Evening star., 1947-01-09
Advances in Aviation
Feature Engineering
Projects Of 1916

Aviation advances during 1916
were described by the National Geo
| graphic Society recently as out
standing in year of engineering
and construction achievements
which generally focused on postwar
reconversion.
The flying wing, preliminary
tests of XS-1 supersonic plane, the
ram jet engine, rocket experiments,
and new commercial airliners were
among the developments recorded
by military and civilian aircraft en-
gineers. They represented largely a
projection of wartime blueprints.
| In other industrial fields, amid
discussion of potential uses of
atomic energy, new locomotives
were being built, and the worlds
largest steam turbine was under
construction at Schenectady, New
York. In the Soviet Union, water
Jet propulsion was applied to river
steamers.
Railroads Restored.
War-torn countries centered at
tention on reconstructing power
plants, ships, harbors, bridges, rail-
road and other transportation facil-
tiles, and communication systems.
Connecting railroad and ferry
service between London and Paris
was re-established.i More than half
1.-THE rail lines in France had been
destroyed, but 1946 saw their rapid
reconstruction after the rebuilding
of 1000 bridges and the repair of
many tunnels. Most French ports
were again in operation.
Using $4,000 laborers, China re-
placed more than a thousand miles
of the Canton -Hankow railroad in
six months. The Soviets largely re-
stored their damaged rail lines.
Netherlands rebuilt the bridge
over the Hollandsche Diep, 20 miles
southeast of Rotterdam. 1t is one
of the longest bridges in Europe. In
Greece the lofty Corinth Canal
bridge, destroyed by the Germans,
was reopered. The Poles bridged
the Vistula between Warsaw and
suburban Praga.
The first permanent new bridge
over the Rhine, near Duisberg, Ger
many, was opened to traffic. A
British-built bridge at Cologne is
to be named Patton Bridge in
memory of the general.
The Mount Gents tunnel between
France and Italy was repaired. Old
est of the great Alpine tunnels, it
had been partially destroyed by the
Germans. Work was begun on a
new tunnel under Mount Blanc.
The Soviet's repairs were almost
finished on the big Dnieper power
dam ruined in the war. Hundreds
of village hydro-electric stations
were under construction. To restore
the dwindling Caspian Sea. reser-
voirs and canals were being built to
throw water into the Volga River,
tributary to the sea.
u. S. Construction Listed.
In the United States, construction
was started on the Missouri River
project. This program calls for
more than a hundred dams to con-
troll flood waters, irrigate 100000
acres. supply more than 200 hydro
electric power plants and add 760
miles of navigable river channel.
r. The White River power and flood
prevention work progressed along
the Observation-Disclosures boundary
Noffork dam already is in opera
ton and three more dams are in
progress at Bull Shoals, Table Rock
and Lone Rock. In the Northwest,
a Emile bore through solid rock will
bring water from the reservoir of
the Grand Coulee Dam to irrigate
some / 500 Washington farms.
Prominent among new bridges IN
the United States was one over the
Kentucky River, about Is miles from
Lexington, described as the highest
continuous steel-deck bridge in the
country. At Massena, N. Y, the
worlds first all-aluminum bridge,
span was installed.