The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-18
AVIATOR IN LINE
 OF Fl. ToTTEN
 MORIAR'S FIRE
Airman Is Seen Just In Time,
 and Gun Waits Till He VeerS Of.

New York, Aug. 1S-Some ,intrs- hid aviator-name, utilization and regular whereabouts unknown came near being carried to the Great Beyond on the nose of twelve-inch shell when he appeared. yesterday in a big hydro-aeroplane over Long Isi- and sound in front of Fort Totten, whose big mortars were being exer- cised at target practice The third xun of the forts equipment had just been loaded and trained for firing when the flyer was sighted. He was directly in line between the fort and the practice target anchored in the sound near Sands Point, five miles away, and at first appeared as tiny speck in the sky.
 The machine was recognized as such 3ust in time to avert the threatened catastrophe. The gun crew stood their breaths while the flying machine logged leisurely nearer. Just before reaching the fort, the aviator veerec off over the Sound again and con- tinued his way, apparently unaware of the risk he had run or the .en- ar.inute delay he had caused in the " was safely out of danger, the gun was .sturned loose" and the big projectile, weighing 1,046 pounds, sent siarieking oyer Great Neck to it's mark
 The authorities of the fort sent out notices several days ago warning all residents living within a radius of five mi1es to open their windows at the top and bottom and store up their bric-a-brac against the coming storm"
 New York. Aug. 1S-In eight min tates' actual firing time the gunners of the 101st Company of Coaso Artil- 1ery, at Fort Totten, fired more than 12,s00 pounds of metal yesterday afternoon at a moving target five miles distant, and it was said that had an enemy's fleet been in tho plotted area at which the fire was directed. dreadnoughts and battle cruisefs would surely have gone to X the bottom Six of Totten's great 12- inch mortars were used, and altogether IF shoos were fired in the eight -min- Z ute period Each shell weighed 1,o7o pohnds: the distance of the plotted area from tho mortar fpifs was in the neighborhood .s,eoe yards Six trial shots preceded the firing of the re- corded shotx-
 Major John R. Proctor was the um- pfre who passed on the work of one gunners, and until his report is made public to the war department the peo- pie of New York will not know the exact 'enemy, casualties Major Procter was so elated, however, as a result of the work of the gunners thao he wanted to say something definite yesterday, but after thinking the mat ter over he decided that it was besc that Secretary of War Baker should have that pleasure. The report it is known, however. will not bear out those who maintain that the Coast Artillery branch of the army is fn- ef1c1ent-
 The firing was to have started at 10 o'clock yesterday morning, that being fthe hour fixed by Col William G. Haan, commanding Fort Totten, for all the folk in the neighborhood to 1ower their top windows, and also to protect pictures rare china, and other breakable things by putting them on tho floor.
 It was il o'clock when the first of t11e six trial shots was fired. Colonel FIaan, with Major B. DA. Pearce, the second in command at Fort Totten. was in the tower, which is the top room of the little building from which the defense of the Sound approach to New York would be directed if the country went to war The command ing officer in the mortar pits was Capt Edward w. wildrick The range finding apparatus, which was "some- where in the rear" was in charge o1 First Lieut.. F. A. .Eng1ehart.
 Everything was ready for the frs trial shot at ten minutes after ter o'clock. Persons for miles around were on their porches, fingers stucl in their ears, and all looking in the di Tection of Fort Totten- Usually tht firing of the big guns always begins oI schedule time. But yesterday som' z1xfppers made 1t impossible for thu coast artf11erymen to fire at the tim' set. The gunners were ready and thu pit commander had received the fina preliminary signal from the fire con frol officers when g tug steamed int ' the area into which the big projectil' was to be dropped A small fishing vessel, and later another tug sailet unconcernedly into the danger zone VII CduStQ Otidy Ol q lQli llOul DS fore the first shot was fired.
 At Il o'clock the plotted area wa clear and a moment later the first O fi1e giant mortars let go. The angi. of fire was some. GO degrees. and tn, range for this shot was about 5,0o' yards. Houses in the immediate vi cfnfty of Fort Totten were shaken a! If by mild earthquake, while win dows for radius of six miles rattled An automatic playing piano in tn, nuarters of Captain Philip Mathew actually started to play "Tipperary,' according to report that reached Major Procter late yesterday after noon.
 Two trial shots had been fired wflel something else happened to disarrang, the schedule This time it was a foi which settled down over the waters il which the enemy fleet was supposet Ho be. It was noua before the at Snosphere cleared, and it was after o'clock when the last of the trial shot went screaming on it's way to the tar get.
 At o'clock the recorded shots were fired. The mortars were fired in sal vos, two guns to a salvo. and thu range was about five miles.
 A skeleton raft on which was hoist Z cd white sail was anchored in the .n@ss<~- <xF <y.o v>1offod area 0p a r<,x,.