, ID today d spirited
race WIS run with the ,uthwcstern
tram as it pulled Oh of Columbus and
the motor truck on a spur line along
side. It is uncertain where victory
would have laid. but that the truck ran
to the emo OF the lirc and had to be
brought e. a sudden halt before It
ploughed MP too much Of the scenery
The entire corps of aviators of the
First Aerio Squadron except those of
the disabled list, are working by times
each morning trying out the four new
machines which came in last week.
These machines are exactly the same
power engines as those which have
proven unfit for the work in Mexico.
The officers of the corps are groom
ing them and coaXing them to their
best endeaYor but u the lay mind the
question arises why take the trouble
TO add to the machines that have been
fairly tested and found wanting in
every extreme and emergency. Just
the same failures?
For eight years we have heard much
OF the aviation service. Eight years OF
training. eight years of preparation.
eight years OF enthusiastic talk as TO
what this branch OF the service would
be TO accomplish when the time of
need arrived Twenty-three Army
lieutenants have been graduated as
junior military aviators. and seventeen
others who have applied for aviation
detail have been killed During this
time many machines have been tested
out Eight were on hand when the
punitive expedition started into Mexico
after Pancho villa Only two hulls re.
main TO that number after six weeks.
No one can blame the officers of the
service. They are brave with a daring
that makes the heart ache, for the dan
ger is SO great and so avoidable.
There was another sort of tragedy at
Columbus last night, also Of the easily
preventable kind A trooper fooling
with his Army .45. trying to demon
strate the safety device, shot straight
through his own body and through the
body of a man standing at his rear.
Both will probably die il they do not
it viii be owing to the quick work of
Lieut-Col. Euclid Frick. in charge OF
the base hospital here. who personally
attended the terribly wounded men.and
under whose corps they are still max
ing feeble fight for life.
The regulations as to the CARRYING OF
arms vii be more stringent Almost
every one here wears some sort of
weapon preparedness" being taught
by the bitter lesson of March 3. when
it is said. on the best authority. the
| soldiers had TO knock the tops off the
ammunition boxes before they could find
cartridges to repel the Villa attack.
We are watching for the arrival OF
| Generals Scott and Funston on the late
train Saturday night though this plan
| is not officially confirmed. Rumor
says the American generals have their
home in the private car which will ar
rive at El Paso tonight. ami will more
than likely take run over to this i'm
portant base for SUNDAY inspection, re-
turning to FL Paso on the same car for
further conference with General obre-
! goE on Monday.
This is said to be the most interest
! ing point in the United States these
days, and surely the wisdom of these
| generals viii point to visit here as
climax to this tour which is show
ing them as no amount OF press or gov
ernment dispatches could do, the real
| situation in the Mexican war zone.