Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-08-30
Great Vessel for War, but Price
Is Prohibitive.
Difficulties Confronting Great Britain
In Organizing an Effective Fleet
Of Airships-Pilots Are Very
Hard to Find.

London.-For some time past 1t has
been very difficult to make people
think in anything but terms OF dread
naughts and superdreadnaughts. Now.
however, the topic of thought, so to
speak, is slowly but percept1bly Veer-
ing, and we are beginning to think In
terms of dirigibles. Almost every pa
per that comes to hand has an article
in It pointing out the great value OF
the rigid airship and the necessity OF
building a large number OF this type
of aerial craft. There can be no
doubt as to our need OF this class or
air vessel, but few persons realize the
extreme costliness of building tho
rigid dirigible and keeping 1t in an
efficient state. The price OF Zeppe-
lin is about 100000 sterling. and a
hangar to hold two of these vessels
costs about 9S0,000. Then there arr
repairs, gas, wages and hundred
and one other things which necesss-
tate a large running account to MEET
them.
To build feet Of forty dirigib'es.
which we should have to do to en-
able us to get on even terms with tire
aerial squadrons of other countries.
would cost us about 92,O0O.OOO, ard
then hangers must be provided for
all of these airships, which means the
expenditure of another 92.000.000 at
least
al No
built and how long they would nse
to construct are also matters OF IN
portance, seeing that we have not as
yet turned out any really satisfactory
airships Of large size. Arrangements.
too, have been completed in Germany
whereby the same of Zeppelin and
Schutte-Lanz dirigibles to foreign gov
ernments is prohibited.
Then. even supposing that we could
purchase forty Of these aerial cruisers
in the space of year. we should find
considerable difficulty in obtaining
pilots qualified to sail them. The Off
cial list published by the Federstiob
Aeronautique Internationale SHOVE
that, up to Dec. 81, 1912. thirty-two
aeronauts' (balloons) and eleven air
ship pilots certificates were granted
to persons in Great Britain.
There is no gainsaying the fact that.
as compared with any other kind Of
aerial craft, the rigid dirigible Is the
air vessel of today. In carrying capac-
ity and radius of action, In its pow
ers of remaining steady In the air
and flying noiselessly aided by the
wind. the rigid airship has no rival.
1t has, of course. Its disadvantages
fits immense bulk. which makes 1t a
very noticeable object in the sky, and
its unwieldiness. which necessitates
a host of attendants to grapple with 1t
when 1t leaves the earth and when IT
alights. The Zeppelin airships. too.
are extremely heavy. The lifting ca
pacity Of Zeppelin l. is twepty-seven
tons. but owing to its own great
weight its useful load is only some
seven tons.
AS regards the construction of the
rigid airship. in this type of air YES
sci the shape Of its envelope is not
dependent on internal gas pressure
A huge framework. made Of aluminium
In the case OF Zeppelins. is provided
with from seventeen to twenty sep.
arate gas chambers Attached to the
framework Is keel which, in addition
to serving other purposes, affords
communication between the two cars
the latter carrying the motors. guns
bomb dropping appliances. etc. The
propellers. Of which there are four
are fixed to the frame above the cars
The framework is covered with a rub
bered cloth. The Schutte-Lanz diri
gible has a wooden framework. as has
also the French rigid lie Spiess.