The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-22


n would seem That with Coming Of
Airships TIE Entire Scheme Of
Modern Life VIII be Rec
ArranEed.
New York Tribune.
Despite all that has been written
about the airship its meaning will pro-
baby not be brought home to the gen.
eral public until the wireless an
nounces some fine morning that, war
having been declared between France
and Germany last evening. feet Of
German dirigibles bombarded the city
of Paris early to-day and compelled her
surrender--or something equally NOM
entous and equally unexpected. Those
who are acquainted with the facts as
sert that the era of the air has more
than arrived and that stupendous con-
sequences to human society will de-
velop with startling rapidity They
say that the air machine win not be
subject to the slow evolution OF the
steam engine and the electric motor.
II spells overturn and revolution In
war. commerce, industry and interna-
tional relations. In the first place the
worlds nayies are really junk. The
new Dreadnoughts being built will so
to the scrap pile before ever they are
used. The armies of millions of fight
ing men are utterly vain, and might
~ we'll disband. The next war will be
fought in the air by fleets of huge diri-
gibies by a few expert mechanics
A skeptic might grant the perfection
of the Zeppelin air craft and yet argue
that the world win be long time
getting such machines into general
| use. just as II took decades for other
revolutionary machines to be adopted.
To this there Is the answer that the
airship today Is primarily a military
weapon. 1t Is not a commercial pro-
position, dependent on conditions of
economy and education OF the public
taste. Precedents don't count: are
unimportant. When one nation has an
air fleet. giving II a decided advan-
taee over the other nations, the others
must hasten to follow suit. Every
nation in Europe could equip itself for
a gigantic aerioi shindy within a year.
A fraction OF the money spent on pre-
sent ornaments would sufiice. The
| United State Congress hesitates to-day
| about spending many dollars for air
pean aerial battle or the day that the
frst dirigible crosses the Atlantic there
will be millions appropriated for
higher navy.
An InvIscibIe Fighting Machine.
The Zeppelin dirigible. which has
made. a flight of thirty-six hours
| covering $50 miles, and carries rapid
IRE gun of the latest pattern, throw
Ing about sixty 9-inch shells
minute, II a fighting machine invinci-
BILE to any other than one of its own
kind according to Messrs. Dienstbach
and McMechen. writing In "McClurc's
| Magazine" for August. 1t is as strong
and staunch ana comfortable a ship of
| the air Ms the Mauretania among water
| craft.
The aluminium frame, the rubber
cloth cover and the compartment
system of interior bailons make 1t
Just as capable of safely navigating
the air as the steel vessel is capable
or navigating the ocean . It must be
remembered that there are no waves in
| the afr to strain an aerial craft, and
| that the hardest gale does not dis
| turb the equilibrium of a dirigible.
Accidents usually happen on landing.
and II Is noteworthy that accidents
which would absolutely disable an
ocean steamer have little effect on the
airship. A few months ago the zeppe-
lin ii smashed her whole bow in while
landing. yet made repairs In a heavy
/ wind and few home fifty miles Such
q craft. -446 feet long. equipped with
| two separate engines OF 200 combined
horsepower. has speed of thirty five
miles an hour. The cost IL under $3.50
000... For the price OF one Dreadnought
forty Zeppelins, each one capable Of
DESTROYING DreadneuRht. can be
! built
Instead Of the. present shelters, these
great battle ships of the sky will pro-
badly be provided with aerial mooring
stations-steel towers a few hundred
feet high. the ship being anchored at
one end to the top OF the tower, with
the other end floating free. except for
ground cable TO prevent excessive
sidewise movement. Elevators will
carry passengers and supplies to the
lofty RanRway of the slip.
Artillery for sky battles has been
manufactured by the Krupps at the be-
hest OF ths German government A
| high powered gun weighing about
leo pounds and throwing a s-inch
shell. about one every second, has been
mounted on the Zeppelin fighting deck
The shells have a bursting radius of
about twenty-five feet that is. their
| fragments kill or wound within
| hfty-foot circle of the explosion. Their
| range IL several miles. Trials showed
that the twenty-ton dirigible was not
affected by the recoiI and that the
| marksmep could aim the weapon from
the aerial gun platform about as we'll
danger OF exploding the hydrogen in
tests fthe Germans have been made