The sun., 1919-02-07
U-BOATS HARASSED
BY j. s. SEAPLANES
Automotive Engineers Hear Of
How Navy Filters Curbed
Submarines.
BIG GROWTH OF SERVICE
Rapid Use of Oil Supply Brings
Warning From Govern
ment Officer.

TIE enormous growth OF the flying
section OF the navy and the great part
taken by seaplanes In winning the war
were described by navy officers yester-
day at the aeronautical session OF the
Society of Automotive Engineers at this
annual convention In the Engineering
Societies Building. 90 West Thirty-ninth
street.
AT the outSreax OF the war the United
states had only one naval air station,
with thirty-eight aviators and scans
equipment. When Germany gave up
there we're. according - Commander J.
II. Towers, $4,000 men in the naval air
forces, slightly fewer than the total
strength OF the navy IN peace time.
To the one station in the United States
had been added twelve others along the
United States coasts and twenty-eight In
Europe. The air stations abroad
stretched from the northern coast of Ire
land 70 the southern tip of Italy. In
addition. American pilots were flying
with the British naval forces The work
of getting submarines had been divided
scientifically. 80 that the German sub
marines toward the end of the war were
compelled 10 keep away from the closely
patrolled coast OF Europe and the British
Isles.
Not only did each station have it's
quota of planes constantly patrolling the
seas, but there were also S o patrols
-seaplanes which were called out III
emergencies-
I'm a test made at three stations just
hnf 10 ~.
longest time taken TO get this emer
gency patrol into the air was seven min.
utes," Commander Towers told the ensi-
neers.
Commander Towers told also OF the
DAYS gun, powerful enough to crush
In a submarine. let light and capable of
being fired without danger from a sea-
plane. The recol was eliminated by
having the gun fire in opposite directions
at the same time. A shell shot down
ward into the hull OF the submarine
was hurled harmlessly over the top Of
the airplane IN the opposite direction.
Three Guns on One Plane.
II was possible, on the later and larger
models OF seaplanes. to mount two and
even three OF these guns. A Lewis
gun. oolted to the Davis gun. threw a
shower of lead about the submarine until
the gunner was satisfied that ne was
aiming straight at the target. Then
the heavier gun was fired.
The work Of the Naval Aircraft fac
tory at League Island. Pa. a plant which
sprans UP In the last six months OF 1917
and had turned out 1873 complete twin
engtned flying boats. as well as spare
parts for experimental machines was
described by Commander T. H Coburn,
it's manager.
Details Of the great "SC-l." the sea-
plane which carried ffty-ive passengers
recently at Rocksway Beach, were given
by Commander II. c. Richardson of the
United States Navy.
The three Liberty engines are ar
ranged as tractors In separate nacelles
placed between the wings, and the pilot
and assistant pilot are IN a cockpit Just
abaft the centre motor" he said zone
gunner's cockpit Is on top OF the centre
plane, while another Is placed In the
DOW. The tail IL OF the biplane tyre. 7:
| was contemplated that additional gun
ners would be placed in the after portion
| Of the hull with guns mounted on
brackets, so that they could cover the
arc OF fire from the beam to the stern
| and downward, also that this seaplane
| sether with a non-recoil gun Of large
| cslibre at the bow. Three more of this
type are under construction"
The subject OF navy dirlgibles was
treated by Starr Truscott. who said that
| grave difficulty was the number OF
| men and material needed on the ground
| In handling and housing lighter than air
craft An important present day dlscov-
cry, he declared, was OF helium gas, non
infa Tlnlable and light
Great speeds in the air within the mex;
few years were predicted by Grover
c. Looming, inventor of the Looming
monoplane. A three seated monoplane
tested recently at Dayton, Ohio, made
| $50 miles AT hour. 4 European scout
plane is said to have exceeded this by
| ten miles an hour. and standard lie
Haviland makes about ! 20 miles an hour
Mr.. Looming said no great difficulty will
be encountered In designing a three
seated plane with a 400 horsepower en-
CINE that will travel 200 mile an hour.
| Fuel was considered at the morning
session OF the meeting There is seri-
Gus danger of exhaustion of oil, II econ
omy Is not enforced in the use of gaso-
| lene, according to DR.. David White. chief
geologist Of the United states Geologi-
cal Survey.
| Papers were read also by Charles F
Ketter!ng. the president of the society
DR.. e w Dean of the Bureau OF Mines
DIR. II. c. Dickinson of the Bureau OF
Standards, Z. De Golyer. John w
Smith, L. G. Vincent and Clyde II. Tees
dale OF the Forest Products Laboratory
BANQUET Closes the Meeting.
Fifteen hundred members and guests
of the society gathered last night ir
tina grand ballroom of the Hotel Aston
for a victory banquet, closing the an
nual meeting. Job f. Hedges, as toast
master, introduced Capt. Eddie Ricken'
hacker 70 the engineers, while all stood
and cheered.
| "If the war had gone on IA little
longer my only regret would have beer
| that there would not have been left
| enough Germans to pay the indemnity
Mr. Hedges declared. "a repenting Ger
man working to pay the price of his
| bad act Is better than n dead German
unregenerate."
| In speaking OF his profit sharing plar
John ". WHY'S. president of the Willy'
| Overland Company, said that he re-
GREETED that he had not followed tn.
lead of Henry Ford years ago. Proh'
sharing, he said was the only way fol
manufacturers to get the cooperation OF
labor.
Other speakers were Alfred A. Reeves
general manager, National Automobile
Chamber OF Commerce; c. +. Ketterine
retiring president OF the society; Charlie
NJ Manly. presldent-elect. and Georg
II. Houston
Guests OF honor were H. r. Sutphen
president National Association of En-
CINE and Boat Manufacturers Camille
Cerutt. chief of the Italian Military Mis-