The Monticellonian., 1917-10-12
PLANES WILL Be
READY IN TIME
sUMORS OF DELAY IN TURNING
OUT AMERICAS AIRCRAFT
ARE UNFouNDED.
ENOUGH SPRUCE IN SIGHT
Machines Can Be Built in Many Fac
tories ard Will Be Done in Time for
the Wonderful Liberty Motors to Be
Installed.
BY EDWARD 9. CLARK.

or two has been troubled with rumor'
to the effect that while the United
States will have the best flying ma
j chine engines ever built. and these In
/ quick order, the whir of their machin
cry will not be heard over the heads
4 of the Germans until twice a twelve
month has gone by.
There Is delay enough in a score OF
branches of the government depart
ments In all that pertains to war work
but the people probably can reassure
themselves on the flying machine mat
ter. We will have battle planes and
plenty of them flying in Europe with
their fast dropping cargoes of high eX-
plosives before the next crop of blood
red coquelicots springs in the fields
of France.
Secretary of War Baker came pretty
close to putting himself In the class
of the exuberant when he issued his
1.500 word statement about the new
aircraft motor, but inquiry makes it
appear that while the exuberance of
the secretary may not have been in
keeping with the o. mary conventions
of secretarial life, it perhaps was jus
titled from the human nature point of
view.
Battle Planes Will Be Ready.
After Mr. Baker had told the eoun-
try that the greatest thing that ever
happened in the way of motor had
been purchased, there came the story
that the motors were all very well,
but that there would be precious little
use for them because there would be
no airplanes In which to install them
until many weary month had gone
into times discard.
Congress and those members of the
administration who are not intimately
I'm on things" looked bluer for a day
than the unprotected face of any avia-
tor after n nipping ride In the upper
air. Now it can be said that as soon
as the motors are turned out which
Will not be long. there will be battle
planes to carry them and to be pro-
PEELED by them. All of which is ex-
ceedingly cheerful news to II capital
which has been hearing that only a
been turned ont, that none of the new
deStrOyers will be ready for eighteen
months, that bad ammunition is being
made at the arsenals, and that neil
ther steel nor wooden ships for COM
merce bearing will be ready until the
waters of earth have several season
able chances to freeze.
Co1,a time a ~ in fboco notchpS n
was said that the government was ex-
perieneing difficulty in securing a sup
ply of proper spruce from which to
make the framework of the airplanes.
Friends of the enemy have been busy
In Spilling some of the spruce trees and
In doing damage to timber already cut.
but of course not even enemy aliens
inspired with the hate of all things
American can ruin the entire spruce
crop of the United States overnight.
Plenty of Spruce.
Now 1t is said that the spruce is in
sight and to this cheerful bit of In
formation is added a word that it does
not take long to build an airplane and
that they can be built not only in au-
tomobile factories, of which we have
perhaps some scores of hundreds, but
in furniture factories and even in the
carpenter shops of every day city and
country acquaintance.
So today it seems to come down to q
situation which promises a plentiful
supply of airplanes within fairly short
order with motors 70 run them and
with fair prospect that they can
make themselves felt from their van
tage points above the head of the en-
envy before the next cold season has
been melted by the breath of genial
spring.
Many Wish To Be Aviators.
At army headquarters In Washing
ton there have been from time to time
expressions of surprise, pleased sur
prise, nj the great numbers of young
Americans who have expressed Il will
ingness to enter the aviation service.
1t requires the possession of a GER
tain temperament TO make success
full aviator and the army examiners
are determined that only the men who
are fit shall enter the service. and In
this can 'be found one reason why
there is qualification because of the
large numbers of young men who are
showing desire to become battle
plane fliers and fighters.
Within day or two there has been
received from France an account OF
the first experience in battle of an
American aviator, Charles J. Trinkard
pnr,,nf SSinn "a rnhlish the acpnnnt OF