Evening journal., 1917-07-30
Uncle Harry Tells Aloud The New Aviation BiII


Of baseball in which their local team
had beaten the Smithville nine by
score Of to 3, they were in high
spirits and insisted upon telling their
mother and Helen all about the game.
but their story was cut short by their
mother saying:
Hurry up, boys. and get ready for
supper. Uncle Harry is coming early
Today and we are going to eat on the
porch"
And sure enough Uncle Harry ap-
peared, coming through the gate and
the boys hurried away to wash up
and make themselves presentable.
As they sat on the porch, after sup
per in the early evening, Jimmy said:
Uncle Harry why don't we hear OF
any big naval battles in this war?
have been reading Of Nelson's great
battles at Trafalgar and Aboukir, and
Dewey's fight against the Spanish
fleet at Cawte, and about Sampson
and Schley at Santiago, but there
don't seem TO be any big fights now
IN the sea. Why is it?'
We'll, Jimmy said Uncle Harry
warfare has changed a great deal
n the last half century.
Great Britain has the greatest navy
! TIE world and Germany has the
next largest. but the British navy is
so much stronger that the. German
men of war are blockaded in their
ports and can't get out.
They tried il once and a battle was
fought off Jutland. but the German
deet was driven back and hasn't
Jared TO come out since"
Haven't we got a big navy, Uncle
Harry" said Jimmy
Indeed we have" said Uncle
Harry next to Germany in size and
our fleet, added to those Of Great
Britain and France makes the Allies
well nigh invincible on the ocean"
We'll, Uncle Harry" said Joe.
whats the use of these big navies
II no battles are fought? VIII all the
lighting be done on land?"
Before Uncle Harry could answer,
q shout flom the street was heard
and a loud whirring noise was heard
and all hands rushed out 20 see a
great aeroplane sailing through the
air right over their heads. They
watched It circle and dive and finally
disappear in the distance
There. joe" said Uncle Harry. "is
an answer TO your question. The
fighting is now being done in the air,
on the land. on the ocean and under
the ocean. Napoleon Bonaparte never
dreamed of such warfare as we now
have.
THE aeroplane is one of the might
lest means OF warfare and one Of the
most valuable"
Eyes, but Uncle Harry" sah Helen,
we haven't many aeroplanes. have
We"
mo, Helen, not as many as we
ought to have. not as many as We will
have before long. Congress has just
passed a bill appropriating $4,000
900 for the aviation service, which
will provide for the building Of 22,-
600 aeroplanes and the education and
equipment of almost 100000 men to
operate them. These aeroplaEes will
be OF immense use in the military
operations over in Europe, and should
bring peace before long"
Eyes, Uncle Harry" said Joe, but
you said the nations were fighting
under the ocean. How about the sub
marines%
"A very good question, joe" said
Uncle Harry The submarine IS a
very important factor in the war. We
have sert many submarine destr0yers
over to help the Allies and are build
ing more. The aeroplanes. however
are very useful in this matter also
II has been found that the submarines
when under water can be seen from
an aeroplane in the air and by signals
the destroyers can be sent In pursuit.
and nets dropped around them ant
they can be captured or sunk So tina
the aeroplanes are not only OF use II
fighting each other but In acting a.
scouts to watch and report the move
ments Of troops and thus prevent sur
prises, to drop bombs on fortified
places and vessels Of war and to spy
out the motions of submarines unde
water Very useful aren't they?"
"They surely are, Uncle Harry,
said Joe. But / notice you sad they
could drop bombs on fortified places
and men of war. Didn't the German!
drop bombs in London and other Eng
ish cities and kill lot Of women ant
shildren?"
They certainly did" said Uncle
Harry, but that was unnecessary an'
lnexcusable brutality and I cannot be
heve that any of the Allies would dc
such a thing. Non-combatants SHOULD
not be attacked and are not attacked
By chlvalric nations. II is quite prop
or and in accordance with the rules o
warfare to attack fortified places ant
armed men, but never to attack non
sombatants who canot defend them
selves. The German do this, but ! an
sure the Allies VIII never resort TO thi
mode of warfare. Ii is butchery.
helps nothing in military point o
view, but only spreads suffering AN
misery among innocent people VIII
rannot resist. The Allies don't hgn
that way. But here comes the aero
plane again" And the Current Event
Club adjourned While all hands we-
N the gate to watch the aeroplane