Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-09-03
ZEPPELIN FOUND
Of USE SOLELY FOR
SCOUTING At NIGHT
In Daylight Great Airships Form
Too Easy Targets to Be
Able to Approach near
to Enemy.

New York, Aug 3o-The exploit of a
Zeppelin dirieibe airship, which on the
night Of August % rained death and de-
struction upon the city of Antwerp has
aroused new worldwide interest in these
aerial engines of war. In this the first
authenticated instance in which Yep
pelin has been successfully used by the
Germans ten small bombs containing
powerful explosives were dropped.
Ten persons, including six women,
were killed, and 80, including several
children, were injured The purpose of
the Zeppelin crew was evidently to de-
stroy the royal family of Belgium. The
killing Of non-combatants has everywhere
raised the question whether the use OF
Zeppelins is not beyond the pale Of civil
lied warfare.
This Is the only instance In which the
huge, floating warcraft invented by
Count Zeppelin. whom the German
Kaiser designated the greatest inventor
of the age. have proved successful. De-
spatches from the field of war have al
ready shown that six of the German
aerial feet have been easily destroyed
| by the Belgans and French
| J
Just what part in the final outcome of
the European war will aerial forces
play?
| That is a question that has been asked
many times, not only in this country but
in Europe itself. It is a question that
has found many answers.
There is no doubt that the air fleets
have made a powerful appeal to the
imagination. And this appeal has been
greater in the case of the big German
dirigibles. the Zeppelins, so-called after
their inventor, Count Zeppelin, who has
expended 20 years of his life and a pri-
vate fortune of more than three mil
lions of dollars in bringing them to their
present efficiency.
The Zeppelin is an impressive thing be-
cause of its size. The great bulks float
ing and moving swiftly in the upper air
have never failed to impress the man
who has seen them. and he hasn't forgot
ten that impression in his description
With the mental pictures of aerial
liners which have been drawn for us, s
hasn't been hard to conjure up ideas
of terrific speed and power. Such mon
sters, lifting and sustaining themselves
In the central blue, it seems. must neces-
sarily prove tremendous engines OF de-
struction when unleashed.
And Germany hasn't overlooked the
appeal her giant air craft make to the
ina gination. The Zeppelin Legend, If SO
1t might be called, has been effectively
pushed by all Germany's well-handled
instruments of publicity.
THEY'RE WELL ADVERTISED.
, Every extraordinary performance OF
} the big dirigibles has been spread broad
cast through the world, and some, It Is
suspected, that never happened, or a
, least never in quite such brilliant style
And the publicity campaign has beer
more than repaid by the panic 1t has
created in the last two years in England
e alone In fact, it has been carried or
by folks of other nations who shoulc
know better. but who in their fears have
forgotten that every human machine ha'
its limitations. the Zeppelin amont
others Yet there Is no doubt that tn
r big air craft are finding their uses II
!, war. as the dispatches from Europ'
every day are showing.
Just what is the Zeppelin, and wha
are the principles of construction which
dfferentate it from the spherical bal
= loon, or even from the ordinary dirigible
such as Roy knabenshue and others use'
to exhibit to us years ago?
In the first place. Count Zeppelin
wished to construct a balloon which coulC
be driven through the air at the great
est possible speed and at the same tim
could be manoeuvred. steered with pre-
y. clsion and handled like a ship even in
strong breeze.
With the ordinary gas bag these quail
. tiles seemed far out of reach. Coun
= Zeppelin therefore planned to give hi
= balloon a rigid framework, so that
u would ride like a ship on the waves o
the air ocean, and like a ship answer it
rudder without being pushed out OF shap
= by the pressure Of air on one bow Blu
. a rigid framework strong enough 70
{ that purpose must necessarily be heavy
II and to sustain such n weight in the al
required balloon OF greater size tina
IA had ever been built The carrying capac
fly of balloon depends directly upo
y the amount of air 1t displaces. and tn
= difference between tho weight of. that al
y and the total weight OF balloon, carg
i and equipment
, The next step forward In the evolutio
- OF the Zeppelin came with the though
y that TO construct this tremendous balloo
% as one gas bag was to increase the poss
hlity of puncture or rupture from tn
= strain to which 1t would be subteote
10 beyond a point at which he could hope
keep II In the air,
CONSTRUCTION OF ZEPPELIN.
a Having gone so far in the explanatio
: of the Zeppelin, a simple description
:; the actual construction of one OF ii
= type may suffice to complete it.
n The typical Zeppelin consists of
id cigar-shaped framework of steel al
in aluminium, worked out TO the last poss
d BILE degree of strength and lightnes
a, about 600 feet long and 90 to so feet
!, diameter "Cigar-shaped" scarcely d.
,e scribes 1t accurately, however. as e,
p cept for the ends, bluntly pointed like
n shell for a rihed gun. the framework
30 cylindrical. 1t Is covered with stron
tough canvas, weather-proof but NJ
20 necessarily alright. as its only obje
Is the reduction of the air reslstan,
II and protection to tho contents OF Il
H. framework,
g. 1t Is generally believed that In Il
NJ newer Zeppelins this covering has wi
H. woven into its texture, for incrsas,
te strength and resistance, and that IN Il
~ nose and on top of the frame are look
r. stations
T. Inside this framework are the mi
Of IA nj Mt