The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-12-25


tions For a Thousand Foot Craft on
New Lines, and Prominent Engineers
Praise the Design-Hundred Men In
Crew and S415ooo the Cost.
Crossing the Atlantic by airship Is
now only matter of very short
time. according to Il group OF German
capitalists. which recently formed
company to exploit as means of long
distance travelling new type of dirig-
ible balloon devised by Herr Borner.
well known German engineer, which
is proudly called the aerial ocean
cruiser.
Plans for the realization of this
schame arc now well under way and
have already advanced to the point of
choosing the site Of hangar on the
European side Of the Atlantic. the ex-
act location of which, however, is kept
a secret for the moment.
In the near future New York will be
visited by Ernest Gunther Honsel. the
I representative OF the company. who
was in Paris recently, with the object
of ascertaining where would be the
most suitable landing place for aerial
cruisers bringing their load OF passen-
| gers from Europe.
To Carry Three Hundred Persons.
The inventor and those backing him
assert that not only will the new bal
loon carry more than 300 persons and
make the 1000 mile journey in two
and one-half days, but they also main
tain that safety and comfort will be
the chief features Of the journey.
The specifications of the new dirigi-
BILE have already been drawn up in
thirty-six different sizes for various
purposes. The type destined for trans
atlantic passage will be constructed to
navigate on the water If necessary as
we'll as to fly. 1t will have a length
of about 300 meters (or about 915 feeo
by so meters wide and fitted with "a
benzine motors, II on each side, on an
entirely new system capable of deyel-
oping more than 5000 horsepower.
The airship will have its own power
for rising or descending, which will
permit the doing away with ballast
and take no account Of loss of gas.
The average speed is estimated at
sixty seven miles an hour. The air
ship will have a lifting force of 21O
tons, which will enable it to carry PIG
passengers, with a crew of 1O2. The
total cost IS calculated at S4G5,OOO.
A feature on which great stress is
laid by the inventor is the immunity
of the airship from explosion, even If
struck by lightning. The lifting force
will be supplied by fifty-tive separate
small balloons. which are covered by
a large envelope and insulated from
the outer air by a compartment filled
with nOnexplosive azOte gas, which
also protects the motors and their res
ervoirs.
A model airship has already been
constructed down to the smallest de-
tail, and aerial experts who have been
allowed to examine its special features
are convinced of the practicability OF
the scheme.
Experts Convinced.
Count George Won Der GOltz, presi
: dent of the German Airship associa
ton and vice president of the Interna
tional Aeronautic Federation, is re
ported to have said in an interview
the other day that he wouldn't hesi
tate to be among the first passenger
to cross the Atlantic in it, He though
that it would help Germany to obtaiI
the supremacy Of the air.
After a careful examination of tn,
new invention he stated that it ap
peared to him as If the element o
danger, hitherto inseparable from lonl
air journeys, had at last been elm
mated.
: E. Umbeck, another well known Ger
man engineer, who has hitherto give
< prefsEence to the aeroplane over tn
diigible for series of flights, states Il
judicially worded report, after an eS
haustive examination Of all the dc
tails, that he is Of the opinion that tn
inventor has based his ideas on soun
principles and that his experiment
and those Of others made with tn
new airship have opened fresh groun
in aeronautics. He also says he ha
:. carefully checked the calculations an
found them faultless and concludes:
: I'VE are on the eve of seeing for tn
a first time Il really practical and prof
q able dirigible."
: Raoul Pictet, a Brussels authorit.
a prefaces a long report by saying:
, 81 have the pleasure of eXpressin
a my enthusiastic appreciation Of yol
new system of dirigible. With rel
g joy | hail in your splendid work ne
p ideas which will lead aeronautic Sc
: ence in an unexpected direction"