Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1916-08-24
GERMAN SKY MERCHANTMEN may
SOON VISIT THE UNITED STATES
The Transatlantic Zeppelin and the CargoCaryng Arshp No
Longer Technical Possibilities They Are Probabilities
many Constructs New Super.zeppeIn Of Great Speed
and Increased Freight Carrying Capacity.


The mOrtars throw new order OF
aerial bomb which Is said to be more
effective than shrapnel in dealing with
heavier-than-air flying machines. The
maximum elevation of these pieces
gives nearly overhead fire.
During the tests over Friedrichshafen
on Lake Constance the super-Zeppelin
showed that she was capable of mount
Ing aloft at an astonishing speed and
maximum altitude of $4,000 feet was
attained. With her nose pointed up
ward and her engines adding their
lift to the buoyant gas in the bags, the
dirigible climbed skyward at the rate
Of 1000 feet minute.
The aeroplane that can ascend at a
velocity Of 800 feet minute is doing
well.
The super-Zeppelin will cover the
entire field of aerial scouting. She
can do this without fear Of inter-
ference from below. The best of the
range of but 10000 feet, while the
newest Zeppelins can mount securely
to IN added height of 5000 feet.
At a height Of 5000 feet an observer
over the water has Il radius of OBJ
servation of something like 80 miles.
From such Il coign Of vantage II would
be extremely easy to watch the fall OF
shot ut ranges of 1900 yards and
more. 1t gives to the gunner atlOat
the power of telling hits by indirect
fire, assuming that bank Of fog in
tervened. The admiral without such
means of aerial spotting Is to all In
tents and purposes blind.
Send and Receive Wireless.
It must be remembered that while
the aeroplane can dispatch wireless
messages 1t is incapable of receiving
them owing to the racket made by its
noisy engines. The Zeppelin, on the
other hand, is not so hampered, and
therefore can both transmit and re-
ceive wireless communications.
The super-Zeppelin of the latest pat
tern carries a crew numbering some
thing like 40 all told. During cruls-
Ing periods half of these men are
on duty ut time. All of them are
engaged only when the aircraft Is In
action and every gun manned.
Heretofore the cruising endurance of
the Zeppelins has been roundly mat
ter of 1000 nautical miles. The greatly
increased buoyancy of the super-Zep-
pelin suggests that 1t will be entirely
practicable to carry more than double
the proportion of fuel per unit of horse
power. Not only this, but the i'm
proved form of the hull has greatly re-
duced the air resistance and therefore
augmented the propulsive effort OF the
engines. 1t is not improbable that the
dirigible which made her maiden trial
trip a month ago Is able to cover some
thing like 5000 knots before replenish-
ing her supplies.
Just as the fighting submarine
blazed the way for the cargo-carrying
submarine Deutschland, so the newest
super-Zeppelin points logically to the
practicability of transatlantic flight
and the carriage of either passengers
or cargo. OF course, the quantity OF
freight would be relatively less than
that of submarine of commerce, but
then the element of time saved and
the value of the freight might easily
make service of that sort well worth
the while. Indeed, it is quite conceiv-
able that the aerial trader could make
the Journey from continent to CONT
nent with far less likelihood of cap
ture or interference than that menac-
Ing the underwater cargo carrier.
Navigation ProbIemc Solved.
The transatlantic aerial freighter
would be stripped of its military char
acter just as has been done In the case
Of the U-boat Deutschland, and this
would increase the possible profit
making cargo. The navigatiOnal prob
lens need not balk the Germans. The
work the kaiser's Zeppelins have
already done both in time of peace and
during the present conflict has shown
the sureness with which the boats
can be guided night or day from point
to point. Long before the outbreak
of hostilities the passenger-carrying
Zeppelin Victoria Luise made more
than 400 trips, and up to the four hun
dredth run covered nearly 10000 miles,
carrying upon each run 21 passengers.
With all Of the experience gained since
then, what may not the advent of the