Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-14
AIR TORPEDO IS
DEADLY AT 500
MILES, IS CLAIM
Invention So Simple Endors-
ers Fear the Huns Will
Stumble on 1t
RED TAPE RESPONSIBLE
Head of Pennsylvania Aero
Club Says Device Will Do
All Expected of 1t
RED TAPE RESPONSIBLE

be won In thirty days py an aerlal
torpedo which he has invented, ac-
cording to Lester 2. Barlow, who
has an office in the Land Title Build
ing, in this city.
Unsealing the lips yesterday of
two of the half dozen men who know
the secret so that they could corro-
borate his assertion, Mr.. Barlow, who
is the inventor of an aerial bomb
and an antisu bmarine depth bomb,
which already have proved success
full, added that his new aerial tor
pedo is the most terribly destructive
engine of warfare that the world
has ever seen.
One of his corroborators is Rep
resentative John Q. Tilson, Of Con-
necticut, expert on explosives and
d member of the military affairs
committee OF the House. The other
is Joseph SteinmetZ, president of the
Aero Club of Pennsylvania, an air
plane engineer and a well-kHown
Philadelphia manufacturer.
Men Who Know Secrets
Other men who have been told the
secret and who have acknowledged
the terrific possibilities of the inven-
tion, according to Barlow, are Briga-
dier General Squier, of the signal
corps, who now is in France; Glenn
l.. Martin, of Detroit. the aeronaut-
ical expert, and Louis Stoddard, of
New York, a banker.
1t is because Mr.. Barlow is per-
turbed at the delay which he said
has been experienced in arranging
fof fba Y,1annfo pfnra Of tho nnw for
pedo that he made his announcement
last night He gave the names cf
the men mentioned as corroborators
of his assertions. Mr.. SteinmetZ, IN
a personal interview here, and Mr..
Tison, in an interview in Washing
ton, corroborated the inventors as
sertions.
According to Mr.. Barlow, it would
be possible to send the torpedoeS to
Berlin from behind the Allied lines
in France and blow the German cap
ital to pieces. Likewise, with the
Germans in command of the secret
it would be easy for them to destroy
London and Paris.
Victory Within 80 Days
Mr.. Barlow says that if the tor
pedoes are turned out in sufficient
quantities the powers using them
could bring the enemies to their
So simple, however, is the princi-
pie on which the deadly device is
operated, he said that the men who
already have been let into the secret
are living in daily terror lest the
Teutonic mind grasp and utilize it
before the United States has put it
self into position to send it against
the Hun.
II am afraid every day." said Mr..
oi sffbat tho
thought of this fearful device will
occur to the German war staff. 1t is
possible, you know, for such things
to happen. This is a well-known
faJ.. Inventors know that when q
group of men think toward the same
object and have the same basic facts
at their command, they will arrive
at the same result.
There is danger that it will strike
the German inventors mind soon,
and live in constant fear that Ger
many may grasp the principle of this
deadly torpedo before we can use it."
six weeks ago." said Mr.. Barlow
last night, General Squier was first
shown the plans of the torpedo. 1t
carries more than half ton of the
highest explosive which can be
manufactured. 1t has a range of 400
to 500 miles and is positive in going
to its target
1.-TWO weeks ago one of the fore
most aeronautical engineers and my
self were told to go ahead on the
first one of the full sized torpedoes
and not wait for a contract. We were
told this by the proper department
heads. Yesterday L was in Washing
ton and found that the contract had
not been let and not a penny had
been advanced for its purpose.
Offers to Give u. $. Torpedo
Il offered the torpedo as "a gift to
the government.
'"rhe authorities at Washington
admitted when they were shown the
plans that Berlin could be blown off
the map and the German nation
could be whipped in thirty days.
"They also admitted that thou
sands of these devices should be or
hand before their use was commence
ed, because so simple is the principle
on which they are operated that the
German inventors more than likely
would discover it after a few thou
sands of them had leveled some OF
their cities.
There is but one way that Ger
many can be whipped and that is by
the air route.
IF the Germans ever think of the
principle of my aerial torpedo we
can expect Germany to destroy both
London and Paris by air raids OF
such tOrpedoes carrying their half
ton charges of high explosives. High
officials in Washington have admit
ted in my presence that If Germany
knew what we were talking about
she would undoubtedly make use of
the device at the earliest possible
date.
'All this occurred several weeks
ago-yet here we sit spinning our
thumbs and altogether we give three
cheers for the Red Tape and the
Board of War Delay.
IF any one thinks that the aerial
torpedo, capable of inflicting such
damage. on the enemies of our coun-
try, is dream or n fairy tale l would
have him communicate with General
Squier, who now is in France; Sec
"etary of War Baker, Glenn L. Mar
tin, one of Americas foremost aero
nautical engineers; Mr.. Steinmetz or
Congressman Tilson.
These gentlemen with the eXcep-
tion of the Secretary of War, know
most of the details of the device, as
does Howard Coffin. Mr.. Coffin, how
ever, cannot be held in any way re-
sponsible for the delay, as he learn
ed of the details for the first time
only yesterday"
FIRST AID GLASS