WAR IMPLEMENTS OF THE FUTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2295, 19 December 1891, Page 3

WAR IMPLEMENTS OF THE FUTURE.

The world's inventions have during the last half century so facilitated the art of war with their monstrous guns, repeating rifles, torpedoes, improved iron-clads and gunboats, and numerous other inventions in explosives and small arms, that a war at the .present day is not a thing to be lSughed at. Looking at the vast changes which; have taken place since the time wheii men went forth to their foes with-

out anything save their bucklers and < '-'spears,the question.arises: what will be the; -nature of the warfare of the future ? This" question has been partly answered ;■. by.j Mr/ Maxim in an article in the Century. He proposes to manufacture aerial navies, which shall sail through the air : just asl squadrons sail over the sea at - the present day. He names ten years as the period within which this will be an ' accomplished fact. His idea has nothing whatever to do with balloons, which he says it is impossible to propel rapidly in any required direction, but to highpressure compound steam engines. Mr Maxim after many experiments arrived at the conclusion that any machine that can generate one-horse power for every 100 pounds of weight can successfully navigate the air. He says he has invented an extremely small engine capable of giving out 200 or 300 horse power. Mr '"Maxim cailculaios that his aerial steamer could carry fifty-three men, supposing pach weighed twelve stone. He has also made provision for keeping his craft on an even keel, and for steering and landing.