Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1919-05-21
BY LLOYD ALLEN.
Western Newspaper Union staff Cor
respondent.

respondent.
Copyright, 1919. by Western Newspaper Uniou.)
Rome.-When you make that long
promised European trip to see the
great battlefields Of France and Italy
and get to Rome you will undoubtedly
have the opportunity of inspecting the
Eternal City from the deck of a diri-
gible.
BY the time Europe has set Its house
In order and has recovered sufficiently
from war to make tourists comfortable
Rome will be featuring an aerial tour
OF the city which no one will care to
miss, even though the cost of the trip
may be something like $40.
Instead of numbering through the
streets in the old-time rubberneck wag-
ons, or In taxi. you will be able to
lounge comfortably In well padded
seats Of an alrship and see at fairly
close range the layout of Rome with
Its glories Of ancient and modern archi-
lecture and at the same time feel per.
fectly safe, because a dIrigible moves
along with even less vibration than a
Pullman sleeper or American parlor
car. fHt
! have Just landed from such an In.
specfion Of Rome. Except for few
moments uneasiness while the itrigi.
bic was leaving The ground the trip
was a marvellous experience and al
most absolutely free from any anxious
moments, even though the big ship
sailed along 2.000 feet In the air at
times. Ii was war craft, built for
scout duty, and capable of carrying 80
persons and was nothing like the COM
Portable passenger airshlps that are
now being planned and which will soon
be In actual operation not only In
Rome but In other European capitals
ms well.
The big factories and the men who
designed these ships are now turning
their thoughts to the possibilities of
passenger traffic and they know that
Americans are going to be some of
their best customers during the days
Of enormous tourist traffic that are to
come. In Italy, as well as France and
England. IL Is taken for granted that
the day Of air travel is here
No Chance for Civilians Now.
Just now, of course, civilians find 1t
impossible to fly over Rome, or even
visit Rome for that matter. unless
they have special business there. All
transportation facilities are being used
To demobllZe sections Of the armies
and there Is general congestion of rail-
ways and hotels. But this reconstruc-
ton period Is not expected to last
many months.
AS guests of the italian government
and armed with special permit to fly.
our party of American newspaper men,
eight tn num0er, were taken up at mid
afternoon for one-hour flight In
which our ship did figure-elght
course over Rome. flying directly above
the magnificent structure of St. Peters,
the Quirinal palace, the Coliseum and
the newer monumental edlfice In white
marble and gold that has been erected
to commemorate the creation of new
Italy, the vast edlfice df simple and
severe architecture of the monument
TO Victor Emmanuel ii.
In automobiles we were rushed out
of Rome through the ancient city
walls. some of which were built during
the days OF the old Roman republic,
across the gardenlike campagna of
green fields and fiocks of sheep to an
immense airdrome in the prairie land.
The whole of the interior was one
vast room In which three dlrigibles
were moored safe from rain and storm.
BY means of portable staircase on
wheels we climbed into the swinging
basket of the dirigible and took places
where we could find them around the
three gasoline engines, 12-cylinder
Flats, each attached to a separate pro-
peller.
Carries Crew Of Seven.
Leather coats lined with sheepskin
were distributed, although the weather
on the ground was springlike. Seven
Italian army men composed the crew
Of the ship. The officers used mega
phones at times to shout orders to the
crew and to communicate with the
small army of soldiers that held the
guide ropes on the ground.
Once the party was aboard the diri-