East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-08-30
BATTLESHIPS RUN BY
/ RADIO AND MANLESS
T A|RSH|PS ARE SUCCESS
Huge Tanks, Laden With Ex.
plosives and Guided by Wire
less Make Fighting Terrible,
BY HARRY l. ROGERS

NAHNil4NtHlONt u ~ AUX ob.--
Mother. take in your service flag for
this Is a wireless war;"
in some such manner win the
Doughboy's deprisive gibe at those who
saw service behind the lines have 10
be amended in the next war if time
bears out the predictions Of naval and
military experts as to the parteradio
is to play in the conflicts OF the future.
Destroyers without soul on hoard,
manouvering at fun speed in battle
formation: battle cruisers zig tagging
with lightning-Iife swif,ness to escape
the bomb Of pilotless airplane or the
unseen torpedo of a crew-less sub
marine; whole fleets Of dreadnoughts,
whose monster guns, aimed by me-
chanical hands. helch forth tons OF
steel at other squadrons of electrical
ly-manipulated war-craft--this is the
naval warfare of the future, as it is
glimpsed by the eye OF scientific pos
sibnity, from the not inconsiderable
height OF present-day achievement.
On land the radio-controlled air
plane or dirigihle may operate even
more easily than at sea. Carrying its
death-deaIing load Of bombs or poison
gas. which the pressing Of button a
hundred miles away may release, it
could soar over enemy cities, Com
pelhng surrender of their inhabitants
by the mere threat OF the destruction
1t might wreak. Should armies ever
get within striking distance Of each
other huge tanks, laden with tons of
high explosive might be guided by
radio into the enemy lines and there
exploded by closing a contact switch in
the control station far in the rear.
A few years ago such prophecies
would have been hailed as absurd and
ridiculous. Today they are accepted
as possibilities even probabilities of
the future and the not very distant fu-
ture at that.
Navy Department experts have
been working on problems of radio
control for many months and have
made notable progress. as was evil
denced by the performance of the
radio controlled battleship Iowa. dur
ing the recent bombing tests off the
Atlantic coast. Army engineers, too,
are giving intense study to the sub
ject.
What Army experts think Of the fu-
fure OF radio in warfare is shown in
an official statement concerning the
progress OF experiments now being
conducted at McCook Field, Dayton.
Ohio.
THE possibilities Of radio control
and its application TO wartime prob
lame q -. aIr,rer -.-f4k-,,,t ,,t,-,ba-
says the statement radio control
can be applied TO any mechanical ap-
paratus that moves, whether il be in
the air, on the ground. on the sur
face of the water, or beneath the
water. Huge land tanks may be con-
strucied and filled with INT and
driven to any desired point along the
enemy's lines, where the explosive
can be fired by means of radio. or il
can be applied in a similar manner TO
q boat. submarine, torpedo. or even
an airplane, and the explosive can be
fired when and where desired
Recent visitors at McCOOk Field
have been astonished at the gyrations
of a brightly painted, three wheeled
vehicle which has been dashlng to and
fro between the buildings and among
the airplanes on the field, under no
visible means Of control. It IS often
seen to approach a group of persons.
its horn footing wildly, and then.
when apparently about to strike them,
to stop short. back. turn sharply to
right or left and then speed off in the
opposite direction.
The movements Of the ear are con
trolled entirely By radio impulses sent
out from the station at the lower end
of the flying field. The fact that no
aerial or antanna system is visible
adds 10 the nystification Of the un-
initiated
The car is Of cigar-shaped construc-
tion, about eight feet long. and turns
on three pneumatic-tired wheels. It's
speed ranges from four to ten miles
an hour, and the controls are so nice
ly adjusted as to make steering along
q narrow roadway an easy matter.
An examination Of the interior Of
the car shows an amazing collection
of batteries, switches. wires. vacuum
tubes. potentiometers. relays and mag
netos, all Of which are necessary to a
complete control of the apparatus
The brain Of the mechanism is the
selector. Various combinations Of
dots and dashes are sent out from the
control station BY means OF special
RECONSTRUCTED transmitter each com
binaiion calling for the accomplish
lnent Of certain operation Of the con-
trol apparatus
il is the function of the "selectOr''
TO decode these various combinations
of dots and dashes and TO close the
circuits to the desired controls. So
delicately is the 'selector'' construc-
cd and SO rapidly viii it operate that
II Is possible to put in operation any
of twelve distinct controls in a period
of less than one second. That is to
say, less than one second elapsed from
the time any push-button on the auto
matte transmitter at the distant radio
station is pressed until the control on
the car is functioning. Such speed Of
control has never before been accom-
plished. The ear has been controlled
equally well from an airplane and
from ground transmitting station.