Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-30
DECLINES OFFER
FOR Ills AIRSHIP
KNABENSHUE WILL NOT TAKE
$4,000 FOR BALLOON
OrientaIs of Los Angeles Take Deep
Interest in Aeronautlcs and
Make Study Of APP
planes

Roy Knabenshue has refused cash
offer of $4,000 for his dirigible air.
ship, made indirectly by a rich Japan
csc resident of Los Angeles. The offer
was made some time ago, but at the
request of the maker, who conducted
negotiations with ]. B. Lehigh, moth
ing was said publicly. Mr.. Knabenshue
admitted he had received offers to
purchase his ship, but said he had re-
fused them so far.
lone offer came through Dick Fer
ris. he said yesterday, "but 1 told him
the price. $4,000, did not represent any
where near the cost to me. AS the ship
is in good condition for this years ex-
hibition work I am not anxious to dis
pose of it. I was also asked to make
a price on it or a new dirigible by
the parties who made me an offer Of
$4,000 this month, but have not given
an answer. I did not talk to the
parties directly, as they made the Of
fer through Mr.. Lehigh, but I UNDER
stand the proposal is from Japanese"
Mr.. Lehigh would not affirm or deny
the nationality of the purchasers who
are looking for an airship, merely say
ing he had been asked as their agent to
obtain a price on the dirigible or a
new one of the same capacity. When
asked if his principals were Japanese
he said:
cit is a fact the Japanese in Los An
geles intensely are interested in the
airship. L believe every one of them
who owns a camera has been out to
Chutes park to take photographs of tho
Knabenshue ship, and some of them
have taken it at every conceivable an
gle. They have measured it so far as
they could, and have come out when
the airship is in the tent to do so and
have asked US innumerable questions
If the Americans took one-tenth of the
interest in aeronautics the japanese do
1 believe Los Angeles would be up in
the air half the time
Japanese Photographs Airship
At the exhibition of the Zerbe aero
plane at Fiesta park Sunday a promi-
nent Japanese equipped with an ex-
pensive camera took photographs of
the airship at rest and as it was be-
ing sent across the ground.
Interest in Knabenshues test of a
possible night attack by airship on
large city, as made at Los Angeles
last month, has been aroused in many
quarters, and he is receiving numer-
Jus 1CIIClO I6SdIQIilS II, While eastern
magazines and papers are devOting
considerable space to the matter, sew
eraI Of the articles being illustrated
with odd pictures.
Among the leading articles on this
line is one contributed to the Febru-
airy Century by Major Henry B. Her
sey, government authority and q
leading American aeronaut, who says
the dangers through aerial attack are
cr1,r 1T-c,f
greater for those of the Pacific coast.
Major Hersey says regarding this
phase of the situation:
Let US consider for a moment the
possibilities Of an attack on New York
city by war fleet superior in strength
to any which we would have available
for defense at the time. 1t would then
be necessary to rely largely on land de-
fenses. If the attacking fleet were ac-
compan1ed by thoroughly equipped
aeronautic transports. dirigibles might
be inflated and sent in over our fortf
hcat1ons, dropping torpedoes into them
from the sky at the same time that the
fleet would be making the attack from
the water.
Due notice having been given Of
commandment, these same dirigibIas
might sail over the skyscrapers of New
York, dropping bombs or torpedOas into
NC very ISnC SnaItS or the proud
structures and wrecking them COM
pletely. If the dfrigibIes should be dis
abled by shots from the land and de-
stroyed or captured, we should thereby
lnf1lct on the enemy a loss of PERTAINS
five men and possibly a hundred thor
sand dollars-a loss trivial as compared
with the damage done by one explosive
dropped from the sky. What is true OF
New York applies with greater force
TO San Francisco or Seattle.
All these possibilities are based
partly on the supposition that this
country would not be prepared for
serious aerial warfare. If however 17a
were as well prepared as we ought ~
be within the next few years. the prob
abilities would be different"