Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-09-03

30 as to AVOID strains upon the texture
of the envelope by rapid expansion or
contraction.
When tho balloon leaves ground the
inner bnlloonot IL blown up to full pres
sure. As she rises sloft the gas ex-
pands, but instead OF straining against
the envelope more room is made for 1t
by emptying the balloonet. In the plain
old spherical balloon pressure was equal
ICED by letting off some of the gas itself,
but in these machines that precious
stuff, the very life of the airship must
be economical at any cost
CAR 400 FEET LONG.
From the under side OF the framework
is swung the long car. 1t Ia about 400
feet long, leaving about hundred feet
of bow and stern. There are four sets
OF engines, two at the bow, two at the
stern, and they operate four propelers,
or, rather, two propelors and two trac-
tors. The engines are models of light
ness and strength and in spite OF the
need OF leading exhausts as far as posi-
bic from the neighborhood of the explo-
sive gas overhead and of the provision
of mufflers they drive the huge ship at
speeds over 40 miles an hour-over so. the
Germans claim.
Between the two engine rooms Is the
long, narrow cabin, with quarters for
the crew, magazines, and in fact an
equipment not unlike that of torpedo
boat Of the sea. The only feature is the
rigid economy with which every ounce Of
superfiuous weight has been pared away.
Nobody but the German general staff
knows Just what is the armament Of the
latest Zeppelin, but It is believed they
carry from four to six small rapid-ire
, or machine guns, and more or less elab-
crate bomb dropping devices The under
side Of the car, near the engines and
gun positions, is armored with enough
Krupp steel to resist rifle FIRE
Moreover, this airship carries scveeal
hundred rounds of ammunition per gun,
and food, fuel and so on besidea 1t is
certainly a formidable sounding machine
But 1t Ia now necessary to poin; out TIRE
Ieppelin's rigid limitations
ITS LOAD IS LIMITED
In the first place, tho 2eppellns uscfu,
load is as rigidly limited as that of any
ship at sea. So many cubic feet OF hy-
drosen, so many pounds OF weight that
may be lifted into the air. And in OBJ.
tanning speed and manoeuvring power by
Its rigid framework just so many pounds
of handicap over the non-rigid type must
be conceded at the beginning in the
weight Of the frame itself
| The remaining useful load is allotted
by the designer-so much for guns, So
much for engines. so much for crew, Sc
| mol nd
lbuoyancy. 1t is in that allotment thai
the delicate problem has to be worked
out. If YOU carry one more machine CUR
your capacity for destruction Is increase,
by just so much-but in the inexorabl,
arithmetic of natures laws you mus
pay for it with just so much fuel ca
pacity, hence with so much cruisin,
radius
Most OF the arguments advanced re-
garding the terrific offensive power Of tn
Zeppelin are based on the theory tina
for some reason fire from above must b
more accurate or more effective than fir
from below 1t may be granted that, 70
the same type and calibre of gun. fir
from above. with the same accuracy
will be more effective. But the bigges
|, gun that can be mounted In the Zen
pelin is a tiny weapon compared to tn
guns that can be directed upon 1t fror
below.
AIRSHIP AT DISADVANTAGES.
, AS a matter of fact. you must see tina
. | In a gun duel between the airship and
fort or a ship beneath it the airship
always bound to be at disadvntag'
for the simple reason that the air will NJ
support sufficient weight Of armor or {
guns to offset those that can be mounte
on the substantial surface of Mothe
Earth or upon the comparatively substar
tial support of the ocean. Armor for al
NOR and gun for gun, the people who hay
to economize by the ounce to keep then
selves aloft are bound 10 be outclasscd.
4 In the question OF accuracy vOlumn'
have been written to prove that the Zel
pelin, circling above fort or ship
| high speed. could pour In n rain
I shells with terrible precision, while q
= gunners below would be una BILE TO hit he
/. Any man who has shot ducks on the vii
l should know better. Accuracy is purely
matter of choice. 1t is easy for the Iel
\ pelin, by remaining far enough aloft.
/ by moving at high speed and rapid
= changing course, to make IT almost In
possible for any one below to hit her b
: | by those very tactics she makes it impo
, sible for her own gunners to hit anythir
below. She can come down low and /
moving slowly on a steady course. el
. able her own gunners to take good aim
a fort below-but by that very course al
= Is Offering her fragile 600 feet of leng,
. as an easy target for a much more heavS
armed enemy.
Nor need any one argue that because Il
t gunners below must aim at a backgrour
u of sky their accuracy will suffer. Smol
r tracers by day and fire-tracers by nigh
:. TO enable spoilers to follow the flight
r shells have been in use these 10 years.
n AS TO BOMB-DROPPING.
mb-dropping? Were you ever ,
in a balloon? Did you ever drop
- much as an ounce of sand over Il
- side. and see her shoot up as thoul
bound straight for Jupiter? To dr'
a bomb of sufficient size and weig
:, to accomplish serious damage to Il
= armored deck of warship or Il
:, easements of fort. from a Zeppeli
= would be to incur grave danger
70 wrecking the Zeppelin by the tremsndo
- rebound.
- Bomb dropping from the air, Their
fore, is reduced to the proportions
throwing hand grenades. And It h
n been proved over and over again tn
IF such weapons, dropped from above
lie troops in tho open. are apt to blu
themselves In the ground. all but 1
nocuous unless thrown with an a
ID curacy only attainable by coming