New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-23
ENEMY PATROL Spotted by
u. S. Filters and Theoret-
ically Wiped Out
Shell Fire Directed
Large Number of Planes in
Military Maneuvres-Fine
Results Shown

terudy afternoon Win inc iuS9 VI W.
verting the government buildings at the
Federal flying school at Mineola INTO
toothpicks. the chance Of success would
have been just about equal to that oil
the proverbial SNOWFALL.
This enemy column would have been
spotted eight times before it had got
ten more than half a mile from Rock
away. And, furthermore, it probably
would have paused at least for breath
when the men realized that no less than
twenty-five aeroplanes were clrcllng
overhead.
The maneuvres of yesterday after
noon at Mineola were really epochal'
Never before in the history OF Ameri-
can aviation has so great fleet taken
the air at once. Never before, indeed'
in all the Western Hemisphere have
so many aeroplanes been flying at once
The nearest approach 10 yesterday >
record is said to have been flight last
year at San Diego. Cal, in which TWEEN
ty-one planes took part.
Had TO Dodge AerOpianes
And there was not the slightest accl-
dent to mar the day. This, too, despite
the fact that the air was literally full
Of varbirds cutting through the ether
at speeds varying from sixty to ninety
miles an hour. Captain John W. nu''S
remarked: at was the first time ever
saw where you had to guide yoursell
to miss an aeroplane.
Two air problems were solved. fItSl'
il was assumed that an enemy comDal
natrol had left the vicinity OF far
Rockaway. travelling in motor trans
mort with the object of efecting
reconnaissance in force against the de-
tensive line Queens-W estbury. IN
formation was desired as to the move
ments of this patrol. -,
Theory omitted, the patrol was
Corporal Kelly. driving an army truck;
Seventeen pilots were detailed 70 ma
tho advancing truck and report upon IT,
II was no easy task. Traffic was heavy
on the Long Island roads YESTERDAY;
And. besides, from a height OF several
tbonsand feet vehicles seem TO be toys,
perhaps three inches long, gliding
noiselessly over impossibly clean
streets. IL would have been simpler 10
locate n real combat patrol.
But let the report Of Lieutenant h. r /:
Wehrle Zone of the tIrst to be turned
in) sneak. He declared that he caught
sight OF the truck just before II en-
tered the village of Rockville Centre.
Enemy" Halted by Policeman
"The enemy was halted" he said, "by
traffic policeman, then proceeded
toward Mineola at the rate Of twenty
miles an hour" He stated the road
over which the patrol" was advancing
and the probable hour Of its arrival
at the post. His observations proved
10 he true. c
Seven other niers discovered Cor
poral Kelly and his gray charger. Inc
aerodromc would have had at the least
half an hours warning. time sufficlent
to allow the dispatching of half dozen
battle planes. whose bombs could have
made it exceedingly uncomfortable Tor
the approaching foe.
In the second manpuvre II was as
sumed Vat an enemy airpiane mad
been co. olled to land somewhere near
Valley Stream. Six fiers were sent
out TO locate the craft. the presump--
ton being that when found special
armed motor patrol would be sent to
destroy it. This problem was more
difficult than the first. what II
amounted to from the point of view OF
the aviator was to pick out somewhere
on the typographical map that was
spread out beneath him little gray
'plsne which he might have held in
the hollow Of his hand, and then to be
able to tell exactly where 1t was;
Only one man Lieutenant Miller
thought nc saw the enemy blplane, ana
he was not quite sure. lie suspected
that il might be one Of his comrades IN
the air making landing. "A 1t turned
out. however, the machine he saw was
that Of Instructor A. 5. Adams the en-
eray. The other five pilots detailed TO
the problem failed.
Foe Shot with Camera Gun
Captain John W. Butts. as sort Of
aerial free lance, went up with No. -
"A Curtiss to shoot any one he
could. He was armed with multiple
airplane camera, n device which takes
a picture every time trigger is pul led.
Captain Butts assembled 5000 feet
Then he proceeded to dive at various
unsuspecting machines. Theoretically,
he slaughtered almost the entire feet
ONLY one 'plane-a fast L. W. F.--saw
him coming. made an abrupt turn and
eluded him.
One more experiment OF great inter-
est was made. A temporary fire trench
had been dug at one end OF the field,
with communicating trenches leading
from il. Upon the motor parkway had
been marked (by means of two broad
white lnes) the length of a regiment
on the march The test was in artll-
lery reconnaissance.
Three pilots-Captain Butts. Lieu
tenant W. p. Willetts and Lieutenant
II. II. Salmon-with observers, were
sent up 5000 feet. As they passed
over a trench six smoke bombs were
set off. The aerial observers were
supposed to describe the trench. locate
the marching regiment" and tell how
many feet away from the trench the
"shells" had burst. The result was
gratifying 20 the army officers in
charge of the work.
Twenty-Five machines took part in
the maneuvres. Those flying yesterday
were A. 6. Allan, II. A. Blakely, b. Is.
Acosta. Captain A. W. Briggs, Leonard
Bonney. r. A. Bjorklund, Captain Ray
nal c. Boiling, Captain John W. Butts,
A. S. Adams. Lieutenant Miller. II. +.
Norton. Lieutenant II. II. Salmon. r. T.
Blakeman. Lieutenant W. p. Willetts,
Lieutenant Noyes, Sergeant l.. V. Smith,
Ivan p. Wheaton, W. c. Jenkins. R. NJ.
Olyphan.. Lieutenant Daniel c. Morse.
Lieutenant II. F. Wehrle, Lieutenant
Is, b. Lewis, Sergeant A. J. Coyle, Lieu
tenant c. II. Reynolds and W. II.
Bleakley.