Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-10-11

and bombs and doubtless, in secret with gas. The
presses are kept busy printing books on the next
world war"
Abroad nations seem to be running race in
developing the airplane as the coming weapon Of
war. The United States seems. to be tagging be-
hind in this development to such an extent that
the American Legion has proposed to ask Presi-
dent Coolidge to call international conference.
to halt this race by limitation of air ornaments.
If our aviation accomplishments are colnpara-
lively Of little Importance what must be the devel
opments abroad? United States naval seaplanes
bombed and sank in short order two battleShipS
slated for the scrap heap.
Twenty-three United States army airplanes in
Guiding sixteen huge bombers, made fight Of
800 miles from Virginia to Maine-and gave the
Atlantic coast an object lesson A transcontinental
aerial mail schedule Of thirty hours from coast to
coast shows that night flying, essential of mill
tary aviation, is practical. A navy Curtis racer,
pfloted by naval officer, travelled at the rate of
more than four miles minute and again at the
rate Of 255 miles hour.
The Darling bomber. the worlds largest air
plane, successfully completed its maiden trip at
Wilbur Wright field. The bomber has a wing
spread of 120 feet. Loaded, 1t weighs twenty tons.
It has six Liberty motors Of 400 horsepower each
and two pushing and four pulling propeers. 1t
will stay in the air twelve hours and fly about
80 miles an hour.
The United States naval dirigfble ZR-1 success
fully made twelve-hour flight of 600 miles
New York, Philadelphia and cities of the Atlantic
seaboard.
Now all of these feats in air travel were immedi-
atey translated into terms of war. For instance,
Commander Ralph d. Weyerbacher u S. N. de-
signer and builder of the ZR-1 declares in
printed statement that had the aerial superdread-
naught flown over New York on a warlike errand
1t would have been easy matter to have de-
stroyed public buildings, smashed great holes in
the crowded streets and reduced the metropolis to
a state Of panic.
"Had she carried the five tons of high explosives
the ZR-1 can float we could have wrecked the
guns Of Forts Hamilton and Wadsworth and lifted
the seagoing Aqutana from the water, to say moth
ing of the lesser craft in the harbor,' he wrote.
'I could not help thinking as we circled Manhattan
what grievous destruction may be wrought by
aerial bombing over large cities if such floating
battleships as the Fri can be developed to a
point where they can successfully resist counter
attack"
Commander Weyerbacher translated the posi-
bilities of the Fri into terms of explosives.
Others talk about gas. Whole armies put to sleep
an impossibility twenty-five years hence Col Ray
mond f. Beacon, chief of the technical division of
the chemical warfare service A. e. F. says in
description of the possibilities of the future art
of war made public by the American Chemical
society. He says:
"rTo say the use of gas in warfare must be abo-
ished is almost the same as saying that no prog
ress must be made in the art of warfare toward
making it more efficient and more humane. With
the of gas it is possible to saturate piece of
ground so that no troops cross it, and thus
make 2n artificial barrier for the flank protect
the lines Of communication