Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-07-11
AIRPANES DISTURB
PUBLIC meeting

Ur nom Washington:
WASHINGTON. d. c, June p.
Mr.. l. ~ White.
Mexico, No.
Dear Mitchell.
On Flag Day. Mr.. Ross and myself
attended the exercises on the Monu.
ment Ground. Secretary Baker pre-.
sided, and Judge Davis, Of the DEPART
ment Of Justice, delivered a very elo-
quent and patriotic address in keeping
with the occasion.
The Marine Band rendered several
selections also played the aocompani-
ments for a chorus Of several hun.
bred voices. The President and Mrs.
Wilson, members Of the Cabinet, SEN
ators, congressman, their families and
personal friends, together with several
thousand private citizens, made up the
audience.
Through cOurtesies extended TO Mr..
Ross by one Of the ushers who was a
Central High School cadet, we were
given seats within a few feet Of the
President and Mrs. Wilson.
All went well through a good part Of
the program, and then the speaker
was interrupted. The President seemed
not a little annoyed because Of the in
terruption, but was powerless to stop
the noise, the police force and the Sc
eret Service men were equally help
less, the voice of the speaker was COM
pletely drowned. There were no
lumber wagons passing On the pave
ments, no railroad trains or street cars
near enough to be heard, automobile
horns were silent, as was the Band,
and still the speaker could not be
| heard. The disturbance was the most
7 unique | ever witnessed and / am
doubtful if a similar disturbance Of a
public meeting ever occurred before.
However, the public will have to get
. used to the evil in the future. A cou-
pie of airplanes were circling around
and one flew so low that the whirr OF
the motors made all the noise. The cul-
! prit in this case, it is said, was Lieu
4 tenant Edgerton, a Central High
School graduate and one of the mos
n successful flyers in air mail service.
9 Another of the details in the ali
q mail service: Lieut.. - has started
from Washington with mail for Phil
adelphia three times; once he had tt
' land 20 miles out of Washington, one
, at Havre de Grace, Nd, and once flew
: over Cape Charles at the entrance u
. Chesapeake Bay because he lost hi
!. way.
From the layman's point Of vieS
II these mistakes would indicate a lack o
y practical knowledge in steering tn
correct course by a compass and tn
e necessity of air pilots acquiring tn
le knowledge by practical experienc
lie which can best be accomplished by fly
g ing in the air mail service.
N If a flyer cannot deliver mail to Phi
adelphia, New York, Pittsburgh
I'd Chicago, he certainly will not be 81
a lected to drop bombs on Cologne, E
sen or Berlin.
About 11:30 a. m. we hear the Will
" Of the motor of the Mail Airplane {
" ~
~ route to Philadelphia. | imagine Il
". farmers along the route look for tn
noon signal as we used to look for tt
ct mail train on the South Branch while
ed passed Ortiz and Bryan station
re about noon forty years ago. Ho
n time flies and what changes come!
r. There have been wonderful ii
n. provements in Air Craft seen by Il
nix lavmen during the last five years. II
IT. first hydro-airplane l ever saw WI
one in the Navy Yard dock six yea
ago. The boat was like a flat DO
y toned skiff IA or is feet long, light
a hunting boat built for one man. 1
~ motor was less than so horsepower
,T wing so or 40 feet, the speed claim
for it being sixty miles an hour.
for it being sirty miles an hour.
N The hydroplane l saw at the sal
: place four years later; the boat W
40 feet long, six feet depth Of hold a
Gu, eight or nine feet beam sheathed WI
a very thin sheet Of steel; this was
biplano. The spread of wing was
III, feet. It had two motors of $50 hor'
0 mower each the speed claimed was
JUS TO 100 miles an hour. 1t carried a or
osS of five men and one of the crew t.
me that when loaded for flight
craft weighed 5 tons. However
saw a statement that the weight '
lco onlv about 81 tons, but in eit0er c
it was a pretty big bird. The day
W ter | saw the plane, it started TO
turn to Newport News and fell !
ME feet into the Potomac, and as l
the member three of the crew we're Kill
inc The big Caproni Plane which ca
ian nm from Langley Field near Fortr
Monroe last Fall carried ten men Up
ned sengers and crew. This Italian \
De- chine was a biplane, had three mot
OF of ITS horsepower each and three 7
The p%ellors, was % feet high and ha
mi wing spread Of about 80 rect,
speed claimed was 100 to l25 miles
rye hour. think this airplane is the Ia
.ses est Washington has seen
rell, What is said to be the newest IRE
Ma plane is the viosin, a triplane oil L
C. horsepower, the wing spread is nea
and 200 feet. 1t is a bombing plane
enormous power, The most power
Ian European plane ascend to the mel
of 2 5000 to $4,000 feet =,
Notwithstanding the wonder
nropress we think this country
made, America is still behind Eur
in the airplane industry. Howe
America has done wonders during
III. last few months both in quality
lost o~uantity of her production and II L
Sico many will give US just a little m
e time we shall outstrip her in the
ifty ductiion of aircraft and when thai
i accomplished the war will be won
ny Yours truly,
It w. S. HATHAWAY
this
in eu,pe IN WEAR
now BUILT l,oSE ~,
WASHINGTON, July 4s-July