The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-10-20
Britain Sends Us Plans for
Giants of Air to Be
Built Here.
WILL PARALYZE THE ENEMY
Great Number of These Craft to Make
Impossible Reinforcement Of Ger
man Lines-Engines Very
Powerful.


models and hlueprints Of aero motors
developed BY England and France dur
ing three years of warfare. The Unit
ed States airplane factories have re-
reived gratis the secrets of new alloys
and improvements In construction
which previous to Americas entry into
the war could not be bought nj any
Irice-SccretS that We're guarded with
mems lives and We're never mentioned
beyond The doors of certain offices.
Personal messengers have left England
by every departing steamship; mail
bugs have been filled with priceless
hlucprintS AMI cable lines have been
damned with messages, all bearing on
che development Of the American air
squadron.
The governments Of France and
Great Britain know that upon the eff
forts made ON the other side Of the At
lantic within the next six months de
ponds the fate Of the armies aneld.
Important above everything else in tn"
struggle for victory is the airplano.
which must be produced in myriadS,
ana the task now falls Squarely 70
Uncle Sam.
Doubters Are in Minority.
There are doubling ThOmHSrs on
this side of the water who sheer at the
crandiose statements coming from New
York and Washington and who assert
that even if the United States Grgan-
ICES for the aerial construction pro
gram the product will be so inferior
that It will be useless for actual fight
ing Fortunately these dOubterS are
in the minority. Officials and men in
q position TO know what already has
been done are highly optimistic. They
believe that American methods applied
to the manufacture of air craft Will re-
suit in Just as good product as Is
now coming from factories organized
here shortly after the war started.
Despite all the lurid prophecies re-
garding the great fleet of airplaneS
that eventually will lay waste the prin-
cipal German cities, the experienced
airmen on this side only hope for
thousands Of machines with which to
fight the German armies in the field.
The success which Americas efforts
are to insure will come only when the
allied armies in France have sufficient
airplaneS to retain mastery of the air
and to patrol every mile Of the terri
tory Immediately behind the German
lines. When the day finally arrives.
Germany will not be able TO move a
train back Of the lines and to move
reserves will be impossible. She will
be unable to feed the men who are in
the first lines. Her heavy artillery
| will be silenced and in the end her en-
| tire fighting forces made useless. The
| way will then become one Of move
| ment, with the chances for victory al
| together on the side of the allies.
There are various types of airplanes
which will be manufactured in Ameri-
ca that are already being used In
France. Engines of unbelievable pow
err are being put into the newest type
of plane. The average American Is
more or less familiar with automobile
engines and has some idea Of what
weight of engine will develop 10O
horsepower If this average American
| were to look at some Of the newest air
motors he probably would judge them
to he ten or 1J-horsepoWer. In fact
he could lift some of the engines I'M
aided and would probably be astound-
ca to learn that such Il machine was
capable of developing not 100, but $50
| horsepower.
Every newspaper reader in the Unit
ed States has been we'll Informed OF
the plans for building airplanes. but il
| is doubtful if one in 4 thousand car
pirturc the size of some of the planes
| that eventually will be loaded on trans
portS at the Atlantic piers. The cor
! respondent has had an opportunity II
| the last few weeks Of inspecting the
| newest type of aircraft; the type thai
will be turned out in vast numbers b!
America. and it is bigger in every way
and more powerful than laymen i'm
agine.
To begin with, the body of the new
machine resembles in many ways bis
motor launch. It's under part i!
rounded and beautifully constructed
Of finely grained wood. 1t is so bi!
that to enter il one must Chamber up
ladder and go down through hatch
way as big as the cabin door of
motor yacht. j is of the biplane typ
and from tip to tip of each wing Their
IS room enough for dozen men 70 III
ont full length. Its two motors vii
develop 600 horsepower and their com
bined weight is so little compared t.
the power that the actual figures woul'
look untruthful In print. Where III
old types could carry hundredWelghtS
this machine carries tons.
Can Carry Nineteen Men.
This new plane is manned by pilot
two or three observers, forward gun
uer, bomb-dropper, a mechanic ano
If necessary. q dozen passengers. |
has an electrisal-lighted pasSageWa
leading from one compartment to an
, other. The flooring of one compar'
I ment is a strongly constructed Sratin
. through which the occupants can vieN
AZ, ,,r,b b,,op Tho sides OS two @