Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-19
AlRsHlP MAKERS GAIN


AlRSHlP MAKERS GAIN
Builder Of Huge Airship Tells How
German Counts Mishap Supplied
Very Conditions Needed In caIeulat.
ing Effects Of Erratie Air Currents.
Airship constructors and experiment.
ers all over the world have been await
ing Just such an accident as occurred
recently to the huge dirigible Of Count
Ferdinand Zeppelin, when his machine
became unmanageable and ran away
with the navigator and twenty other
men it carried. Every man engaged in
the study Of aeronautics was at loss
to know the effects Of cratic air cur
rents on airships in comparison with
similar waves or currents upon ocean
going vessels.
In view Of these facts Mr.. Lewis
Nixon, the shipbuilder, was called upon
for his resultant opinion following the
wild career Of Count Zeppelin's mon
ster balloon. Mr.. Nixon is at present
devot1ng his energies to the co,lstruc-
ton Of what will be the largest airship
thus far built and was intensely inter-
ested in the reports Of the accident in
Germany. After reading the final bull
letin announcing the descent Of the
Zeppelin airship he said:
ITO those who are following airship
development there has occurred no
event SO interesting or instructive as
the results of Count Zeppelin's voy-
age. The general results Of voyage
Of hundreds of miles could be fore.
casted with some accuracy, but 1t is
In connection with calculations for
structural strength that the keenest
interest will be inspired. have for
the last two months been calculating
strains and stresses on a 700 foot
structure and making assumptions
with such judgment as I could bring
to bear to cover behavior and strength
In storm eddies.
ut is, Of course, known to those con-
yersant with mechanical matters that
we make calculations Of strength for
vessels. basing such calculations upon
assumed positions of the vessel among
the waves-that is, when the trough
Of the waves occurs at the middle
length and the crests are at the ends
and when the crest is amidships and
the hollows are ut the ends. In one
case supporting the vessel at the ends
and causing the midship part to tend
to sag. in the other causing the ends
to drop. We have in connection with
such calculations vast number Of
ships in which certain margins Of
strength have been found amply sufi1.
cient to insure safety at sea when
wave tossed. Hence we can, as the
result Of our calculations, vary our
scantlings or dimensions Of material
to such degree as to be sure our struc-
ture Is amply strong.
But In the case of an airship we
float Immersed in the buoyant medium
and not partly immersed. as with an
ordinary ship. So the problem must be
attacked in very different way, and
up to this time We have had no data to
use for proving out certain empirical
assumptions.
But Providence and Count Zeppelin
place before usson grand scale the
very conditions needed in our calcula,
tons, and this great structure subject
ed to the eddyings Of air in very Sc.
we're storm has shown again the tri.
umph Of mAp's mind over the elements.
It marks distinct advance in aitshlp
building. replacing conjecture and esti.
mate by Confidence.
"Of course with steel vessels great
improvements have been made in struc-
ture, and that such will be the case
with airships We feel sure, but the re.
cent great event fixes the russed struc-
ture Of Zeppelin as dependable one,
and from now on the term 'airship' is
to be no longer ngure Of speech, but
an actually. That such structures can
with safety defy the elements being
now proved. we shall find the problem
of propellers, their position, size and
shape engaging much attention.
"Destroyers In England have had as
many as thirty sets Of propellers tried
before developing the necessary speed.
and most exhaustive experiments in
experipental tanks and on full size
vessels have been made and many vol
umes have been wrattan on the subject
The a1rship propelegs SO far used are
Of the crudest SO that vast improve
ment may -be expected.
when one realizes that already air.
ships larger than ocean going ships Of
forty years ago are built and that their
speeds are far in excess Of speeds now
attained on the water the rapidly Of
development may be appreciated.
ITO obtain great lifting power very
large ships must be used. The Zeppe-
lin that was burned was 446 feet long
BY 425s feet beam and had a net lift
Ing power ef $4,000 pounds. To carry
100 Wen and fuel and provisions for
crossing the ocean 1t high speed
vessel 100 feet by 70 feet:1 required.
II confidently look to vessels over
half mile In length in the, near fu-
ture. the performance Of the latest
Zeppelin ship con6rming me in such
belief. A very great gain in strength
will Be obtained By covering the struc-
ture with thin metal plates and by
combining the pEesspt dtristbie and