New-York tribune., 1908-07-02
NEEDED AERoyAU7TC TESTS.

Count Won ZeppelIn demonstrated last week
that his third airship, which is larger ana pro-
vfded with more powerful engines than IT'S
predecessors. could be controlled perfectly for
ascent descent and manpuvring aloIt Ihe
trials then made revealed little that was new,
brt were essential preliminaries to this week s
work. He is now trying to- find out how long
a VOYAGE he can make, and has already oD'
tanned encouraging indications. If the dis
patches from Friedrichshafen, on Lake Con-
stance may be trusted, he traversed distance
of 233 miles on Monday thus performing feat
with dirgible balloon which is without prece-
dent but which was practically duplicated on
Wednesday. His success renders 1t probapie
that he will accomplish the Journey OF four
hundred miles projected with little dihl-
Guilty and provokes lively curiosity concern
ing the correctness of his estimate that his
airship has radius of action" of more than
one thousand miles.
In the speed developed within the last Few
DAYS little improvement the past is discern
ibie Won Zeppelin travelled at the rate OF
thirty-one miles several times last summer, and
claimed q maximum velocity of thrty-seven
miles. He now appears to have malntalneu
speed of thirty-four and half miles an hour
for nearly seven hours, and to have added four
miles more to this speed In squirt. Even II he
should not realize his hope Of getting forty-si4
miles out OF the new CTaIt Wueu tHS udChihOhJ
is in perfect working order the record up to
date must be considered extremely creditable-
speed of thirty-four and a half miles closely
approaches that of the majority of express
trains Moreover, on a railway run OF more
than one hundred miles is seldom made without
q fresh supply of water for the locomotive
taken either from tank or trough IN the
middle OF the track, not to speak OF an occa-
sional change Of engines A continuous nlght
of four hundred miles with one instalment OF
fuel would be noteworthy achievement. Still
more so would be longer journey than one
from New York to Chicago without stopping
for more gasolene
In conducting his experiments over a sheet
of water Count Won Zeppelin has followed the
advice and example of Professor Langley. One
of several questions concerning which more light
is needed Is what would follow If an airsh1p or
either Of the two familiar types should be dis
abled while 1t was travelling over the lana at
the rate Of thirty miles or more.
OF even greater Importance is the question OF
the ability of a vehicle like Count Won Zeppelin
to withstand well directed attack. The Ger
man has designed his balloon for military ser
vice and to prevent sudden collapse in case OF a
puncture he divides his gas reservoir into sew
eral compartments. His latest airship has six
teen How effective Will the precaution prove?
Suppose score of holes should be made in the
very front end of the airship. Would not its
head subside perceptby? Or suppose Maxim
gun should pepper it at the rate Of hundred
shots a minute. How long would 1T be before
the whole reservoir resembled a sieve? Again,
if merely the rudder were put out Of business,
could the craft then turn tail and run? Count
Won Zeppelin would greatly promote the study
of aeronautic methods Of warfare II he should
arrange few tests OF this sort before the sea-
&c