Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1914-11-12

1.-THE lifting power has also been over
come. The power OF the ordinary hy-
drogen gas ia all it's various forms has
been multiplied threefold By o new
gas discovered ait the Spandau govern
ment chemical laboratory. This gas
has also the enormous advantage Of
being absolutely uninnammable,
The wonderful system OF the Ger
man war machine has been installed
with rare detail In the aerial corps.
The equipment OF the different sta
lions Is really marvellous, for every
thing human ingenuity has been able
to deysse concerning the dirigible you
| win find ia application Each station
is fully equipped and is an absolutely
independent center In itself Take the
base at Helgoland 1t is the newest
and the one that lie always cloaked
with secrecy.
Guarding tho pirielbles.
At the extreme eastern corner OF
the island OF Heigoland one sees, amid
the sandy dunes, three vast obiong
iron-gray structures. At distance
they are not unlike overgrown gas
ometers. say at distance, for it IL
impossible for any visitor TO get
within q thousand yards of the sta
ton. The solitary approach Is guard.
ed by q triple post OF the marine
guard. III you walk toward the sta.
ton, before ven eeEae within q hun.
dred yards OF the guard, you will find
large signs setting forth In unmistak.
| able and terse language that dire and
swift penalties follow any further ex-
ploration In that direction. Not only
English but German visitors to Helgo.
land have found out that even the
slightest infringement OF the rules OF
these signs Is dangerous. shall. how.
ever, take you little closer.
Walking on until you are within fifty
yards Of the great balloon sheds, you
pause before a tall fence of barbed
wire, this connected with an elaborate
alarm bell system that sounds in the
two guard houses For instance, II
an enterprisiag secret agent of France
were 10 try and steal ND ON the sta
ton, II he came by night and cut
through the barbed wire, series oil
bells would Immediately sound the
general alarm.
1 Having passed through the six
strands OF barbed wire a tall octag
onal tower meets the eye. In this
tower are installed two powerful
searchlights as we'll as complete
wireless outfit. All the Zeppelins carry
wireless. BY means of elaborate re-
| Electors 1t Is possible with the search.
lights TO flood the whole place with
daylight in the middle of night. Thus
ascensions can be made safely at any
hour of the twenty-four.
The three oblong sheds stand in a
row, the middle being the largest, hav.
ing spaces for two complete dirigibIes.
while the other sheds house but one
each. They are about 800 feet long,
200 feet broad and 100 feet high. The
whole structure itself can be shifted
to about an angle OF forty degrees.
this being worked on plan similar to
the railroad engine turntable. The rea-
son for 1t is that with the veering OF
the wind the sheds are turned so that
the doors wilt be placed advantageous
" for the removal OF the airship.
The whole layout and the vast area
of space show that it is the govern
ment's intention still further to In
crease the plant.
Let us consider one Of these new
war monsters, the latest and most
powerful, the x Is. The latest Zeppe-
Inns. charged with the newly discov-
cred dioxygenous gas, giving these
/ sky battleships triple lifting capacity;
the perfecting OF the Diesel motor,
/ giving enormous horsepower percent.
age with light fuel consumption fifty
or these Diesel engines, their work
ings secret to the German govern.
4 ment, are stored under guard at the
big navy yards at Wilhelmshafen and
/ KEEL, ready to be installed at the
break OF war In submarines and airi-
giblesl, have given the German type
OF aircraft an Importance undreamed
of and unsupported by the rest or the
4 world.
i Guns on the zsppeiins.
The operating sphere of the new
balloons has extended from 100 to
! LOO kilometers, Secret trial trips of
q fully equipped Zeppelin like X is,
carrying crew of "a men, six quick
firing guns. seven tons OF explosives,
have extended from Stettin, over the
Baltic. over the Swedish coast, re.
crossing the Baltic and landing al
Swinemunde, with enough gas. fuel
and provisions left to keep aloft an.
other SO hours, The distance all told
| covered on one Of these trips was
/ I,1Se kiiometers. This fact speaks
4 for itself The return distance from
Helgoland to London. or any midland
towns In England, corresponds to the
mileage covered on recent trips.
Picture the havoc dozen such Yul.
4 lures could create attacking 4 city
| like London or Paris. In attacking
large places the Zeppelins would rise
to q height OF from 5000 to 5000 feet.
1 af which distance Rharx. h.,zx So