After a long delay, about January 1, 1918, tentative arrangements had been made with the Caproni interests looking toward the production of Caproni biplanes in this country. These machines had a higher ceiling and a greater speed than the Handley-Page. Capt. d'Annunzio with 14 expert Italian workmen, bringing with him designs and samples, came to this country and initiated the redesigning of the Caproni machine to accommodate three Liberty engines. The actual production of Caproni planes in this country was limited to a few samples which were being tested when the armistice was signed. The factories had tooled up for the production, however, and in a few months Capronis would doubtless have been produced in liberal quantities. The performance of the sample planes in two tests is shown by the following figures: ----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------- | Test 1. | Test 2. ----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------- Speed at ground level | 100 miles per hour | 103.2 miles per hour. Climb to 6,500 feet | 16 minutes 18 seconds | 14 minutes 12 seconds. Climb to 10,000 feet | 33 minutes 18 seconds | 28 minutes 42 seconds. Climb to 11,200 feet | 49 minutes | Climb to 13,000 feet | | 46 minutes 30 seconds. ----------------------+-----------------------+----------------------- [Illustration: ONE OF THE SMALL THOMAS-MORSE SCOUTS BESIDE A GIANT HANDLEY-PAGE MACHINE.] [Illustration: ARMORED GERMAN AIRPLANE SHOT DOWN ON THE WESTERN FRONT.] [Illustration: NIEUPORT SCOUT BESIDE A LOENING MONOPLANE.] As we had produced fighting planes built around the Liberty motor, so, too, in the night-bombing class American invention, with the experience of several months of actual production behind it, was able to bring out an American bombing plane that promised to supersede all other types in existence. This machine was designed by Glen L. Martin in the fall of 1918. It was a night-bomber equipped with two Liberty 12-cylinder engines. The Martin spread of 75 feet gave it a carrying capacity comparable with that of the Handley-Page. Its speed of 118 miles an hour at ground level far exceeded that of either the Caproni or Handley-Page, and it was evident that its ceiling would be higher than that of the Caproni, the estimated ceiling of the Martin being 18,000 feet. The machine never reached the state of actual quantity production, but several experimental models were built and tested. Being built around its engine it reflected clean-cut principles of design, and its performances in the air were truly remarkable for a machine of its type. The following table shows the results of the preliminary tests of the Martin bomber: