Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-01-23
N|yONS HUGE A|RSHIP
Expected to Cross Atlantic Ocean
In Two Days.
HALF A NILE IN LENGTH.
Wings on Monster to Serve as Prom.
enade Decks For voyasers--To Carry
$500 Passensers--All Metal and
Furniture to Be Inflated With Hy-
drcgen.

Furniture to Be Inflated win Ny-
drogen.
How would You like 10 travel across
the Atlantic in an airship the passen.
ger carrying capacity of which Is as
great as that Of the biggest steamship
nfioat:
This Is not a mere Hypothetical
question. Within year airships or
that kind will be actually plying be-
tween New York and London, accord
ing to the plans now being worked
upon by Lewis Nixon, who designed
the warships Oregon, Indiana and
Massachusetts,.
The first of the series OF alrshirs VIII
be a comparatively small affair, 700
feet In length and eighty feet In Its
greatest breadth. But the larger YES
sells will have a length Of $500 feet
and viii be capable or carrying 2,5oo
passengers, including the crew as well
as fuel. provisions, etc. necessary for
the trip. And, incidentally trip
across the ocean wifi consume a frnc.
ton more than two days.
Thurlow Weed Barnes, the president
Of navigation company which rs
financing the new venture In aeronau-
ties. said to New York Journal re-
porter the other day that he expected
the first Of the great airships 70 be
launched within the next twelve
months
Tie said that there were fifteen d.
rectors of the new company, each OF
whom Is a power IN the financial
world. And 1t IS very obvious that
nothing less than the biggest sort OF
| financiers could undertake SO sfupen-
dous an enterprise, as the smallest OF
/ the airships--the one which Is to be
700 feet III lengths to cost not less
! than $1,o00,0 900. S.
The construction OF the airships VIII
\ involve four principles which nave
never been used In combination ~ any
other airshin ever constructed. These
principles are compactness, ipasmuch
/ as even the passenger carrying part OF
the shin will be within It's body IN
stead Of merely attached to Il In basket
form. Secondly. buoyancy win be &c
cured by initiating with hydrogen O
! other lighter than afr gas not onl,
part Of the body OF the ship. but ever
the followed out furniture ana tn
propellers. which thus also become
| lighter than air and will float u tosses
overheard from above the clouds, IN
third principle Is that OF aereopianes
! one Of which will protrudc on eac.
/. side OF the body of the ship. This wi
) add to the buoyancy given by the gar
| the Swimming power which sustain
!, the heavier than air ships. And, ina
J ", the fourth unique principle Is tina
Of the relicopters or propellcrs on ~
sides of the ship. which. when ri
horizontally, raise the ship to any r.
quired height and can then be turne
ON swivel 10 vertical position
propel the ship forward.
In connection with the aeroplane,
is an interesting fact that they wi
serve on the large type Of machine a
I promenade decks for the passengers.
The front propeller serves not onl
, the purpose of drawing the ship I'll
ward by creating vacuum Of air Int
which the ship Is sucked. but by th
terrific speed Of Its revolutions II ais
acts as set-off TO currents Of air an
\ will, moreover keep rain and snoy
srom touching the ship.
The furnishing Of the passengc
quarter win be fully as luxurious q
that OF the most up to date Pullman
car or ocean greyhound. The furnl
ture win be comfortably large AM
constructed Of pulp or aluminium. |
viii be hollow and filled with gas, a
viii everything else capable Of holding
the lighter than alrniuid.