The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-06
ADMIRAL PEARY WOULD ADD TO
NAvY'S GREAT FLEET OF A|RSH|PS
In Plea For Modern Defense He Tells How Hostile Flo
tilla Gould Be Sunk Without Aid of Ships Declares
Proper Aerial Organization Would Prevent the Enemy
From Getting Near Our Coasts.

While he does not belittie the navy
Or the Importance of the coast de-
tense work of the army, Rear Admira
Peafy has devised a system of new
warfare, no part Of which is Deepen.
dent upon thet success of a theory
that would render. the United States
independent of both branches of this
service. on the coast.
Admiral Peary would have the At
lxa.ic and the Pacific so we'll patrolled
ev aeroplanes that no, hostile shiT
cM,id approach within a hundred
miles unseen. Should such shiI
&c fleet of them be- discovered he
''r uld destroy them from the air with
out the navy's aid.
He would make the aerial wireless
the means for calling triplanes loaded
with tons of explosives to sink the
ships and battleplanes to destroy any
air craft enemy ships might carry.
Admiral Peary thinks the air de-
Tense, service, is as important. as eth
er the army or the navy, and he would
have it's development and conduct put
into separate federal apartment
headed by a, cabinet ofhcer.4 He be-
lieves the time has gone by when air
fighting should be made an append
age ITO the work of the army and
navy.
Positions Held by Peary.
Admiral Peary, who is chairman
of the National Aerial Coast Patrol
Commission and Of the Committee on
Aeronautic Maps and Landing Places
of the Aero Club OF America, told of
the widespread interest in the patrol
and Of the possible need for it, as
shown by the visit Of the U-53, in his
report read before the Aero club at
its annual meeting in New York city.
In connection with this, he paid a
high tribute to Frederick Trubee Da-
vison, son of Henry p. Davisont of J..
P.sa Morgan & Co, and his associates
who formed the first unit of the pa
troll last summer.
The plan to establish an aerial
coast patrol, consisting of chain
of aviation stations-one at every fif-
ty or hundred miles along our coasts
lis developing fast" he said. 1.-THE
inexorable logic of actual events is
working powerfully for 1t. The pub
lie interest in the plan has been great,
and the. cooperation of the commits
sion has been sought by communities
the. country, who wish to ,esta blish
stations in their localities.
Portland, Me-, at one end of our
coast line, has raised the money for a
station of the patrol; Port Arthur,
Tex, is raising funds for another, and
intermediate communities are ready
to do their part. Congress is inter
ested in the plan. and a, bill has been
Introduced fin both senate and house
providing an APPROPRIATION of ST.
500,p00 for establishing units of the
aerial coast patrol under the auspices
of the. navy and in connection. with
thea naval militia and the naval re-
serve, but owing to the shortpess of
tinies nd the pressure offflegislatiye
business congress did not act upon
it at the last session.
We are assured, however, that be-
cause the measure is intended essen
TALLY to train civilians in the use of
aerop1anes for coast defense and, ow-
ing TO- the shortage Of naval avia-
tors, such a reserve of trained civil
lians is Of vital Importance, the bill
is likely tq be passed and the plans
go into effect In the near future.
Proposed Year and a HALF ago.
At the time the plan for the aerial
coast patrol was proposed year and
half ago, International conditions
were much different no unattended
war submarines had crossed the At
tantic. and the possibility of a sub
marine making such a crossing was
denied by most people, including
some high naval authorities. In out
lining the plans for the aerial coast
patrol we decided, therefore, on a
bare skeleton Organization, allowing
only one aeroplane in connection with
each unit ~ nh
The revolutionary changes that
have taken place make it necessary to
extend the plan. increasing the Nun
Der Of ,aeroplanes in each unit to
four .s
Aerial coast patrol unit, No. /. or
ganized by F.. Trubee Dawson. took
the first step In putting into effect that
pan to use four aeroplanes instead of
one This unit did valuable work In
connection with the mosquito fleet
maneuvers, demonstrating conclusive
~ tnat the aerial coast patrol will
become q most practical and valuable
y ii<.1 tiCA, 1eHaDllnSt civilians to
prepare themselves to participate in
the serious work of national defense
and meeting the new conditions Great
ed by submarine and aerial warfare
to meet which this country is sorelv
unprepared.
The members Of volunteer aerial
coast patrol unit No. /, which has
already earned for. Itself the distinc-
ton of having participated in. the first
naval naneuvers held Under most ad-
verse conditions, locating the ships
of the attacking fleet as well dis sub
merged mines. are as follows: F.. T.
Dawson, Robert A. Lovett. John
Vorys. John Farwell Sd. Albert Dit
man, Wellesley Laud Brown. zArte
mus L.SGates,. Ell. Gould, Allan Anfes
G. D. Wiman,5 A. D.. Sturtevant and II.
p Dawson, Jr.rs
Stations a Hundred Miles Apart
The, idea is to divide our entir
coast lines into sections of convenier
length say about 100 miles. Each @
these sections. and stations will r
equipped with four seaplarles. Fac
of these machines will carry a drive.
and an observer and be equipped wifi
light wireless apparatus. powerf,,
glasses and a sensitive rtlicrophono
When In active Operaftnn these coo