BOMBS AND SEAPLANES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2489, 16 June 1915, Page 3

BOMBS AND SEAPLANES

TWO CURIOUS ACCIDENTS. A correspondent of tie "Times" records tiro recent accidents in connection wit'h bombs dropped from seaplanes. "A number or seaplanes belonging to one of the belligerent Powers ivere tied up to booms projecting from the side of a ship from which they were operating," he states. "Another seaplane which had been out practising bomb dropping came down just astern of the ship, and as it was coming its boom the passenger somehow accidentally released a largo bomb, which foil into/the water and exploded at a depth of about 30 feet. The result was something very closely resembling a seismio wave, which knocked to pieces the mar chin© which had dropped the bomb, and wreoked four or fivo of the others, either b,y driving them 1 against the side of the ship, or by straining their floats so that they sank. Fortunately no lives' were lost, "A minor accident occurred' to an officer who. was returning from a patrol on a seaplane, tho engine of which was rapidly becoming extremely fatigued. As a result the machine sank lower and lower, so that it lookod as if tho pilot would have to come down on the water some miles from 'home and wait to be towed in if anybody from the shore hap. penod to see Mm. However, by dropping one or two of his bombs, and thus lightening the machine, he round that 'he could still kcop in tho air, so ho struggled bravely on till quite near homo. Then, when about half a mile out at sea, and well within sight of the sea piano station, tho maohine sank till it was only 10 feot or so above the surfaca of the water. The airman shod his last bomb, thinking that by relieving tiie machino of its weight ho would just be able to got home without coming down on the sea, which was rather rough. Either that bomb had a peculiarly sensitive detonator, or it struok a piece of driftwood, or els© thoro was a sandbank just under tho machine, for it exploded right underneath, and blow the tail off the seaplalio, which, deprived of this • support, promptly sat down backwards in the wator and proceeded to crumblo up. _ Tho pilot scrambled out of the machine, and sat on the wreck until he was pickcd up bv a motor boat from the chore. He onme to the conclusion that if one is compelled to drop bombs at all to lighten the machine, it is bettor to do so high up, when well out of range of their effects."