Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-06-03
AIRSHIP MAKERS GAIN
Lewis Nixon's Opinion on Zeppe-
lin DiriqibIe Accident.
MOST INSTRUCTIVE EVENT.

| Builder of Huge Airship Tells How
German Counts Mishap Supplied
Very Conditions Needed In CalcuIat-
ing Effects of Erratic Air Currents.
Airship constructors and experiment.
- all over the world have been await
| ing just such an accident as occurred
recently to the huge dirigible of Count I
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 n loss
TO know the effects of erratic 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
devoting his energies to the construc-
tion 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 bul-
letin announcing the descent of the
Zeppelin airship he said:
"To 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 it is
In connection with calculations for
structural strength that the keenest
interest will be inspired. l have for
the last two months been calculating
strains and stresses on a 700 foot
structure and making assumptions
with such Judgment as could bring
to bear to cover behavior and strength
in storm eddies.
ut is. of course, known to those con-
versant with mechanical matters that
we make calculations of strength for
vessels, bastng 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 at 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 a vast number of
ships In which certain margins of
strength have been found amply sufIi-
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 rs to he sure cur struc-
ture is amply strong.
But in the case of an airshlp we
float immersed in the buoyant medium
and not partly immersed, as with an
ordinary ship. So the problem must be
attacked In a 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 us on grand scale the
very conditions needed in our calcula-
ed TO the eddyings OF air in a very Sc
we're storm has shown again the tri-
umph of mans mind over the elements.
1t marks a distinct advance In airshlp
building. replacing conjecture and esti-
mate by confidence.
"Of course with steel vessels great
improvements have been made in struc-
tl.,t NN-iI la
with airshlps we feel sure but the re-
cent great event fixes the truSsed struc-
ture of Zeppelin as dependable one,
and from now on the term 'airshlp' is
to be no longer a figure of speech. but
an actuality. 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
experimental tanks and on full size
vessels have been made and many vol
umes have been written on the subject
The atrship propellers 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 rapidlty 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 42la feet beam and had Il net lift
ing power Of $4,000 pounds To carry
100 men and fuel and provisions for
crossing the ocean at high speed n
vessel 7oO feet by IS feet is required
81 confidently look to vessels over
half mile in length in the near fu-
ture, the performance OF the latest
Zeppelin ship confirming me in such
belief \ very great gain in strength
will be obtained by covering the struc-
ture with thin metal plates and by
combining the present dirigible and
helicopter and utilizing also the aero
plane.
I'm the event OF war between Eng
land and Germany dirigibles will be
built in great numbers. New York