BOMBED WITH TOMATOES

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1924, Page 4

BOMBED WITH TOMATOES

AIRMAN IT’SETS 'NAVAL ATTACK. NEW YORK, Jan. 17. The whole LYiited States Army is tilled with unholy joy. and the Navy ashore and atlont. is chuckling—except the big guns of its Board of Strategy. And all on account of the exploit of a youthful lieutenant of the Army Air Service, who, with a spirit of devilry, a sense of humour, and, a box of ripe iornatoes, has spoiled the elaborate plans of the great manoeuvres, over which the heads of the Navy had been working for months. The manoeuvres actually in progress centred on the defence of tin- Panama Canal. Down Ha on mil. way ii had been raining so hard and for so long that ordinary means of transmitting the mails in Coast Rica became impossible, and the American authorities in the canal zone courteously offered the services of two aeroplanes for the purpose. In one of these was Lieut. Odns Moon anil a private. On his wa.v back down the coast from his mission on Sunday afternoon. A loon, out of the low hanging clouds, was amazed to see a. big fleet of warships lying in the Chiriques Lagoon off the Panama province of Boons del Toro, and decided to investigate.

He counted four battleships, three submarines, 21 destroyers, a host of auxiliary craft, and the seaplane carrier Langley, and realised that this was the hostile force which was to attack the canal, and whose whereabouts was a deep mystery to the defending fleet.

The commanding admiral was in hiding there, waiting for the hour at which he was to open his sealed orders, to start the manoeuvres.

In young Moon's plane was a box of ripe C’osta Rita tomatoes lie was taking home to his wife.

Swooping down close to the unsuspee ted warcraft. he Ixunharded the Langley with every tomato in the box. scoring three direct hits, and was off again before the “enemy” had quite wake up to what had happened. "Within an hour he had reported the location of the hostile fleet at canal headquarters, and the manoeuvres, which were to have begun sometime on Sunday night, bad to be postponed forty-eight hours while new plans were worked out.