CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9030, 17 January 1908, Page 4

CONQUEST OF THE AIR.

During: the past.few days the cables have recorded the exploits of Mr Henry Farman's, aeroplane, which . has made a successful, if short, voyage above the earth, and has demonstrated, as no other air-traversing machine has yet done, the possibility of conquering the air as rhe ocean has been conquered. Mr Farman's flying machine traversed circuitously a distance of nearly, three-quarters of a mile in one minute twenty-eight seconds, thus demonstrating guidability as wqli as great speed. The aeroplane is bulitof wood, aluminium, canvas, and steel wires, and is composed of two wings, which are like a huge box-kite, with the vertical partitions removed, connected with a tail which is similar to, but slightly smaller, than the wings. It is driven by a 50-hor.se-power motor. With the conquest of f;he air by flying machinery, f .he possibilities of the future developments are enormous. That victory will in all probability secure other conquests of stil! greater magnitude. Said M. Deu'sch, the celebrated French authority upon aeronautics, at the annual dinner of the Aero Club of the United Kingdom, held in London in November:—"The last century was one of steam and electricity. The present one will be ■ that of locomotion of the air. lam sure of it. I state it with a positive . certainity. Another thing is also certain—the conquest of the air will . bring to an end the military con- ■ quests of the world. Indeed, among ' all the sciences to which the cleverest I brains of the world devo*e themselves, j that of aerial navigation is the one ! most likely to work for the lasting * peace of humanity." All civilised nations will hope that M Deutsch i may indeed prove to be a Prophet of j Peace. «