El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-11-17

/ They have developed two types-the
I biplane and the triplaue, the latter
I a big bombing plane-the Caproni
Z with three $50 horse power engines
An Italian plane flew from Turin 70
[ London in seven hours and another
I plane made a much longer flight
Z from Turin 20 Rome and return with
out landing. These cars can carry
over a ton Of explosives and before
next year is well in. the Italians hope
to have a bombing car plane that VIII
STAY Up longer and carry a larger load
than the present plane
Incidentally IL may be well TO re-
member that all this time the Ger
mans are preparing an air campaign
to meet our campo ign. Tt is known
that Germany expects to have 1000 big
fast battle planes on the western
front next spring
British Now Advocate Bombing.
The English were naturally inclined
10 believe in fighting and observation
planes. but the air raids on London
have forced the British TO see some
thing Of advantage IN bombing planes
As an answer 20 the Germans raidinG
planes the English have developed a
London sky barrase from the anti air
craft -uns-a curtain or fire thrown
up in TO the heavens spraying shrap-
mel through which the enemy hest
tates 10 fly. And above the upper lip
Of the sky curtain English high flying
bst-leplanes drop bombs above the
barrage so that The German Us forced
higher. But street traffic is stopped
also for what goes Up must come
down and a considerable part Of the
casualty list i'm London is caused by
English shrspneI during a raid
Speed supremacy for the moment
seems 70 be with the Germans in
few machines. but not enough 10 be
decisive The best OF the lighting
plane has a speed Of $50 miles an hour
and the standard speed Of an observer
or corp d. Anne plane is ll2 an hour
Doubtless from all sides the spring
will see speed increa sed-and the fac
tor OF safety and design and coustruc-
tion OF the planes lessened- The nee
essary weakness Of the big Csproni
machine is its snailGke pace Of 90
miles an hour
Efficiency OF Bombing
Which opens up the whole question
OF the efficacy OF bombing There
is no agreement on the subject Drop
ping bombs on London has had no
military meaning. London IS a thlckly
settled CITY, yet more than half its in
elusive area is composed Of streets
parks, gardens and open spaces
Bombs frequently are timed 10 eN-
plode 20 feet below the point OF first
contact and, therefore DO little dam
age 10 life in a house below the third
story from the top II the people
hunt cover during a raid and keep out
Of the upper stories Of these houses
the casualty list is small
Aim IN bomb dropping IS VIGOROUSLY
poor And probably the bombing ma
chine. unless IL shall be operated in
large Numbers and by the thousands
in single raid. viii hardly be an i'm
portant weapon OF war But the ma
chine gun car for air fighting car
designed TO chase off enemy observers
or enemy bOmbers-is Of known eff
cheney. No one questions i-s value.
But the whole question OF sheliinG
and bombing. whether from gun in
the air OF gun on the ground, is an
interesting question
Costly, Operating Big Guns.
Two guns on the French front this
summer in two and oue-half months
belchcd out 2000 tons OF shells and
did not move forward an inch. Doubt
less hundreds OF other guns made a
similar record Tt costs tremendously
10 kill a man in war. The job may be
done easier by speeding up the motor