The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-09-19
IN FRANCE, NO. H..
OBy The Associated PressD

ROMORANTIN, Central France,
Sept. 17-Liberty airplanes were
daTting across the sky, other Liber-
ties were drawn up in battalions
across the big plain, and still other
Liberties were putting and struggling
at their anchor tests, as The Asso-
ciaed Press correspondent arrived at
this great centre Of airplane produe-
ton for the American fighting army.
The nearby town of Iss0doun is the
great center for American aviators-
Crowds of soldiers and workmen
mad gathered To see one a. the fight
ing Liberties completely equipped
with bombing machines, wireless out
fit, all its guns, and every last device
for going into combat. There had
been other Liberties turned out, SEQ
res and hundreds of them now NOV
ing in steady stream. In this and
others which had preceded, the last
step had been taken to give them
their final equipment for actual fight
ing.
The big machine iaad a spread of
wings 43 feet across, and like all the
others was of grey cloud-color seen
from below, though above the color
changed to- green and merged into the
green fields. Ahead pointed the ma
crime gun operated by the pilot, with
synefonizing device by which a hum
dred shots a minute flew between the
arms of the spinning propeller. Fur
two more machine guns had sweep
OF both broadsides and upward and
rearward. There was no angle they
could not reach, and even the Gotha
trick CT shooting straight down
through flor tunnel was more than
matched, though details of how this
is done cannot, of course, be given
1t is sufficient to say that this new
type, long and anXiously awaited and
now a reality, armed for combat was
as formidable as amy car ever pro-
dueed, and in the judgment of these
experts was far more formidable than
any e. them.
Climbing into the pilots seat there
was an opportunity, to see the work
ings of the big car-tthe pioneer of
the fighting squadrons soon to come
The powerful motor with all it's pis-
tons jumping was just ahead with
two long eXhausts sweeping back to-
ward the tail Within the seat were
straps to hold the pilot in a headlong
fight, and all the delicacy of mech
anism one sees in an automobile
speed indicator, gas meter, oil pres
sure, throttles, switches and much
more besides; lights; for signalling,
height meter and compass, and fire
extinguishers to fight a blaze
This is the joy-stick,' said Cap
tain X as he swung the lever. con-
trolling the tail and ailerons for YER
tical movement. And he pointed out
that the foot-rudder, which controls
the horizontal movement, worked on
the same principle as the bob-sled.
Truly it is WONDER" he said
fondling the mechanism 81 know
them all-English, French, Italian
and there is nothing like this for
power and speed. Way"
And then he gave an instance of
what had been accomplished in a
straight rise from the ground, which
constitutes record far exceeding
anything before. This was made in
one of the Liberties recently turned
out here. 1t was not regarded as one
OF the best of the machines, and the
worklnen even dubbed it False
Alarm!' But it soon proved its
rights. 1t was sent to one of the
training feds and on one af its
Ifirst ascents it shot up straight from
the ground to the height of 20,400
feet in 95 ga minutes.
1T is the fastest time a human be
ing has ever gone up" said the Cap
tain, land it gives am idea of what is
ahead when these squadrons are in
line"
If details could be given on the
number of these planes and the squad
rons equipping for the battle line ii
would cheer those who have grown
heart-sick with waiting and charges
and Investigations, and would let
them know the day df real accom-
phshment was at hand in the thick
Of the fighting. Without giving mum
Ders, 1t can be said that we saw these
machines crowding a vast workshop
IN such arrays that their wings touch
ed and covering much more than the
area of city block They were not