The Gun Against Aeroplanes
Only a short time ago it was concluded, even in military circles, that as an argument for peace the aeroplane exceeded all other armaments, that the tremendous danger of aeroplanes dropping bombs was so great that men would fear to go to war, that all great and expensive armor and guns would be rendered useless; but in a despatch from Washington dated August 24, we are told that a one-pounder gun, designed by Rear Admiral Nathan C. Twining, chief of the Naval Bureau of Ordnance, is capable of putting the aeroplane out of service. Its first test proved successful, but its subsequent trial demonstrated that it would be more effective still. The new gun sends a shell 18,000 feet into the air, at an angle of eighty-five degrees. The shot flashed accurately for 10,000 feet. The military men felt that it had certainly demonstrated that the aeroplanes could be met by guns, and a great deal of their terror removed.