The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-14
BUILDING BATTLE AIRSHIPS.
English Belief That the Next War
VIII Be Fought in the Air.
(Tit-Bits.)

How long will it be before the Brit
ish army is provided with a fleet of re-
liable battle airships, it is, of course
impossible to say. Judging, however,
from the recent performances of that
"Dreadnaught" of the sky, the "Nulli
Secundus," the army's first dirigible
balloon, there seems every likelihood
that the prophecy of those who assert
that the next war will be conducted
in the air. quite as much as on land
and sea, will become true.
We are by no means the first in the
field, although it is claimed for the
"Nulh Secundus" that she is a distinct
improvement upon the French and
German battle airships which, months
ago, proved capable of sailing from
twelve to thirty miles against the wind
and answered the helm i'm a thoroughly
satisfactory manner. England's first
airship can travel from twenty-five to
thirty miles an hour, with her motor
not working to anything like its full
capacity. Furthermore, we have better
engines available, and when certain al
terations are made. which will tighten
the vessel and cause the balloon to Of
fer less resistance to the wind, the
pace of the Null Secundus, in its full
flight through the air, will be equal to
that of an express train.
1t is now six years since Colonel
Templer, superintendent of the balloon
factory at Aldershot, commenced to
build this airship. The greatest secre-
cy has been observed in it's construc-
ton, and there are practically only two
other men-Colonel Capper. commander
of the balloon companies, and Mr.. Cody
of kite fame-who know its full capa-
bilities. The motor, which is provided
with eight cylinders, is of fifty-horse
power and capable of driving the two
prOpellers, each ten feet in diameter
and fixed one on each side of the yes
sci amidships, with such force that,
to quote Mr.. Cody, IF you get too
near them when they are going they
raise hurricane strong enough to
blow your trousers over your head"
The French and German military air
ships possess motors of greater horse
power, La Patrie, for instance. which
in July last stayed in the air for three
hours and attained a speed varying
from eighteen to thirty-one miles an
hour against and with the wind, is
driven by a seventy power
Panhard motor, while one of Ger
many's war airships, the Parsival, has
motor of ninety-horse power.
Another German war airship, the
| Gross. is said to be capable of carry
| ing a battery of automatic rapid-firing
guns, crew of six men, powerful
searchlights, and of developing speed
of thirty miles an hour.
Three persons are the full lifting ca
pacity of the Null Secundus. the whole
weight depending on the car, which
hangs thirty feet below the balloon
The latter, by the way, is marvellous
piece of work. 1t is made of goldbeat-
| er's skin, thousands and thousands OF
pieces a few inches square having beer
joined together by a secret process:
known only to a very few workers II
the factory. The resisting power o.
this balloon is nearly two pounds t.
the square inch, although it was only
carrying just over three ounces of pres
sure when it made its first ascent. Ever
then, however, man could walk along
the top of the balloon as if he were OF
an ordinary path.
AS to the cost of making the Null
Secundus no figures are yet available
When 1t is mentioned, however. tina
La Patrie cost $4,000 to build. it will
readily be understood that it will meal
no small outlay to the country to pro
vide the army with fleet of war air
| ships.