The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1917-08-20

Brig. Gen. George o. squier, chief
signal officer of the United States
army and head of aviation, declares
that the close of the war will soon be
followed by the practical establish
ment of flying as a means of every
day travel.
General squier has gathered infor-
rnatlon OF the greatest value to the
american government in his observa-
ton at the fighting fronts of Europe
ana his study of the airships in the
war has persuaded him that aerial
ssciencs mas made great strides far
The three years of war" says
General Squfer have made more
progress in aviation than 100 years of
peace would have. Aviation is one of
achievements of science in this line
rexpended.
After the war the infantryman
Will come home, hang UP his gun and
ryman will lay aside his sword. But
with the aviator it will be different,
All he has done will be pure profit
and no loss He will not lay aside his
machine. He will make use of 1t in
his capacity of skilled and practiced
exponent of a new science, developed,
stabilized, made safe, practical and
useful"
General Squier points out that at
tention has been so engrossed with
events of the war that the remarkable
strides in the science of air naviga-
tion have escaped notice. Thousands
of aviators now daily operate their
machines with the sureness of expert
chauffeurs in high-powered automo-
attitudes Of 5000 to 10000 feet.
above or below the clouds, going
where they like, when they like and
how they like.
1t will not be until the war is over
and its lessons in aerial travel are ap-
piled in other than military fields that
the general public will appreciate the
progress made. General Squier is con-
WINGED, for example, that the weather
reports within the next few years will
on the surface but will include re-
ports on air currents, temperature,
ETC., up to an altitude of several miles.
Not long ago, before the war" he
says, "even the most profound scien-
lists believed that with increase of
elevation the temperature of the air
decreased more or less uniformly from
whatever it was at the surface of the
earth to absolute zero at an elevation
of thirty to forty kilometers. Now we
know that this is not true, that at an
elevation of only ten to twelve kilo-
meters the temperature becomes sub
stantially constant with respect to in
crease OF altitude"
After the war, perhaps, the business
man in New York, his office hours
over, will pick up his newspaper and
note that the current at 1900 feet is
favorable for a trip to Boston. He
will telephone his wife to have the
pilot ready to start at so they can
be in Boston in good time for their
dinner invitation.
General Squier regards is as by no
means unlikely that medical science
will find given attitudes beneficial for
certain ailments and that the cures of
the future may be based on study of
the atmospheric conditions of various
strata of the air ocean on or in which
we shall soar and cruise about. The
military leaders are now making spe-
cial types of machines for special all
titudes. They have the battleplane
and the light fighter and the heavy
fighter and the so-called armored
cruiser of the air to suit specific needs
of the military situation.