The Machine on the Rails, as it appeared in 1893.
Maxim’s First Aëroplane.
The value of aëroplanes in warfare has been widely discussed by military experts. There was, at first, a general impression that such flights were much too uncertain to be of practical value. The marvellous development of the aëroplane, and its remarkable flights over land and sea, have served to silence much of this criticism.
Although an over-sea invasion by a fleet of air-ships would seem to be a danger of the very distant future, the United States Government is already preparing to meet the situation. A remarkable series of tests have been made at the Government Proving Grounds at Sandy Hook, by firing at free balloons as they sailed past the fort. The balloons were sent away at various altitudes, in some cases at a considerable distance from the guns, and again directly above them. The difficulty in hitting such targets was found to be very great. The air craft moves so quickly that it is almost impossible to bring a gun of the ordinary mounting into position. Although the results of the test were closely guarded, it is known that the Government was not satisfied with the defense of New York Harbor, in the event of an aërial invasion, and special guns are being designed to repel such an attack.
The military authorities look very far into the future in their preparations. One of the most interesting of these problems is that of protecting our seacoast, should a fleet of aërial warships be sent against us. One of the plans suggested is to raise a series of captive balloons at regular intervals along the shore. It has been thought that some of these might be held near the earth, while others are allowed to ascend to a great altitude. The lookout in these signal stations could sight the approach of an hostile fleet of air-ships at a great distance, and by means of wireless apparatus warn the country of approaching danger.
Many military experts, who have watched the flights of aëroplanes, have decided that the little craft would also prove an extremely difficult object for the enemy to bring down. Since they travel at upwards of a mile a minute, ordinary guns, as they are now mounted, could not hope to hit them except by a lucky shot. It would be like hunting wild geese with a cannon. At a height of several thousand feet, which they can readily attain, an aëroplane might defy the most formidable batteries in the world. Should a fleet of these little craft be sent against an enemy, many of them would be sure to survive an attack, even if a few should be lost. It does not seem probable that the aëroplane will carry aloft a cannon large enough to do any damage. But they can drop high explosives, with astonishing accuracy, and would do important scout work.
At the present cost of construction, a fleet of one hundred aëroplanes might be built and put in commission in the field or sky, for what a single great battleship would cost. It has been shown, moreover, that a man can learn to operate an aëroplane in less time than it takes to learn to ride a bicycle. The Wrights instructed Lieutenant Lahm to drive one of their machines in about two hours of actual flight. The war aëroplanes would call for great bravery and daring, but who can doubt that men would be found to serve their country, if need be, by facing this appalling danger.
In military language, the modern airships fall into three classes, dreadnaughts, cruisers and scouts. The dreadnaughts of the air are the largest dirigible balloons, such as Zeppelin flies. They will probably be used in aërial warfare in the first line of battle, and for over-sea work. The cruisers comprise the dirigibles, such as have been brought to great perfection in France. These faster air-ships will rise higher than the dreadnaughts, and will probably be used for guarding and scout work. The aëroplanes come under the head of scouts, and will be used for dispatch work, and for attacking dirigibles.