Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-07


that is very interesting. 1t is an alb
metal plane, which cannot burn
Here, of course, is Coxs reason for
insisting on prompt action.
Other nations will be probing,
doubtless" said: "they will be copying
and improving
"Of course" he answered. Yet if
our western coast and border were pa
trolled by the right kind of planes it
would be impossible for any enemy,
however strong. to cross effectively,
were we as strong as he in aviation as
we should be. We now manufacture
more automobiles in one single plant
in the United States than all the rest
OF the world together. We have more
automobiles in New York state than
they have in all Europe There is no
reason why. with these manufacturing
facilities at our command and with the
tremendous wealth of the American gov
eminent. as compared with the other
governments, that our War Department
SHOULD not do very considerable expert
menting with planes, with ammunition
adapted especially to planes, With dirigi-
idea of gaining speed and carrying big
loads Because it is going to be a
question of speed and load capacity
that will insure our defense
y
Excelsior. Paris illustrated paper
It's entire front page was filed with an
enignatical and unusual Photographic
cartoon-a big war pilot standing be-
tween two aerial torpedoes. One
scarcely reached his shoulder, the other,
gigantic, rose to double his height.
Behold what Europe thinks" said
PLANTATION, no text, is given beyond its
short caption, viz: What New War
Will Be- 1t was an obus of 100 kilos
which, in 1918. destroyed the house in
the Rue Geoffroy- Marie. Today there
are torpedoes of 975 kilos which will
fall, not only on a town, but on a
whole country.
There is something behind it, he
continued. ''Observe that the giant
torpedo is not given a weight in
round figures. 1000 kilos. as might
be expected of purely suppositious
bomb. but is marked an exact 915
kilos (2.145 pounds). as if known to
be actually in existence. And other
exact figures are painted on ii, as an
existing thing. There is something
ominous in all this. More will. per-
hapS, come out.
NO nation faces these dangers with
better chances of an even break than
America. We are even permitted great
hopes. The future teens with air
travel. and, unless headed off. it can
make a near millennium. You know
that American development. aericul-
tural. Industrial and intellectual.
came. after the establishment of the
! railroads. faster thaa that of any
other nation. Before the railroads. We
were far behind the other nations. but
after their building. we surpassed
them all along the line. The advance
of civilization is the advance of trans
portation; and the plane will answer
the question of quick transportation
during the next three generations. aS
the railroad answered it in the three
generations past. If
IF WHAT"
"If planes. in the hands of enemies.
are not permitted to destroy civiliza-
ton before the near millennium ar
riyes. The air holds the promise of
felicity-on condition that it is given
chance. With the coming of the
eighteen-hour train you can scarcely
, tell a Chicago man from New York
err in appearance and conversation.
and the commerce of each city is as
important to the other as to it's imme
date neighbors. So, with the cheap
and rapid transportation of the air,
animosities between states and ma
tions will disappear. Perhaps war
in ten wears, ortomorrow. a new war
will intervene and be fought in the
air!
Eve cannot know what year will
bring forth except that unimag1naele
things are coming quick! But with
preparation such as the United States
government can make and with the
engineering and brains at their COM
mand they can build planes OF
tremendous size and carrying ca
pacity to go at least 500 miles per
hour. This should be accomplished
! within the next two years at the very
latest"
you mean that the signal has been
given multiple engines on single
drive shaft?"
Yes. All the nations will be pro-
ducing it. What can put it out OF
battle? 1t will be necessary TO ruin
fourteen engines. and so on: l 40
not see how that plane can fall. IT
looks absolutely safe"
He spoke of his boyhood days in
Lansing, Mich.
ar. e. Olds in those days was run
ming about town in a little old gas
engine on wheels which they called
the horseless carriage One time
this outfit made a trip to Grand
Ledge, a distance of about twenty
miles, in one day, and 1T was heralded
from one end Of the United States
to the other as a miraculous accom-
| plishment Yet within ten years
! they had built that big car; while
from 1900. when there were 1000
automobiles in the United States. to
the present time we have leaped to
! the $500, 900 automobiles which exist
! in our land today With half that
development ten years hence air