Evening journal., 1922-01-12
WRIGHT WARNS
!. i. S. TO PREPARE
Former Navy Man Says
New York Could be
Wiped Out
SEES DANGER
FROM THE SKY

NEW YORK-A vivid word pic
ture of the destruction of New York
City by radio controlled aerial tor
pedoes in the event Of another war.
painted by Joseph Wright, former
commanding officer OF courts and
boards of the Third Naval district
was read before the Sinking Fund
Commission when an application Of
Rear-Admiral Glennon former dis
trict commander, for cession to the
Government of the 95-acre naval air
station at Rockaway. was called for
discussion.
Asserting that the Limitation Of
Armament Conference had side
stepped" the issues involved in the
development of aerial navies, Mr..
Wright declared Japan and the ma
tons of Europe were making tre-
mendous strides in aerial develop
ment.
1T is clear" he wrote. that Great
Britain champions aircraft. Japan,
only now launching her aerial pro-
gram. avoids discussing it, mean
while buying up all kinds of equip
ment and materials in every marke;
of the Western Hemisphere. Only
six weeks ago American plane manu-
facturers trying to buy in their own
Icountry certain kinds Of wood suit
able only for airplane propellers
learned none was available because
the Japanese had purchased the en-
tire supply"
THE whole world knows the i'm
portant part New York. city and its
harbor played in the World War
continued Mr.. Wright. 1T would
be one Of the first places OF attack
a barbarouG enemy could destroy the
lentire city in a few minutes.
Picture an airplane leaving the
ground or the deck of a ship. without
a human being on it. flying 100 miles
or more until it arrives over its des-
tination, a defenseless city. into
which it is sent crashing with its
thousands Of pounds of high ex-
lplosives and asphyxiating gases-the
entire outfit flown straight TO it'
helpless target. guided and control
led throughout by wireless.
"Such is the aerial torpedo. not e
vision or the mad idea of a dreamer
but a fact, a product, and only one
of the many new things in aviation
during 1921.
Imagine a thousand OF those en-.
gines-two, three misunderstanding
out Of the skies upon New York Cit,
OF any of the large cities Of oui
country, and you have an idea Of
the grim spectre haunting the minds
OF the protectors Of our country. i
is rcal grim spectre against which
we must provide a defense, henc,
this application.
"Only two months ago the news
papers announced the invention and
successful test of the aerial torpedo
mentioned 1t has been flown b.
radio from Long Island to Pennsyl
vania. With the perfection of full
wireless these aerial torpedoes coul,
be guided by an unseen hand from
any place in the world.
such an airplane torpedo coult
cover the distance between Europ,
and our shores in several hours ant
fall with approximate accuracy OF
any Of the large cities in the United
states. They can now be used IL
shorter distance from the decks O.
vessels with absolute accurate an,
deadly results.
Seventy tons OF mustard ga
would cause the evacuation 81 tn
whole city. paralyze its means o
transportation and result in its vir
tual extinction as a port. II 2O
tons of phosgene gas were used
would Immediately kill every man
woman and child not carefully pro
tected against it,"