128 RECENT AERONAUTICAL PROGRESS. 



enters the water its way is soon stopped. One more reason why we 

 may hope for greater speeds than are usual in traveling- on land and 

 sea is that in the latter pace must l)e kept within hounds for fear of 

 collif^ion, hoth Avith other conveyances and also with irregularities 

 (whether in rails, emhankments, and ridges, or rocks and sand ])anks) 

 which may exist beside the track. 



In the aerial highway we have greater latitude. We have height as 

 well as length and breadth. We can choose our particular altitude 

 and stratum to travel in, so that perhaps l.dOU machines could cross 

 over the same spot at the same time without colliding. In fact, it 

 would decrease the chance of collision by a thousandfold, in addition 

 to the lateral route not being so circumscribed. There are no police 

 traps up there. 



Taking into consideration the speed at which birds travel, that at 

 which models have been flown, and the theoretical calculations which 

 have been made, we niay reasonabl}' suppose that 1(»0 miles an hour 

 will l)e no excessive speed for a flying machine. 



Those who think this estimate oversanguine may ponder over an 

 extract I recently came across from an old newspaper published seventy- 

 eight years ago, referring to the railway then about to be constructed 

 from London to Woolwich. In this reference is made to the possibil- 

 ity of the train being able to attain the terrific speed of IS to 20 miles 

 an hour; but it concludes, with sarcastic incredulity. "We should as 

 soon expect the people of Woolwich to be tired ott on one of Con- 

 greve's rockets as to trust themselves to the mercy of such a machine 

 going at such a rate." 



Once a practical flying machine existed, the uses to which it might 

 be api)lied are varied and important. 



Primarily, it would form an iucalculal)ly valuable engine of war. 

 One can scarcely imagine any invention which could have a greater 

 efl'ect on the conduct of warfare. 



^^'c can now a})preciate nuich moit- than we could three years ago 

 of what vast importance such a machine would be. It is worth 

 dreaming for a moment to realise what might have happened had we 

 in iSUi) had some machine capable of ti-aveling rapidly through the 

 air. First of all, for mere reconnoitering, how nmch could have been 

 done! In Natal, on the outbreak of war, such a vessel, ascending at 

 Ladysmith, could have cruised around up to Laing's Nek, noting 

 every Boer and e\erv gun within, say, 5 miles of the track passed 

 over, taking a tui-n round along the frontier, and have been back to 

 report within a few hours. We would then, at "oiu^, fell swoop," 

 have had certain, reliable, aiul full information of what was doing, 

 instead of going on mere I'umors and the vague observations of a few 

 scouts. Another machine at Orange River could have moved forward, 

 noted the position of the enemy at Belmont, Alodder liiver, and 



