Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, September 12, 1918, Image 3

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Medford mail tribune., September 12, 1918, Page 3, Image 3

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Newspaper Page TextMTBDFOYIP MATT, TRTBPMR. MTCDFORl"). OKKC.ON. TI'IVHSDAY. RKPTIrHKU. 1L 11S FACIE THREE HUNDREDS Or Fl IGHT1NG PLANES FIRST PHOTO OF WOUNDED BAC K IN U. S. NOW BUILDING Air Craft Production Program Well on Its Second Stage, That of Pro ducing Actual Fighting and Bomb ing Planes Giant Plane to Mount Small Cannon Four Types. t , (Hy Frederick M. Kerlry.) ' DAYTO.V, O. Sept. 12. The con centration of the "Liberty 12" mo tor limited and determined the types of planes that illicit he built here. The prineipa) problem was how to get fin appreciable number of buttle planes to the front this year, while aiming for n tremendous number next year. It had been proposed to build the Spad fast pursuit plane over here; but the Spad could not stand the Liberty 12. So it was decided to leave the production of small, fast scout planes to the British and French and concentrate on t lie two-place bat tie plane, the second most valuable to nn army. The aircraft board selected Hie Dc ITnvilund 4, u Iiritish model, designed for the UtiO-liorsepower Rolls-Royce, nnd fitted the Liberty 12 to it. This type was iven to the Dayton-Wright Aircraft company to build. Although the first machine was completed in October, 11)17, it was not until April 1018, after the Liberty had been put through lis final tests, that the ahead" order on the D. II. 4 could be given. 1031 1). it. 4's mint The Dayton-Wright had in the meantime equipped its factory, built 400 training planes and assembled nn organization to take care of the 1). II. 4. To date, 10:il have been built nnd more than 900 consigned to France. The Dayton-Wright plant's output of D. II. 4s is larger now than the combined output of nny two nir eraft factories in Kngland or France. . The D. II. 4, as a Hritish plane, had one gun forward and one in the rear cockpit. The American D. II. 4 was eqiiippcd with two guns forward and two nft. In addition, it was fitted to carry 10 2j-iohii1 bombs; then it Avas giVen a radio and photographic apparatus. It thus combines the func tions of the two-place fighter, the day bomber, and the army observa tion machine. It is three machines in one. . The Curtis compnny at Buffalo, which had built a tremendous new plant, was given the Hristol two-seat er bnttlcplane to build, fitted with the Liberty motor. Hut that machine never got out of the experimental Ktuge. It was n failure, and was frankly abandoned. Now the Curtis compnny is going ahead on an order to construct the S. E. ,1, a single seat er fast fighting plane. The Fisher Body company at De troit Avns given a supplemental order for the De Haviland 4s, They, too, have built a big new fuctory and will Hotn go ahead with quantity produc tion. In addition, the Standard Aircraft corporation at Klizabeth, X. J., has been ordered to proceed with the Hnndley-Page heavy bundling ma thine, nfter completing one experi mental machine equipped with two Liberty Motors. Knters Second Stage The aircraft production program may be said to have entered its sec ond stage; that of producing actual fighting nnd bombing planes. Cer tain other tilings are still in the ex perimental stau'c. The (llcnn Martin company at Cleveland will produce n iiant plane to be known as tiu "Martin Gun Machine." and it will mount a small cannon. Nothing can be sid about this work as yet, how ever. The plans for 1019 call for the pro duction of four types of'plane. There will be an American high-speed, single-seater, pursuit plane, the two place De llavilirtid fighter, a day bombing and an iirmv observation machine, which will be of similar tvnc to the De Haviland machines all equipped with Liberty motors. The program is independent of the production of the S. K. the Hnilley I'age and the Caproni. We have exiierienccd more trouble with our air program than with nny other lmrt of the war work; but that should have been e.ected when we undertook to do something about which we knew almost nothing. In the main, the performance has hecn nn admirable one; the lessons learned are valuable: the experience of this first year of production is going to mean much next year. V 1 Iff? if mm '.Vj ttfftf ... GREAT SALVAGE PLANT TO SAVE Those arc nmoi'iK tlio first wounded Ainci iciiii soldiers to be invalided back home. They nrrlvrd In lUiston this neck and rea colivnlosciiig and being treated at lloston City hospital and tlio l'syclioialliie liospital. All were wounded In tlio fighting around (liateau Thierry ill Juno, some of the men, as the picture shows, have lost arms and legs. A number of them are marines. RECOIL PROBLEM WASHINGTON, Sept. 12.-An of. ficial diKptneh fnmi France sny new? fmm MiPrnn, lV"-i, confirms ronoi-N of niunliT of Chritiiitis 1 Turks. , (By Frederick M. Kerby.) DI-JTROIT, Mich.,. Sept. 12. The most intricate, difficult, and unfamil iar job of the war work that we have had to undertake is successfully un der way. It is tho production of the hydro pneumatic recoil mechanism for the new 15."i millimetre howitzer and gun which we are copying from French models. v This mechanism is being built by Dodge Iirothers of Detroit, in a plant specially constructed since last No vember. Tlio story of the building of this mechanism, and of much of the machinery with which to do It Is an Inspiring example of how Amer ican manufacturing genius has been applied to war problems. Before the United States entered the war there had never been built In America a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. It is easy to build heavy gun barrels. Hut the use of modern high-powered propelling charges has made the construction of a proper re coil a vital factor in all heavy artil lery. During the first part of the war, when spring recoils were used, guns were constantly out of commis sion because of broken springs. When our ordnance department adopted tho Kt.l mm. howitzer (the Schneider) and the 1 .1 5 mm. gun (the French Filloux) It faced a new problem. Two unsuccessful attempts were made to Induce American man ufacturers to undertake the work. Then on Oct. 22 Dodce Hrolhers wore called in. French blueprints of the mechanism were furnished them, and they were asked to undertake the work. In nine days Dodge Hrolhers designed the building In which the new mechanism was to lie made, con taining 12 acres under one roof. Ity the end of .November a complete con crete floor had been placed over the whole 12 acres; on Dec. 12 steel was going up; on .Ian. A tho first section of the plant, US feet by SIS feet, was up and ready for operation. In the meantime many types of special machinery had been designed and built. This machinery began to move into the building, while construction of the other sections was under way. Street car tracks, sewer connections and a railroad siding were built. The Spirit of "Must lt Done In the meantime. In tho Dodge automobile plant, a million dollars worth of machinery wan running day and night turning out tools for the new plant. Hy the nd of December tho tool room of the new factory had $00,000 worth of machinery In it The first completed, tested moch anism waa shipped to the ordnance department In .Inly. Tho curve of shipments is rising now at a rharp angle. , A.n I stepped from tho executive offices In front of the plant Into the great glass roofed building. It was almost Impossible tbelfeve thnt nine months ago nothing of all this vast humwiing factory, with )t millions oj dollars worth of machinery was In existence, and that In Its place Mood a cornfield In the country. It typIfioH tho spirit of America at war the spirit that says It must be done! Dodpo Brothers built fi2 special machines for drilling and reaming the borings In the great steel forging; from which the mechanism Is made, j in ordnance work. The ordnance practice In making a 'boring is to re volve the gun barrel, while the cut ting tool is held stationary. Dodge Itrothors could see no reason why they cpuldu't revolve the tool, and use six drills at one time. Nobody had ever heard of boring more than one hole at a time. But Dodge Broth era started work on 02 huge ma chines without waiting for the first one to be tried out. It works! I saw six of these drills each revolving at its proper speed four drills, two from each end, des tined to meet In the middle; two to drill tho upper chambers half way T WAR WRECKAG E 5000 Persons Employed in Renovat ing and Repairing Wreckage Saving Uncle Sam Nearly Fifty Millions of Dollars a Year Is Anti-Waste Campaign Broght to Highest Point. method of drilling orclnon, it would require CO hours work for each of the four chambers. With this ma chine, all four of the chambers are drilled in four nnd a half hours. Theso holes must be without a blem ish, parallel, true to slue, exactly round and so highly polished on the Inside that not the most minute in equality remains. Tarts Aro Kept Secret There are a hundred different pro cesses of machining that a steel billet must go thru. There are many other parts that insist be fitted to It, some mado of solid silver. When finished, recoil nnd gun must be practically one plcco of steel. After tho chambers are drilled, the forKlng Koe3 to various shaping ma chines, where the surplus steel is cut from It. I went Into the locked steel cage where only a half dozen men In the plant aro permitted to ko, and saw tho parls of the mechanism laid out in order for study. Only two or three men know the namc3 even of these parts; they aid known in the factory simply by numbers. This is done at me request 01 tlio French nov.irn meat. Hrxause our government has un dertaken to guard the secrets of this recoil, 1 cannot give a description of Its workings. Tho reader has un doubtedly seen moving pictures of the 15 5 ' In action, and has noted how tho "kick" of the gun is taken up by tho recoil, and tho gun barrel returned to Its place by tho recoil mechanism and Its pistons. This must suffice as a description of the mechanism, tor altho the lluns have captured several l.'.'i's In action, they have never been able to find out the tecrets of tho hydro-pneumatic re coll. Uut the fart of Importance to the American people Is thut our manu facturers arc making them success fully, and that the production figure to lie reached by .Ian. I, 1919, is an Impressive one. In France, much of the work that this factor) Is doing by ma. hlnery Is dono by hand. That is the real sig nificance of the acconipllfln.ient over here. The engineers of the Dodge plant have succeeded in working out machinery for the quantity produc tion of this vital part of nour new artillery equipment. "Pershing's Crasadors" showing tonight at the Page for the first time, is the first of a series of government films depicting America's participa tion in the war. The Crusaders shows America's preparations on this side of tho Atlantic for tho world war. "America's Answer," the second in tho series of "Following the Flag to Franco" pictures, has completed Its successful four weeks engagement In New York, and Is now being shown in other important cities. This picture visualizes the woililcrful preparatory work accomplished by American en gineers, In France, as well as the soldiers on the fighting front, under the leadership of General John J. Pershing. "Our Uridge of Ships," which the Division of films has recently Issued thru the General Film company, Is rapidly being booked, both cast and west, and will undoubtedly shortly bo offered in the local film houses. This very comprehensive picture Is condensed into two reels, hut they are reels of tho most .timely charac ter. They show plctorlally tho story of what America has already accom plished, and is accomplishing, in the building of ships for the transporta tion of hundreds of thousands of men and vast stores of munlt'ons nnd other sun-'ic :-j i',i..ue. More films are to follow. Tho "Official Wnr Itevlew," which is distributed for the government by I'atne, is ncing rnmlJlarii.-.d to pa trons of r.-.one theatres all over the United Slates, and has become an institution. Its single reel tells, In a tabloid form, jui t what Is being done at the stat of war from week to week. AMSTKIiKAM. Sept. 11.--A1m.iiI ''.". Itrili-h p.ri.-f.uiT- arc coriliuetl like bird-, in u cii-e wiih scurccly rouin to move about near the t'lutig liei!s at I'Aerc, a suburb id' I'm ..!.- ( pro tect the hr.nu'nr-i agaiit-l uciinl jit-tai-k, aeryrtlini; to the Libre 1'elupie, Those enlisting In the S. A. T. (.'. will re elvo ppcrlnl military Instruc tions and training under military of ficers and .ulijects In tha regular college roursca that will best fit them for military service. Tho men will not tie called Into a live service until extreme neco.nliy arrives, lieglstru tion opens Sept. 2.1. About IT, interested persons met with I,. .1. Allen of tho t). A. f. laM night nt the Hotel Medford. For Information write II. M. Ten- nanl, liigistrar, O. A. C, Corvullis, Oregon. Students Army Training rorpi Herniations Issued by the war de partment on August 2:1 provide that students of IS jears of age or over who are enlisted In the Student Army Training corps but whose draft num ber has not yet been called will re ceive pay of 10 per month. After their draft numlier is reached la ad dition to $:;u pay they win re eive commutation for quarters and subsls. tanee (room and board I. All enlist ed men receive full uniform und mili tary equipment. AMF.IilCAX Kl'lTl.Y HEAD- QfAUTKIIS. TOUtS. I'UAN'CK. (Correspondence of the Associated Press.) Two carloads of hair hrushes abandoned hy American sol diers in cantos were auinug the wreck age of haltlc brought today to the great salvage depot of the American tinny here. This was only one litttle item in the grist of debris and litter from the fighting zone which litis been carefully galhcred up and sent here for restoration. Five thousand persons are employ ed in renovating and repairing this wreckage. The material thus saved and restored to use or sold amounted in value last month to $2..".ll0,nil(l. Follow the Fighters In tin1 big battle aritund Chateau Thierry, as our fighting men went over the top they were followed elose lv by detachments of mui-couibtittint 'roups lo grone amid the wreckage and dehrie and save it trotn complete abandonment and loss. I'.ach detach tr.ent comprised '.Ml enlisted men and tin ol'licer. They had trucks anil der ricks anil all I he paniihernalia for galhering broken down cannon, rifles, ciirlridge belts, helmets, clothing, and Hie vast stores of abtindumil arms and malerial left in the truck of a onlost, and to send it back to the salvage depot here. Strange things have come out of this war, hut none stranger than this iganlie salvage plant where every thing from crippled guns and cannon to old army shoes and caps is saved f n mi lotal loss and turned hack to some useful end at the front. At first people looked nl it as a freak. There was nothing like it in the civil war or I he more recent modern wirs. 11 started on n small scale with 2110 hands, Us Moll iter Industry Hut now, after a lew mouths, it is a monster industry, with huge build- j inus and towering stacks. It will savet the government it:!.".,00(l,(IOII the first vear, and it may reach ..".0.000,000. This is no freak; it is cold, hard sttv- ins of millions of dollars at a lime' when material is scarce and shipping: difficult.: 11 is the nuli-wasle cam paign brought to its highest develop ment by a huge government uni'.erttik inir. (loijtg over Hie plant loilny there was an opporlunil y to see the re markable details of this salvage. The wreckage of the battle field is only one of the sources of this salvage, 'xplained our escort, but it is the greatest source. As men spring into tetiim, Ihev throw aside everything, 'M.I absolutely essent i:il. There is he- I sides the litter of the actual lighting, broken and abandi.lied goods of every conceivable nature. It is nut only what is left l.y our own troops, hut what is left by the nctny, iil'leti great slocks of anus. aiittiiiinilioii, bayonets and every kind of lighting uialeriul. Kvcii whin llierc is no battle, Hi" mere shift of a division of troops leaves an enormous stic k of nl.unil tloncd goods. Moved on short orders, llie men pick up a few fighlitig essen tials, guns. I.lankcls, emergency ra tions nnd leave the rest behind, books, extra clothes, shoes, etc. The men nrrhe Iroin America wilh an undue si 1 1 1 . 1 1 . 1 1 of eloHiing; il is trim med down al the first training camp; again it is I rimmed down as Hiev go to the front, and each new trimming of HioMstinils of men means nnother huge slock fur salvage. William lleclie, an old soldier who resides at tho stale soldiers home ar rived In the city this morning from Itoseliurg for a visit. With Medford truao Is Medford made CHICHESTER S PILLS '-,. J.:ullt-4! Afk y ir Urn I' iUaiA I'liuin i.-a mi id n.M.iiiAV 7-rf;-if " ' 1 "Kh r 1 VV-.J 'lul nn oltn'r- IIt tit rnur " J (if llruicfcUL A- ti IIM( rfCH-TFIrH ynfcr llr!, -f;it.Aivi KlM i fttlObtbmiS.SraYVvHfRE DR. RICKERT KVKS WIKSTIKICAM.Y TIXTF.O, AM) (JLASKF.H PROPERLY; FITTED v. Bulla l-S nvnr May Co ; mo nuor.s tHia as mtpJJ as, a.Sbap Fcls-Naptha is more than a soap. It Is a saver of money.' It cuts out much of washday, rubbing; makes boiling unnecessary, and the clothes therefore last longer and look better. Besides look at what you save on coal? At your own grocer's in the red and green wrapper Painting, Paper Hanging, Decorating and Minting " Now Is tho timo to have your house pnlntcd to protect the same for the winter. Wo Ruaranleo overy inch of our work to bo first class; tho material w o uso la the very best. Prices Aro Moderate. R. J. Miller Decorating Co. l'l.. me :!JI-.I. Estimate Free of Charge Summons all the forces and resources of the Republic to the defense of Freedom THE OREGON AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE , which the United States authorities Jiavc ranked as one of the fifteen distinguished institutions of the country for excellence in military training, has responded to the call. The College is distinguished not only for us military instruction, but Distinguished also for Its stronp industrial courses for men and for women: In AKtinikurc, Comircrcc, KuRincetirtK, Forestry J llotne Kivwinniict, Mining, Pharmacy, awl ' Vocational Education. Its wholesome, purposeful student life. , , Its democratic college spirit. Its successful graduates.1 Students enrolled last year, 3453; stars on its service flags, 125 . over forty percent representing officers. , , Collego opens September 23, 1918 For catalog, new Illuit rated Booklet, and other Information write to the ReRiitrar. Corvallit, Oregon Vilmo Flour Is the Best and the Cheapest Owinjr lotlic govern 1 11011 1; regulation ( of flour pi-ires, which are made with the idea of patronizing home mills and ending out transportation, you can htiv VIliMO cheaper than anv other flour in Med ford. Ask your grocpr for and insist on having VILMO. Its guaranteed and Made in Medford by Rogue Valley Milling Co. I Iff ittii JACKSON COUNTY CREAMERY PHONE 51 MrTJF ORU OREGON.