Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-31
Big War Exhibit
At Washington
BY w. 8. MANN.

thousands of tourists from all part
of the country who r. f1ocking L
this exhibit.
For more than a year the nationa
museum has been working on thi.
collection in cooperation with the
war and navy departments, receiving
many exhibits prepared by the allied
governments. 1t has already dwarf.
ed. into insignihcance all other his
~torical exhibits in the museum. Con.
gress is going to be asked to pro-
vide q separate building for this
graphic perpetuation of the part
taken by the United States in the
greatest war of all history. The
many thousands of objects assem-
lbled illustrate the military, navaI
and aerial activities not only of our
own side of the conflict, but Of our
opponents as WE'LL.
Tourists from all parts of the
country have remarked on the un-
fortunate necessity of having the
collection divided In three buildings
1.-THE new national museum, or
national museum, or natural history
building; the old national museum,
or arts and industrial building, and
q steel structure used by the air
craft service during the war and
which is now employed for housing
the priceless aviation exhibit. Al
ready hundreds of letters have been
written to members OF congress
urging that a war museum building
should be erected at once
William dec Ravenel, in charge of
the collection, says: The value of
such a collection cannot be overesti-
mated from the popular or the scien-
tihc standpoint, not only forming a
fitting and serviceable supplement to
the written and printed records re-
lating to the history of the war, but
constituting q most normal memorial
to the patriotic individuals who have
contributed to the preservation of
civilization. 1t will also be of the
highest value for historical and scien-
tihc research"
AS the exhibits began to come in
the national history building was
occupied by the bureau of war risk
insurance, so the war collections
were Installed in the arts and in
dustries building. Some of the large
and heavy pieces were placed out
| SIDE the building. These we're for
the most part heavy ordnance cap
tured from the Germans. By the
close of year materials tor the ex-
hibit were coming in so fast and in
such quantity that it became neces-
sary to utilize all of the central por-
ton of the ground floor and the ro-
tunda of the national history build
ing, which space is usually reserved
for special exhibitions of a very tenn
porary nature.
The most important of all the OBJ
jects is the combined order OF battle
map corrected to the date OF the
| armistice as used by General Per-
shing and his staff at Chaumont,
France. throughout the progress of
the American military movements.
This map, about 8 by 10 feet. was
sent by General Pershing himself
and was installed by members OF his
staff so that 1t appears, with acces-
series. today exactly as when used
to direct the American participation.
1t shows in vivid fashion the exact
situation of all armies at the hour
Of the armistice. The accessories
consist of the secret chamber walls
in which the map was kept, the slid
ing door which covered the map
| when not in use, the platform and
| floor mating and four chairs and a
table that were used IN the cham
Der.
OF special interest to women Is a
| collection being made by the Colo
NAL Danes of all types of uniforms
worn by women during the war.
There is at least n specimen OF
all kinds of arms and munitions used
by any of the contestants during the
war.
One of the heart-throb collections
consists of relics Of Lieut.. Benjamin
Stuart Walcott. U. 8. A.. son of DIR.
Charles d. Walcott. secretary and
administrative officer of the Smith
sonian Institution. Lieut.. Walcott
entered the French Air Service as a
member of the Lafayette Corps and
was killed in aerial combat and fell
within the German lines December
IL, 1917.
Most of the pieces on exhibition
came out of the very center OF the
fiercest battles and were used in con-
flict by war heroes.
There is a special exhibit of
twelve panels showing the develop
ment of the chemical warfare SER
vice.
The air service exhibition is par
ticularly notable and has been stu
died by the aerial officers of the par
t~icipating nations. 1t includes two
French military airplanes used on
the Western Front. the first battle
plane built in this country for the
United States government. and a
Curtiss training plane such as was
used at all the training fields in the
United States. TIE museum already
has an extensive collection showing
the history Of aviation.
This first De Haviland-4 battle
plane was completed by the Dayton
Wright Co.. in october, 1917, ana
installed with the first 12-cylinder
Liberty engine. This airplane was
flown for more than 1000 hours, in
GLIDING trips to practically all the
biggest cities in the country and
mostly by Howard Reinhardt. 1t
has carried Orville Wright, Glenn
Martin and others of national repu-
tation. In this exhibit are mounted
aircraft machine guns and other as
cessories.
A Voisin military airplane for
bombing at night and a Coudron air
plane for photographing and recon-
noitering, both used during the war
by the French on the Western Front
are attracting great attention from
tourists.
The museum has made arrange
ments through the war and navy
departments that this air service
section will contain examples of ev-
cry plane. engine, radio apparatus
and other accessories being pro-
time of signing the armistice.
The collection of German military
paraphernalia captured during the
various engagements in which the
American troops participated, was
assembled in France by Maj. Gen.
II. L. Rogers, u. S. A.
In the preparation Of this exhibit
the War Department was represent
ed in the historical phase by Col.
c. w. Weeks. chief of the historical