The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-04
AERIAL FLEET
OF GERMANY
Tirirty-one Million Dollars to be
Spent to Give Umpire Title of
Mistress Of the
Air.
ZEPPELINs ARE THE BEST
Kaiser Likes the Dirigiple Balloons
Although There Are Many
AeropIanes in His
Fleet.

LBy Kari H. Won Wiegand, Berlin cor
respondent of the United Press.l I
BERLIN, May 3-Actiye work has
begun upon Germany's newly an
nounced ss1,Ooo,0oo great aerial fleet
which is to unfurl the flag of Ger /
mania Mistress OF the Air.
Dominant upon land with one of the |
largest armies the world has ever
known: navy the growth of which
has caused England many sleeples
nights. powerful submarine fleet for
under-sea protection, the Germans
now propose to startle the world with
the things they propose to do in tho
air-the remaining element.
It is figured with considerable GER
tainty that the aerial feature of the
big s262, 100000 war tax military bill
will pass in the reichstag whatever
may happen to the rest of the govern
ment's demands.
| Without waiting until the money
has actually been raised by taxation,
there is increased activity in the big
Zeppelin Works at Friedericshafen
and in the many aeroplane factories
throughout the empire.
The government proposes to build
virtually two aerial fleets. one for the
farny and the other for the navy.
4 For this purpose s19,500,000 has been
asked for the first and s12,o00.000 for
the second fleet.
! Approximately thirty-six battle
/ ships of the air. or aerial dread
4 noughts," as the British press is fond
lof characterizing the big Zeppelins,
!, are to be BUTT in the next four years.
!, Added to these will be numerous
/ squadrons of aeroplanes. the number
OF which cannot be Appropriated at
present. Two-third5 of the airships
i, will constitute the fleet under the
| command of the general staff of the
. army and the others will be attached
t to the navy to guard the North sea
: coast.
Plans for the organization CT the
, aerial fleet are about complete
+ While it will be divided into two dis
4 tinct and separate fleets. it can how
3 ever, be concentrated as "grea
c fleet under one commander-in-chief
4 The Elects" will be divided into
a 'squadrons." each with a flagship
g similar to the navy. What has oftel
d been characterized as the cavalry o
the air. but which in reality vii
i have about the same relation to tn
V big Zeppelin '.dreadnoughts' that tn
. torpedo boats and destroyers have Y
= the navai battleships, will be the saer
h iel flotillas" of aeroplanes.
i While England and France hav
Z laid greater stress and devoted thei
n best energy to the mosquito all
crafts Germany places its creates
+ reliance upon the Zeppelins whic
i have now been developed to the poin
where they can remain forty-eigh
hours In the air, have a speed of ;
miles an hour, can dash into the teet
n. of a pretty strong gaze and have
= radius of action of 900 miles &c
many however is not neglecting il
"aeroplane fIotilla," recognizing
:, these crafts valuable ally to tn
:, aerial battleships
:: The new aerial organizations hay
been given the name of "airship ba
talions" for the Zeppelins and 'fiyin
batallions' for the aeroplanes. tn
" personnel of the two organizations, il
~ GLIDING officers, noncommissione
~ officers and privates, is placed
y 1885. About two thirds of the al
y crafts OF both kinds. will be kept
Oh active service and the remainder he
'h in reserve The average life OF Q
u' airship is placed at four years ar
up the cost of the latest modes built
re zeppelin has been approximately s25'
as 600.
pc, There will be five ''airship bats
'm lions" of two and three compani'
each. The Central airship static
probably will be Berlin. The 9th
places where Zeppelins will be static
100 ed are Hanover, Cuyhaven, Cologn
or Dusseldorf, Dresden. Mannheim. Erie
he erichshafen, Darmstadt, Motz. ko
on nigsberg. Graudenz and Schneidt
tie muhl. All stations and airships W
he IN touch with general airship hea