New-York tribune., 1919-07-08

which the airship possesses for COM
nercial purposes are not, perhaps, al
v,ys appreciated" ne continued
sThere are many things that can be
dane to improve them for this purpose
Two Problems Suggested
~The development Of helium gas will
.aye one of the most serious problems
~ the lighter than air type of aircraft
Another problem to be solved is that
4 mooring the airship. This will be
sstempted by mooring towers, to which
lie nose of the airship can be fast
sned, in such manner that the re-
volying top of the tower will always
si,nw the nose of the ship to be
uo;nted into the wind. AS the ship is
stresmlined this will reduce the strain
while it is anchored.
"Present day airships, which in no
UNIV approach the limit Of size. have
a'disposable lift of thirty tons, when
enables them to embark on long
Afehts like that of tho R-34 without
The necessity of descending for re-
plenishment of fuel.
"The initial weight of the power
nlant is OF less consequence than in
the case of the aeroplaae. which rem.
ders efficient silencing possible. Al
the same time it simplifies design.
owing to the weights not having to Sc
cut down to such a ine point. There
Is no reason why airships should
not be fitted with engines as silent as
those of a motor car.
Noise Can Be Minimized
sleeping accommodation can. in
any case, be provided we'll away from
the power plant, and there is complete
absence of such noises as the singing
Of wires, which would detract fror,
the comfort of passengers in an aero
plane.
"An airship can remain in the air
however low the speed may be, so
the engines can ybe throttled down
when required, thus effecting consid-
erable economy in petrol consum ption;
while the fact that the engines need
not necessarily be run for long periods
Of time at full speed has obvious ad-
vantages from the design point OF
view.
"The power plant can be readily
split up into as many units as desired
There is no advantage in concentrat-
ing the weights of the engines. The
failure of the power plant does not
involve immediate descent. Running
repairs can easily be effected in
the air.
Even with landing grounds only ten
miles apart an aeroplane is compelled
to fly at minimum height of about
5000 feet, whereas an airship can
cruise with safety a few hundred feet
above the ground. This considerably
enhances the pleasure Of the passen-
gers by afford;ng them an opportunity
Of enjoying the scenery.
No Confusion in Fog
."The difficulty which an aeroplane
pilot has in judging the altitude of his
machine to the horizontal at night. or
in fog, mist, or cloud does not obtain
in an airship, which always remains on
an even keel.
"An airship can set out on long
flights over the sea or marshy and
wooded country without fearing en-
glne failure. At intermediate stopping
places it can come down to within a
few hundred feet of the ground and
moor to q grapnel Cor drogue if over
the sea- to replenish fuel, without act
ualy landing.
Similarly, an airship can fly at
night with complete safety, navigation
being carried out, by the ordinary naval
Instruments and observations Of the
stars made from steady platform
on the top surface"
General Maitland asserted that so
long as airships use an inflammable gas
like hydrogen, the smoking room built
on them would have to be completely
freproof