The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-02-25
BRITISH HAVE new
ZEPPELIN DESTROYER
CRAFT DESCRIBED BY BUR
sTEDT IN POPULAR MECHAN-
les MAGAZINE.

why did England have three
months immunity from air attack?
and why, when these attacks were
renewed, did they come in the form
of. aeroplane rather than Zeppelin
raids? 81 grr.sys., s..qrssi.
Probably no one person, either in
England or Germany, could answer
both of these questions definitely and
the best that the writer-who has
recently come from the war zone
is able to do will be to tell of one or
two developments which have had a
considerable bearing on the situation.
That the destructive air raids of
the night of October 10, 1915, were
not repeated on the several succeed
ing nights on which the state of the
moon was favorable to Zeppelin OPP
erations was due to two circumstan-
ces; bad weather conditions and the
fact that the air-defense squadrons
of London-goaded by the taunts
and criticisms of the indignant popu-
lace-took the desperate risk of night
flights. The whizz of propellers was
heard over all of the southern and
eastern suburbs of the metropolis
during each of the several nights fol-
lowing the big raid, and on at least
two occasions the pride of place"
thus attained was responsible for the
turning back of accommodating Yep
pelins.
Realizing the futility of endeavor-
ing to develop during any probable
duration of the war an adequate rig
id-framed airship capable of meeting
the Zeppelin on equal terms, the Brit
ish bent their efforts-once order
began to resolve out of the chaos of
the first few months of the war-to
the construction of Zeppelin de-
stroyer. AS the Zeppelin itself
with its large crew, heavy engines,
and huge fuel supply-must, to a
certain extent, sacrifice speed and
to weight-carrying capacity,
the way seemed open for the con-
struction of a swift non-weight car
rier which, while able to out-speed
and out-maneuver the Zeppelin,
would still be far more stable and
safer than the aeroplane.
This is the type the British have
striven to perfect, and, from what !
have been able to gather in England,
not without considerable promise of
success.
No one has yet reported seeing one
of the new machines In the imme-
date vicinity of London, but in No
1915, the writer, on short
visit to a port near the mouth of the
Thames, saw pass in the twilight a
strange hybrid" which bore close
to the descriptions that
had been given him of the Zeppelin
destroyer. From this glimpse /
would describe 1t as either a heavily
planed dirigible or "ballooned~ aer-
oplane. Whether the gas envelope
had rigid frame or not was un-
able to Judge, and on this point there |
IS good deal of diverse opinion. 1t
IS agreed, however, that the destroy
er has the speed of very fast aero
plane, and, what is especially impor-
.ant in the WORT for which Ii it de !
,cribed, can rise even more quickly |
han aeroplane or Zeppelin. The
great points claimed for il are that,
unlike the aeropfane, it can stay oalt |
LII night and wait till daylight to !
pick a landing and, unlike the Yep
pelin, can plane down to safety In
Ease its gas bags are riddled.. Being
designed for defense, and having, |
therefore, no great fuel supply to
reckon with, 1t is able to run" to
guns and engines in both of which
It is very powerful. The crew. I
have heard estimated as running all
the way from half dozen to twen-
~, and it is, of course, by uo means
unlikely that the machine has been
built in different types and sizes.