Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-23
AIRCRAFT FOLLY
COST THE ENATION
S1OO,OOO,OOO
Liberty Motor Too Heavy For
Bristol Plane; Mistake
Takes Lives

Washington, July sS-waste of
perhaps more than 100000. 900 in ex-
perimenting with the English Bristol
and other types of airplanes will be
reported 10 congress by the senate
military subcommittee investigating
airplane production, members of the
committee said yesterday in an
nouncing that their report is now be-
ing drafted.
One finding of the committee, said
Senator Thomas. the chairman. and
some members. will be that 1900
training planes, costing ss.000.OOO. re-
Gently were 'junked" because they
were regarded as too dangerous for
use.
All members of the committee
were agreed that the Liberty motor.
is complete success. 1t is too heavy
for the Bristol plane, senators said.
and that type. so successful in Great
Britain, has been abandoned by the
war department.
Charles f. Hughes and Attorney
General Gregory, who have been
holding hearings in the middle west
in the aircraft investigation ordered
by President Wilson, heard additional
witnesses yesterday.
justice. that. later in the week. Mr..
Hughes would continue the hearings
in Buffalo and other eastern cities
where manufacturing plants are To-
Gated. The itinerary. however. has
not been arranged.
Amateurs Delayed Program
In brief, here is what has been
found:
Perhaps more than 500. 900. 600 has
been spent in futile attempt to
make the light Bristol fighting plane
carry the heavy Liberty motor, and
the result has been an absolute fail
ure.
That the Bristol fighter was so
changed by the increase in wing load
as TO make il slow, unfit and unsafe
for combat work.
That incompetent engineers and
amateurs in the government service
and the aircraft shops have delayed
the aircraft program.
That deaths on the aviation field
were caused by improperly adjusted
machines.
That under the present organiza-
ton of the production board pros
pective are much brighter. and repe-
tition Of these or similar errors are
rendered almost impossible.
Senator Thomas, chairman of the
aircraft subcommittee of the senate,
said:
There has been crime of mis-
takes: the future seems bright
With John D. Ryan and Major ".
l. Kenly, working together to pick
up the raveled ends. the situation
looks most promising. Neither of
these ggentlemen is responsible for
the dreadful conditions apparent to
all in the first months OF our aircraft
program.
= think that most OF the sS0o,0oo.-
600 provided for aircraft production
and training can be accounted for.
The old board established twenty
odd training fields for flying and
testing. II required good deal OF
money to do that. The fields have
been maintained.
Liberty motors are being produc-
ed on a large scale. Many of them
have gone to our allies. 1t is a
good engine for heavy machines. We
have more than 5000 training
planes"
Machines Were Unsafe
1t is expected the senate subcom-
mittee will find that Phil RAIDER and
other aviators were killed in acci-
dents because of an improper COM
bination of engine and plane. The
committee also will point out that in
order t0 overcome the defect in ra-
diation the construction of the plane
was changed so materially that the
speed of the machine was lessened.
ERROR IN NAMES
Owing TO an error in announcement,
the names of Foster DeHaven and
Morris W. DeHaven. of Harrisburg.
appeared on the lists of those who
passed the final state board dental
examinations in the early part of this
month. These names should have
been Foster HeHart and Morris W.
naHarf