The Washington herald., 1916-08-24
The Herald's Army and Navy Department
Latest and Most Complete News Service and Personnel Published
In Washington

An aviation feet for the United States
Coast Guard, which comprises the Rev
enue Cutter Service and the Life Saving
Service. is provided for in a section of
the naval appropriation bill which has
just passed Congress.
The feet will be used for the saving
Of lives and property in case OF ship
wreck, and will serve as more effec-
tive patrol than the revenue cutters over
difficult stretches of coast and sea. The
fleet also will be used constantly as a
means of communication between ships
and shore.
The naval appropriation act authorizes
the Secretary of the Treasury to select
ten points on the Atlantic, Pacific and
Gulf coasts to be used as aerial coast
guard stations. An aviation school with
an instructor and an assistant instruC-
tor will be established and fifteen addi-
tional officers and forty mechanics and
| helpers will he added TO the personnel
of the service.
Twenty aeroplanes probably will be
needed costing approximately 10000.
and the additional equipment and sta
tions are expected TO cost in the neigh
borhOod of $500 Annual maintenance
probably will be Sl35 600.
The father of the project is Capt. Ben
jamin H. Chiswell. of the coast guard
cutter Onondaga. The idea was present
| ed to him by Capt Thomas Of the United
States navy. Capt. ChiswclI. enthusiastic
over the proposition. Immediately inter-
ested Washington officials and members
Of Congress in the project
The original bill was drafted by Cart
9. \ McAllister, chief engineer of the
Coast Guard Service. The measure was
introduced by Repre- sentative Montague.
The Aero Club of America gave its full
Endorsement to the measure
Capt. Z. P. Bertholf. commanding the
Coast Guard. soon became interested in
the plan. and when the Navy ATi2tion
School a Pensacola offered to aid in the
project he assigned Second Lieut. Elmer
r. Stone and Second Lieut. Of Engineers
Charles +. Sugdcn for instruction at the
institution Lieutenant Sto~c later was
succeeded ~ Lieut. Norman B. Hall
who now is .nSagef in developing aero
plane mechanism for the fleet
The Curtiss Aviation Camp at Newport
News, Va, has off"red aircraft, equip
ment, and experts for demonstrating the
praCticability of the aviation fleet as an
adjunct of the Coast Guard Service The
Sperry Gyrosco2c Company also has Of
fered its EyrosCons compass and aerial
wireless for purposes Of experimental
tiOn.
The War Department Is receiving IA
vorable reports concerning experiments
conducted with the twelve Curtiss R-2
| l6o-horsepOwer aeroplanes now in the
hands of the First Aero Squadron at Co.
lumbus. y. NJ.
The trouble at first experienced with
! the propellers Of these high powered
machines on account of the breakage Of
the wooden material of the prOpellers
after driving out in the ory atmosphere
of New Mexico and Mexico has been OBJ
waited to large extent
In the meantime work is progressing
in the development Of a metal propeller
that will not be susceptible to climatic
! influences
One of the six Curtiss twin-propeller
aerOplanes. with two ninety-horsepower
motors, recently ordered, has been re-
ceived at Columbus and given prelimi-
nary trials. The remaining five ma
/ chimes will be shipped within a short
/ time.
/ Preliminary work already is being done
/ at San Antonio. Tex. on the organization
Iof second aero squadron for service
! in this country. to he known as the Third
! Benjamin D. FOulois. OF the aviation sec
! ton. now in command Of the First Squad
ron.
! First Lieuts Walter G. Kilner and
| Harold S. Martin. OF the aviation SEE
( ton, have been detached from the First
I Aero Squadron and ordered to proceed to
Mineola, n. y, for duty as assistants
/ to First Lieut.. Joseph F. Carberry. of
Z the aviation section in charge of the
aviation school at that place
! First Lieut.. Arthur r. Christie. OF the
aviation section. also has been detached
/ from the First Aero Squadron. and will
proceed to Chicago for duty as assistant
to First Lieut. Joseph c. Morrow. jr.,
aviation officer who will establish a fly
ing school on Auburn Field. in that city.
Children of nonresident parents can Sc
cure free tuition to the public schools
| OF the District of Columbia only when
! one of the parents Is employed in the
| District, according to a decision by the
Comptroller Of the Treasury. In the
cases of the children Of officers and men
( living at Fort Myer. the comptroller has
decided that the officers and men living
! there must be actually al work in Wash
ington If their children are to receive tree
tuition.