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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 1411.PDF
utter and complete ruin. Wherever Bolshevism rules thenation has been beaten to a pulp, and is utterly helpless. In such a situation the whole world must stand shoulder toshoulder, so that out of the ruins something may arise, though personally I know not what." AIRWAY passports. Who was the first civilian to obtain a-vised passport to travel to France by aeroplane ? Mr. A. J. A. Wallace Barr, of Cellon Ltd., claims such a preciousdocument dated September 21st, 1917. Next please. A BOTTOMLEY point worthy of note :—Mr. Horatio Bottomley, addressing a meeting in the Hackney Empire, said the Kaiser had been found guilty of wilful murderin this country by at least three coroner's juries, and, that being so, any one of the coroners concerned could issue awarrant for his arrest. Under the treaty laws this country had with Holland, the Government could call for the Kaiser'sextradition upon the strength of any one of those verdicts. Now that President Wilson will be in our midst within afew days, too much publicity cannot be given to the very plain-spoken message dispatched on December 6th to Americaby that Pastmaster of observant correspondents, Mr. Edward Price Bell of the Chicago Daily News. The Hun is, if possible,even more despicable in his venomous peaceful penetration tactics than in his diabolical war waging methods : Thus Mr.Price,-:, " Information of the highest credibility direct from militarist circles in Berlin warrants the statement that theHuns are not without hope of winning the war yet. " Preposterous though this hope may seem, it springs fromwell-considered plans and possibilities. These plans are pro- pagandist and these possibilities are connected with the courseof developments at the Peace Conference. Prussian Junker- dom is endeavouring with renewed energy, not only todivide the Allies and America, but to involve them in war with each other. Every pro-Hun influence that onceoperated openly or covertly in America has taken the field again. Every mouth that uttered sentiments and allegedfacts calculated to promote Hun interests is once more vocal. " All the •underground mechanism of Hun propagandais running. Hun agents, some conscious, many unconscious, are playing the Hun game. Not a few of these are in Londonnow. Quite a company of them will be in Paris and Ver- sailles during the Peace Conference. Their chief trumpcards are two—first allegations designed to poison American opinion against Britain ; second, representations of Americanpolicy touching the sea calculated to make Britons believe that America is their enemy. Prussians of the old regimerejoice in the relaxation of vigilance among the Allies and the United States. They view with ecstasy the cessation oforganised effort to maintain the unity of the Allied-American front. Moderated editorial opinion against them in the UnitedStates is welcomed by them with joy as tending to smooth the way for their great final struggle to snatch victory fromdisaster. They believe that there is one thing, and one thing only, that can save them—namely, the disruption of theCoalition that encompassed their defeat. Large military forces and quantities of munitions are still in the hands ofthose who would fight again, if at all possible. These persons are convinced that if the Allies and America, par-ticularly Britain and America, could be embroiled in a serious quarrel there would be splendid promise of a military revivalof Germany. Any such quarrel would be the signal for a grand push in the Fatherland to bring back the Kaiser,rehabilitate the Army, reassert absolutely the ascendancy of the Hohenzollern criminals. Internally nothing cohesiveor powerful stands in their way. Little else than social chaos and military impotence would require sweeping away.It is far from wise to pooh-pooh this danger. " President Wilson's alleged aggressive intentions in thedirection of reducing naval armaments—intentions probably entirely remote from his mind—have produced widespreaduneasiness in Britain and filled many minds with indignation. Indignant people are neverjeasonable. Britain holds to herNavy as she holds to her life. Any purpose on the part of anyone to cripple her sea arm would be regarded by herin the light of deadly hostility. Such a purpose emanating from America, in view of what British maritime powerhas meant for freedom in this war, would be resented with peculiar amazement and exasperation. President Wilson'sreal aims should be proclaimed without delay. Cheap-jack correspondents are speaking for him. I am sure they gro-tesquely misrepresent his motives, but their assertions are pub- lished in Europe, and are like matches in a powder factory.They excite glad emotions only in Hunland. They play the Hun game more effectively thanit has ever been played before.If President Wilson insists on maintaining what is inter- preted as sinister silence on this subject the American people DECEMBER 12, 1918 should find some way quickly to make its opinion known inan unmistakable manner," VERY recently we gave a short obituary of Capt. Pinsard,who was reported by an Exchange telegram to have died of influenza after escaping a thousand windy hazards in theair, where he was one of the foremost aces. We now learn from a paragraph in a French paper " Un Mort qui se portebien I " that the gallant Captain finds himself in the Gallic equivalent of " the pink." And none more happy than weto hear it, there is one of Life's Little Ironies the less. TEN YEARS AGO Excerpts from "FLIGHT" of November 1908. ;: :: -1 THE PELTERIE MONOPLANE WINS 200 METRE PRIZE. THE Esnault-Pelterie monoplane has succeeded in gainingone of the 200 metre prizes of the Aero Club of France by making the necessary flight in the presence of the Committeeon November 21st. M. Chateau, engineer of the factory, was at the wheel, and the distance accomplished was 316metres. . . „_ FARMAN FLIES BY NIGHT. ^ " ?~ ~r '""' - •• • - ON Saturdayof last week an imposing deputation of membersof the Ligue Nationale Aerienne, Government officials, and distinguished guests travelled to Chalons in order to witnessan exhibition by Mr. Farman. The wind unfortunately was so high that it was impossible to do anything before dark,but, nothing daunted by the circumstances, Mr. Farman brought out his machine, mounted it, and flew away intothe night. Presently from above the trees, the head-lights on his aeroplane shone forth again, and so he came and wentin the presence of a great crowd of spectators. FARMAN'S NEW TRI-PLANEAt Chalons-sur-Marne, Henry Fannan has been carrying out some interesting experiments with his new tri-plane.After an exciting test on the 24th ult., when a remarkably strong wind was blowing, he proceeded to reduce the areaof the supporting surfaces by removing one of them, and thus converting his triple-decker into a double-decker. Withthis machine he carried out experiments on the 28th ult , but although expressing the opinion that it was, in the r.ewform, capable of beating all his records, he has nevertheless decided to revert^to the three-decker type. Captain Wright Burrows, R.A.F., another aviation candidate for Parliament. Captain Wright Burrows, who holds an administrative position in the Air Board, is standing as Liberal candidate for North Hackney. 1413
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