The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-11
THE IMPROVED ZEPPELIN.
Equipped with Torpedocs II VIII Dc
Dire Things 10 England.

rendered England powerless TO resist the
new forces OF the air.
The editorial articles closing SEN
tence. THE only answer to the German
Zeppelin sweeping through tho air at
night would seem to be another great
airship.' paraphrases the insistent rec
ord of warnings over my signature In
American magazines for the past seven
years. But the time has now come to
say that actual war demonstration has
proved the %aeroplane TO be an absolute
n ignominiouy failure rs a foe of the
ainhip.
Wilbur Wright. tho lean of practical
a~crodynamics. once eaid, with that rare
insight now so strikingly confirmed
The aeroplane will not be a dangerous
foe Of the dirigible. which will always
climb faster" Yet we read, before the
war and after its inception. foolish utter
ances by British Government oficialA
FOR instance. Colonel Seely, Secretary
Of State for War, said on March 10.
1919:
We have been conducting for . Ions
tins very careful Inquiries and expert
rnents with an anti-aircraft gun. ! may
say from experiments myself have wit
messed that all the mechanical din'cuities
have been completely solved. and that the
actual diniculty Of hitting an aerial target
NJ = COHSluoT1Ul0 n6lBnt. moving ~ I'll
unknown speed and an unknown height.
hes been enormously exaggerated: and
that everybody concerned haA been sur
prised beyond measure at the compare
tive ease and the remarkable accuracy
which can be attained In hring at aerial
targets. An honorable gentleman asks
about the position at night. II we could
not We the airshlp Il would be very dim
cult FOR the alrship to zee us.
And here is another misleading state
ment from President Runciman OF the
Board OF Trade October 10. 1914:
II the Zsppelins can be approached by
aeroplancs. there arc some of them tpi-
iotsl who are preparing to sacrifice
lives IN smashing up thes. sirships b.
dashing their aerop!ares into the body OF
the airship and together coming TO earth.
And the following Is from Winston
Churchill, First Lord OF the Admiralty.
speaking or March II. 1914:
Any hostile aircraft. airsh.p or aero
plane which reached our coast during
;he coming war would be promptly at
tackled In superior force by a swarm o.
very formidable hornets. This IL the true
military situation.
Now a characteristic example Of what
has actually happened in more than
thirty eight raids on England Three
Zeppelins VISITED the east counties last
night and dropped bombs . . . Aero
planes went up. but we're unable 10 To-
cate the airships"
Summing ny. Mr.. Balfour. First Lord
OF the Admiralty. said recently I'm
der no circumstance do the auihorite s
hold that aerorlaues are an adequate
defence against Icppcllus.'
In England there followed IN rapid
succession the removal OF the Director o:
the Air service. whose policy was aero
plane defence. the appointment ~ Sir
Percy scott to the increased
Euanery defence, and finally the .tp-
ro!ntment % sir John French - slc-
coed Sir Percy Scott. Al OF the reasons
for TINS failure were ante pat'd IN M
y written record before The " ar. and
closely Appropriated ny the actual bai-
loon shooting tests Of the United States
Artillery Corps before the war.
/. w. Manchester, who Is the recog-
n.zed british authority on ae~rodynin!rs
a small part ~ aeronaut!cs. IS simply
! confirming what has been written before
when No discovers that there is no de-
Fence a. night against Zeppe,!ns. Tn,
secret OF the airship's power. as I hay,
frequently said, IS It's ability to refuse q
fight.
But soon Englaud will not enjoy the
immunity by daylight as seen by Mr.
Manchester. Al the difficulties OF spot
ting" a swiftly moving target IL. IN,
air which he describes So suCc!nc'ly wcr,
pointed out ~ even more elaborate de
tail by me IN NcClur|S Magazine o
1919 and IN IL" C.nturu OF 1910.
II this war lasts even one year mo"'
Zeppe!ins % constantly growing Size Wi
operate in the daytime. at such hcigAt.
that they viii put the acrop!4ie 10 eve
greater tests Of endurance, The aero
plane Will have to climb 10 $1,000 'ctt
and even remain alost at tina height TO
hours, to lie in wait for the sudden an,
unexpected appearance Of the a!rship
Hut then. the alrshlp of one year hence
will Inevitably Ice "A much more furuli
dahlc machine than the present Zeppelin
, Tho period OF mere bombs VIII pass
: Tne day OF the aerial torpedo Of tire
mondous force, which ! know with Ger
tainty to he in satisfactory preparation
IS Comlng, may even be At hand, TN,
~ its more primitive types Was four,
IN England after the last raid. Wit
the arrival of such weapons, dread
noughts, naval depots and supplies ma
he attacked by surprise. even in ~,
g daytime from is. Goa feet, with mucl
greater effect than bombs The use q
such airships as spoilers FOR the Cor
man feet would seem to dispose oC tn
stupid idea that German d~readNOugNi
( carrying II inch guns could not see "a
: enough to shoot twenty miles. Mr., Hal
four has admitted tho technical possl
hility o! such Rut ! am rel,
ing on tho statement made 10 mo h,
=, an u~ndouhted British naval authority
tina il has been known for some Tim
that tho contemplated usiul
: such gun
! Il is this same ostrirhiiNc desire T.
= dodge the uncrr,nC march Of sG!Cno
which has made Britain too late on IL
Zeppelin question. britain, with hc
lack "f any long experimental and sho
: eApcriearc In building Xcpp,linS, can
u not oycrtake the Germans in building u
an aerial navy, by Which ! mean bi
e dreadnought units Of the kind whir'
will lie more fully developed in the ncN
two years. There is nothing Technical
in the way of bringing the airship to tn
. point Where in FIVE wears II will, actin
as a comp~itc aud rcfucllcd unit OF an.
naval fleet. readily cross the Atlant,
and attach with impuulty not only Ne,
York but our inland cities.
y Is the United States about TO max
the error OF permitting uniformed pei
sons reposing behind the saurtity O
: official authority to steer us upon
, false course in a new science"
r. n. MACMEClIFS,
President A~cronautical society q
: America.
" NEW YoRk, February Z.
The Song Sparrow Singing ut Lon