| Show I AMERICAN AIRPLANES SEEN IN FRAN FRANCE E BY HUNDREDS Nothing Equal to Liberty Machine in Allied Allied Forces Says Captain on American Aviation Forces Many s Squadrons Are Al ready Using New Nelv Mac Machines tines hines I Romorantin Central France Sept HLibert 14 H Liberty Libert airplanes were darting across t the e sk sky other Liberties were drawn up In battalions across the big plain and still other Liberties were puffing and struggling at their anchor tests teats as the Associated Press correspondent arrived at nt this great center of or airplane airplane air air- plane pl production for Cor the Amerl American an fighting army The nearby town of ot Is tho the great center for tor American American Amer Amer- ican n aviators tors Crowds of ot soldiers and workmen had gathered to see one of ot tho the fighting Liberties completely equipped with bombing machines wireless outfit all its ts guns suns and ever every last device dc for goIng gong go go- o. o In Ing ng Into combat There had been other Liberties turned turnell out scores and hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of ot them now moving mo In a st steady d stream In this this' and others which had preceded the last step had been taken to give them their final equipment for Cor actual fighting The big machine had a spread of oC wings three forty feet across and like all nil the others was of gray cloud color seen from below though above e the color changed to green and mer merged cd Into nto the green reen fields Ahead pointed the ho machine gun operated by tho the pilot with synchronizing device dc b by which shots shot a minute flew Clew between tire Ure arms of ot the spinning propeller Further back In the observers observer's nests two more machine guns uns had a sweep of ot both and upward and rearward There was no angle anle the they could not I reach each and anden even en the Gotha trick of or shooting straight down through a floor I tunnel was more than matched though details of ot how this is done cannot of ot course be given ghen It Is sufficient to I say that this new typo long and anxiously anxiously r awaited and now a reality arn armed arned td for Cor combat was as f formidable as any car produced and In tho the Judgment judgment judgment judg Judg- ment of ot these experts was far tar more formidable than th any of ot them From Prom Pilot Pilots Sent Seat Climb Climbing InS Into tho pilots pilot's seat eat there was an opportunity to see Roe the workings workings work work- ings InKs of or this big car the car the pioneer of or orthe the tI fighting squadrons soon toon to como come The power powerful CuI motor with all Its Us pistons pistons pis pis- tons Jumping was Just ahead with tolon two to lon long exhausts sweeping back toward the tail tall Within the tho seat were straps to hold the pilot In a headlong flight and all tho the delicacy of mechanism one sees In an speed automobile automobile speed Indicator Indicator Indica Indica- tor gas as meter oil pressure throttles throttles switches and and much more besides lights for signalling hel height ht meter and compass and fire extinguishers to fight tight a n blaze This Is the tho stick Joy said ld Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain X as he swung tho the lever controllinG controlling controlling con con- trolling the tall and ancI ailerons for Cor vertical vertical ver ver- movement mo And he pointed out that the foot Coot rudder which controls the tho horizontal movement work worked cd on the tho same principle as ns tho the bobsled Truly It Is a n wonder ho said ald fondling the mechanism I know I them all nil English English French and Italian and there Is nothing like lIto this for tor er power and speed Why Why Why- And then he gave save an Instance of ot what had been accomplished In a. a straight rise from tho ground round which constitutes a 1 record far tar exceeding an anything anything any any- thing thing- before beCore This was made fh In h one of or tho Liberties recently turned out out here It was not regarded as ns one of ot tho the best of ot tho the machines and the workmen workmen work york men even en dubbed it False Alarm But nut I It soon proved pro its rights It was cent to toone tone one of ot tho the training fields and andon andon on ono one of ot Its first ascents accents It shot up straight from tho the ground to the height of or feet fact In 35 i minutes Shout Shoots Into Air I It Is la the tho fastest faste t time a human beIng being being be be- ing has hRS ever er gone up said said the captain captain captain cap cap- tain and it gives I es an an idea of or what is ahead when these squadrons aj ayre re In Inline line If It details could bo be given sl en on the number number number num num- ber of oC these planes and the squadrons equipping for Cor the battle battlo line Une It It would cheor cheer those who have havo grown heartsick heartsick heartsick heart heart- sick with waiting and charges and In In- in investigations and would let them thorn know the day of real accomplishment was vms at nt hand In tho the thick of ot the fighting Without giving numbers It t t can n be said that wo S saw these those machines crowding a vast ast workshop in such arrays that their wings touched and covered o much more mor than the area of ot a 1 city block They were not piecemeal cars but allread all read ready to go o forward Th They y kayo avo been passing b by the tho score dailY dally into tho the hands of ot tho the aviators nn and squadron after squadron was was was- being made re ready ady fo for foP the front I We e saw them In combat formation form I lo cr over the tho flying fields of ot Ies Tills was no lon longer er a vague promise 01 of I the remote future It was wa hand nd and we saw MaW machines In vast number number number num num- ber arming and starting for the tho battlefront battlefront battle- battle front fron t I The testing of ot the engines gave ra an Idea of or the tremendous power of tho the nc new cars The cars anchored b by heavy chains and nd workmen gripped the thelong thelong thelong long bod body to keep It from plunging as tho the propeller r start started d and the en engines gave out a n long waif wall T Thomen men emen gripping gripping gripping grip grip- ping the chains and rigging were swept as though In a tornado the tho grass was flattened d and great clouds of ot dust l rose like the smoke of or batteries There II Is an awe In the tho power of Dt this this this' en engine lne and its whirling propeller and a danger danger dan dan- ger too which the men have ha learned dan I I Suction of l Propeller rol The suction of ot the tho propeller while the tho car Is on the ground gro Is far greater I than has ever been known with other cars A workman wasp was drawn In and the tho other day clay Y I and the great maelstrom of ot rushing air sucks In I everything e coming comins within ten feet of or orIts Its mouth But Cut this Is merely a detail of or testing anI has no bearing on tho the capacity of or the car for Cor flight Like the power of or the e engine the propeller Is much larger and heavier In other cars This turning turning- out of or the tho nc new type of or orA A American cnn Liberties Is only one of or the activities o of this mammoth air service I production n center located here hore with huge hugo shops and warehouses 2700 men 1200 Chinese laborers labor labor- 00 officers and ers Irs All 11 the cars made mad In America como come hero here In parts to be bo assembled assemble tested armed armul and all the tho other makes of cars are arc mobilized hero lr preparatory to going Into use on the thc flying Iring fields and the front There Is besides the huge work nork of receiving the wrecked cars as they arc are shot down and I smashed They como here hero riddled with i bullets their wings torn 0 off which tells I of oC a fierce contest Such as can be he made serviceable again are aro sent back to the tho field while the tho wreckage of or those beyond repair strews an Immense im immense immense Im- Im mense field and Is a gha ghastly reminder of oC the tho heroic sacrifice their pilots have ha made mad Tho The process of ot assembling the cars car as thc come from America A was followed followed followed fol fol- lowed through Its Us various stages in the thesis six sis huge bays of ot the workshop each I ba bay having a capacity of or eighteen machines machines ma ma- chines or over machines going forward forward forward for for- ward at th the tho same ame time Nine Ine hu huge e boxes bring the different parts First tho or body Is set up the motors motors motors mo mo- tors I Installed d the landing wheels at attached attached nt- nt tho the wings and tall tail adjusted the theun gun bun un racks and armament prepared d and soon a complete car ready leall r for tor flight glows brows out of or tho the scattered parts How lIow man many are arc turned out dally daily cannot cannot can can- not be stated staled but It can be said that the capacity of ot this big airplane center working In hour eight-hour shifts shirts is fifty CUU complete airplanes a da day And In these days as a's when the mobilizing of oC machines follows close on cn the mobilizing of or men I tho the actual production I Is not far from the tho full Cull capacity |
