The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-04
'On the Edge of the Future"
Gloomy Glimpse at Arship Year
Problems That Will Arise When M Air Steamers
oaf and Air Yachts Begin Flap Through the Thin Upper

In spite Of the thousands of in
ventors who are working at the prob
lem, there will, no doubt, be air
ships that can really fly almost as
well in the air as they do now in
the Patent Office romances.. Even the
most brilliant mechanical geniuses
will be unable in the long run to pre-
vent the final accidental production
of real ship of the atmosphere.
On the day that this first ship
actually flies to anywhere and back
again without the aid of an under
talzer and a coroner, the whole sys-
tenn Of the world will be turned topsy-
turvey.
About the only human institution
that won't be affected by it will be
that wonderful specimen of perfect
and ill1n1itable elasticity, the Ameri-
can Constitution. 1t will swallow the
new Empire of the Air without a
gasp; and the stars and stripes will
be floating over the clouds to greet
the first ship that gets there.
But everything else will have to be
modelled-municipal state, federal
and international laws must be made
to cover the unknown. Every law
making body in the world, from the
tiniest Board of Supervisors of the
tiniest settlement to the biggest
makers of international law, will have
to meet in hot hurry to tackle the
host of new problems that will arise
when the first winged thing steers
into the blue.
The very first question to come is
that of Jurisdiction. At present every
maritime country exercises sover
nv inf
over the sea for a distance of three
nautical miles from its shores That
IS beautifully effective now with ships
that can't do anything except to swim
But what will happen when ships fly?
Shall the zone be tilted upright and
mace. 10 extend three miles overhead?
Plainly that will not cover the case
for ships will, no doubt, be made
ultimately to fly four and more miles
nigh, and these could pass serenelv
back and forth above the three-mile
zone OF sovereignty, leaving the
Power underneath to gnash its ma
dlonaI teeth in unavailing rage.
Aerial Imperialism.
So the first great change to come
over the earth with the first real air.
ships will be vast assumption of
new territory by all the nations. They
will all become aerial imperialists and
expansionists, claiming sovereignty
over the air overhead clear to the limit
of atmospheric pressure, forty miles
more
The Car and the Shah-in-Shah with
similar great potentates, including,
perhaps, the Kaiser, may claim domin-
ion clear to the sky, to make sure.
They will have fine squabbles over
it. There may be wars before the
thing is settled. An unlimited vertical
zone of jurisdiction would suit some
nations beautifully, and it wouldn't
suit others at ALL
A British air sailor, for instance,
wouldn't see the use of air ships if
he couldn't make a short cut straight
across Europe instead of Tapping his
way laboriously from London around
to Gibraltar and then down the Medi-
terranean and through the super-heat-
ed air of the Red sea in order to get
to India. He might justly complain
In that case that he could go as well
In water ship.
Yet. on the other hand, Germany
and France certainly could never bear
to look W into their own native air
at every hour of the day and night
and see the red British ensign or the
Stars and Stri2es fluttering all over
their skies. as their rivals in COM
merce and war go careering happily
about their business of grabbing the
trade of the world.
The inland nations will be in di-
lemma to delight the lawyers of the
world, and give them food for subtle
reasoning for years. If they don't de-
mand an unlimited vertical zone of
sovereignty, they might as well go out
of business, for they will be only con-
Veniences and way stations once the
merchant fleets of all nations begin to
fly over them. They couldn't main
tain their diplomatic positions any
more, for they would hold no balance
of power. Any nation could transport
its sailors and soldiers across their
territory. as long as it did so at a
sufficient hight.