The record-union., 1898-01-31
AIRSHIPS TO EUROPE.
They May be a Fact of the Very
Near Future.

1t is not improbable that in the near
future we may see the present ocean
liners crossing the Atlantic Ocean with
in three days. The present form of
steamship and motive power has ar
rived at a stage of perfection that can
hardly be excelled unless there is some
radical change made, both in the form
of steamship and the type of motive
power.
AS the matter now stands. vessel
making twenty knots to twenty one
knots per hour can only accomplish an
extra knot by almost doubling the
power of boiler and engines
In order to cut the present time of a
little less than six days from Queens
town to New Yodk down to three days,
marine architects must abandon the
present style of engines and radically
change the form of the vessels hulls-
In view of the millions of dollars in>
vested in the North American freight
and passenger steamers it is hard to
see how the companies can do this.
The latest adviceS from the continent,
however, give some hope that this may
be accomplished without change of the
present type of vessels or motive power
The French and German army officers
and engineering corps have for num-
Der of years been experimenting with
different types of airships and balloons
their object being to get a balloon or
airship that would sustain a double
weight and be perfectly manageable in
any kind of weather They have been
more or less successful, but a recent
-. - III =
have been kept secret-has more nearly
succeeded than any of the others.
This airship consists of an alumin>
ated balloon, filled with very light gas
and carrying a car containing gas en-.
gines and motors, and has a remarka-
bly, swift pace. 1t has been found per-
fectly manageable and apparently there
is nothing to be desired 1t is under
stood that negotiations for the manu-
facture of a series Of large machines OF
this type have been opened with
prominent trans Atlantic line of pas
senger and freight steamers, the idea
being that by using one or more of these
airshipS and having them connected
with a passenger steamer by set tow
lines, they can so assist in speed as to
render the passage across the Atlantic
in three days extremely probable.
BY the proper system of fastening
the tow-lines, the balloon or airship will
exert a lifting power as well as a for
ward motion on the ships, and practi-
cally give them less displacement or
cause them to force aside less water
in their movement through it, and will
not decrease the power of the propel-
lers.
OF course, there is great deal of Gu
riosity about the nature of this airship.
1t is believed by scientists who are in
terested in airships that the apparatus
is very similar to the one tried by Pro
fessor Langley ON the recent occasion
when he moved a hand-car up grade
against the wind.
Behind the fans of the windmill
was a small gasoline engine on a rough
timber frame. A long iron shaft con-
nected the frame with the curved
blades. These blades were made Of cam
vas. The propellers or fans We're con-
nected with the engine. They evolved
slowly at first. then faster and faster
they went, until they We're whirling at
the rate of $50 revolutions a minute.
The machine moved along with fright
full rapidity.
The Hiram Maxim Company is also
supposed to be experimenting with work
of the same kind with the S2OOOOO
worth Of aluminium received by them
recently for the Atlantic and Pacific
Aerial Navigation Company.
The Langley airship only pulled
about 5000 pounds, but, with the air
ship built larger and the power In
creased by various appliances this could
be trebled many times.
Much depends upon the lifting power
Of the airship as well as upon its drag
ging power And this. reinforced by
the natural speed of the engines, should
shorten the journey to Europe by at
least one-half