The Holly chieftain., 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
The United States seems to be tagging be
hind In this development to such an extent tnat
the American Legion has proposed to ask Presi-
dent Coolidge to call an international conference
to halt this race by limitation OF air armaments
II our aviation accomplishments are cOinpara-
lively of little Importance what must be the devel
opments abroad7 Unite1 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-anc gave the
Atlantic coast an object lesson. transcontinental
aerial mall schedule of thirty hours from coast to
coast shows that night f1ying mn essential of mill
tary aviation, is practical navy Curtis racer
piloted by naval officer Travelled at the rate Of
more than four miles minute and again at the
rate of 255 miles an hour
The Darling bomber. the worlds largest air
plane successfully completed its maiden trip at
Wilbur Wright field. The bomber has wing
spread of 100 feet Loaded. 1t weighs twenty tons
II has six Liberty motors of 400 horsepower each
and two pushing and four pulling propellers It
will stay in the air twelve hours and fly about
90 miles an hour.
The United States naval dlrigibe FRI success
fully made n twelve-hour flight of 600 miles
New York. Philadelphia and cities of the Atlantic
seabourd .
Now all OF these feats In air travel were immedi-
ntey translated into terms Of war. For instance
Commander Ralph d. Weyerbacher. U. s. n. de-
sgner and builder of the ZR-1. declares In
printed statement that had the aerial superdread
naught flown over New York on warlike errand
1t would have been an easy matter to have de-
stroyed public buildings, smashed great holes In
the crowded streets and reduced the metropolis to
state of panic.
Had she carried the five tons of high explosives
the ZR-1 can float, could have wrecked the
guns of Forts Hamilton and Wadsworth and lifted
the seagoing Aauitana from the water, to say moth
Ing of the lesser craft in the harbor," he wrote.
al could not help thinking as we circled Manhattan
what grievous destruction may be wrought by
aerinl bombing over large cities II such floating
anttleships the Fri can be developed to q
point where they successfully resist counter.
attack ast st ss aII
Commander weyerbacher translated the posi-.
Utilities of the ZR-1 into terms Of explosives.
Others talk about gas. Whole armies put to sleep
and taken prisoner In gas warfare is by no means
IN impossbiiy twenty-five years hence, Col. Ray
mond F. Beacon, chief of the technical division of
the chemical warfare service, A. b. f., says In
description of the possibilities Of the future art
OF war made public by the American Chemical
society. He says:
ITO say the use OF gas In warfare must be abol
shed is almost the same saying that no prog
ress must be made in the art of warfare toward
making II more efficient and more humane. With
the of gus II Is possible to saturate piece Of
ground so that troops can cross II. and thus
make an artificial barrier for the flank or protect
the lines of communication.