Evening star., 1925-09-30
BUNCLING AMATEURS CAUSED AIR
FAILURES OF NAVY, MITCHELL SAYS
Due to Failure to Provide Parachutes-Holds
PN-0 Doomed to Disaster.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
had been called upon to explain his
testimony and Col Mitchell replied:
"Oh, yes, I myself have been raped
on the head five times, and I know
many other officers who have been
approached"
Delves Into Records.
The colonel then delved into cor
respondence and congressional COM
nittee records, from which he drew
the conclusion that the Navy De.
partment was holding back the
progress of aviation. He cited testi-
mony of Secretary Weeks, who fa-
vored the creation of an cir commit
Zee in Congress, and comments of
Secretary Wilbur that such an or
sanization would have tendency to
take aviation away from the Navy,
Ito which l am opposed" He then
reviewed the work of the Lassiter
board, an organization appointed to
draw up an aviation building program.
from it's inception to the present day,
and, after declaring nothing has been
done to carry out its recommends
Saps. he said
"That is the way they have been
throwing the ball around. Until they
stop that we will never get further
ahead
Charges Law Evasion.
The Navy, by having IA shore sta
tions, including Quantico, for aircraft,
is "evading the law" Col Mitchell de-
clared. An amendment to the Army
appropriation bill of several years ago,
he said, limits the number of naval
air bases to six.
Antiaircraft, the battleship Wash
ington and gas attacks from the air,
three controversial subjects last Win
ter before congressional committees,
we're brought into the light once more
by Col. Mitchell. He told the board
that testimony was given before these
committees to show that the Wash
ington, an incompleted battleship of
latest design, had been bombed by
bombs and that aircraft couldn't sink
it. That is not in keeping with the
facts in any way. shape or form.
Charges We're exploded in the water
Stimulating torpedoeS and Mines
WAS the impression given that the
ship was strong enough to resist air
plane bomhS?" asked Chairman Nor
row.
Charges False Impression.
YES" replied Col. Mitchell, adding
the ship was immune from air at
tack" Aircraft, he added, can sink
any ship. Last Spring Congress ap-
propriated 900 for the Army Air
Service TO conduct airplane bombing
tests against warshipS and Shipping
Board vessels ito counteract all this
talk about hitting moving vessels"
As drawn up, he explained, the leg
islation would give the War Depart
,.-t
class vessels for this purpose, and the
Navy asked that the word obsolete"
be inserted. This was done, he said,
and when the Air Service asked for
the war vessels from the Navy the
Assistant Secretary replied that no
obsolete Navy types could be trans
ferred for this purpose because there
were none"
Unable to Furnish Ships.
The Assistant Secretary. T Doug
las Robinson, in his letter to the chief
of the Air Service, Col. Mitchell said,
also regretted he could not furnish
two oil-burning destroyers, because
none was obsolete or could be declared
so in the near future.
Col Mitchell then read from Mr..
Robinson's reply, which concluded:
Il am unable to comply with your
request
Throwing down the letter on the
table, Col Mitchell commented:
That's the kind of stuff we are get.
ting right along"
Instead of allowing the Air Serv-
ices bombardment group to train for
coast defense work, Col. Mitchell said.
the War Department took the only
group in commission and made it tow
targets all Summer for anti-aircraft
guns to practice on. They had to
fly at night and in extreme danger"
he declared. There is no excuse for
it whatever. 1t is the most absurd
thing l ever heard of. The Coast Ar
tillery claims that anti-aircraft pro-
jectiles when bursting in the air shoot
downward. AS a matter Of fact, they
shoot straight up and to either side.
We proved that at Aberdeen SINCE"
Claims Flyers Disguised.
Because the bombardment group
training was stopped all Summer for
this target work the flyers are dis
Susted with their work and the COM
mander Of the group has gone to
Maine to shoot moose and try and
get himself together
Col. Mitchell told the board the i'm
preston was given the House air
craft committee last Winter that
1000 planes carrying gas bombs