The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-26
BY F. .Bu..y, Jr.

The wars of the future will be
fought In the air. The chief weapon
used will undoubtedly be something
IN the nature Of an aerial torpedo. This
Is inevitable, and 1t will come about
soon. And the first man to discover
and to perfect a navigable aerial tor
pedo will change the coloring of the
map Of the whole world"
These were the weighty words ut
tered by that eminent authority, Sir
Hiram Maxim, with whom the writer
recently discussed the warfare of the
future
II there is nothing more awful than
the realization of war, there are few
subjects more fascinating to contem-
plate in the abstract, and to specu-
late upon, than the potentialities of
science when applied to wholesale
slaughter.
Guns Reached Final Stage Of Perfection
1t is hard to imagine that any ''pro-
gress' can be made in the development
of the awful engines OF destruction
which exist today, or that there is any
possible improvement which can rem
der their efficiency more terrible. One
cannot conceive, for instance, how
Maxim gun, capable of dealing death,
at a distance at which it can hardly
be seen. to possibly hundreds of men
In minute. could be we'll improved
upon. Impossible would it be for the
student to suppose that science has
exhausted her Internal expedients, or
that we shall have long to wait for
new and improved resources of civili-
zation."
1t was consideration of a deadlock
which would appear to have been ar
rived at in these circumstances that
led the writer. to seek out Sir Hiram
Maxim. A not unnatural curiosity to
CLEAN an inkling Of the direction from
which scientists anticipate progress"
II any. must also be admitted.
The inventor of the Maxim gun per-
mits himself to dOgmatize upon this
question. There are, he says, certain
limitations imposed upon engineers by
nature, and SO far as guns, as we know
them. are concerned, these limitations
have been very nearly, if not quite,
been reached. He maintains that we
have arrived at the point when mere
mechanical ingenuity can do no more.
Practically the only improvements
which could usefully take place in
the construction of guns necessitate
the discovery of new metal or sub
stance vastly different from anything
known today.
There Is not the least doubt, declares
the inventor, that now, having practi-
cally exhausted natures resources in
one direction, we must look to another
field of operation altogether to fur,
nish us with scope for further ex-
periments. What We may next ex-
pect. he confidently asserts, therefore,
is something in the nature of an aerial
torpedo. Something small and rela-
lively inexpensive in itself, which will
be able to deal death and destruction
in the for moi dynamite bombs or
other powerful explosives. over the
whole face of the earth. 1t was in this
connection that, referring to large
globe of the world which stood at his
elbow, the veteran specialist made use
Of the words which form the text of
this article.
AS he warmed to the subject, Sir
Hiram contrasted the conditions which
now prevail with those which we may
expect once the conquest of the air has
been effected. Nowadays, he pointed
out. if Great Britain wanted to bom-
bard Boston, for instance, she would
send out perhaps three men of war