The sun., 1919-01-11
DIRIGIBLE SEEN
ASCARRIER IN
OCEAN TRAVEL
Gen. Squier Says Use of
Helium Will Make Aerial
Flight Commonplace.
r. S. filters SHOW RECORD
Institute Of Electrical Engi.
neers Learns Of Progress Of
Aircraft Industry.

Safe voyaging through the air across
IN. ocean and across the continent will
non be commonplace event. is the pre-
tlct,on made last night by Major-Gen.
George o. Squier. Chief Signal Officer Of
tina army. The vehicle for which he
,isloned these Journeys Is not the air
tlane hut the dirigible balloon. He said
mat new era for the dirigible had been
ppened by "one OF the greatest scientific
achievements OF the war"--the produc-
ton Of helium gas in balloon quantities.
Heum was discovered in the suns
atmosphere through a line in the solar
s,ectrum before its presence on the earth
Or any Of its properties were known. 1t
Is a disintegration product OF radium.
Until two years ago pot more than 100
cubic feet had been obtained and the
rice was about S1,700 a foot. On the
/ day the armistice was signed the United
states had ready $4,000 cubic feet, and
plants we're under construction TO give
q, least 10000 cubic feet a day at an
estimated cost Of not more than 10 cents
| 0 foot Helium has about 80 per cent.
| q the budyant effect of pure hydrogen.
Best of all. it is not inflammable.
This and many other facts about which
the public did not know while the war
vas on were divulged by Gen. Squier last
sht in an address on "Aeronautics in
| he United States. 1915" read before the
American Institute Of Electrical En-
fnecrs, IS West Thirty-ninth street
Few Training Casualties.
Contrary to general superstition" he
aid. our training casualties were as
III NlNA ant n
htalities being lower than in any OF the
sllied countries, the monthly average in
the United States being one death for
each 5000 hours in the air. When we
entered the war not more than per
cent OF aviation losses in the Allies
active service had been caused by the
enemy. Eight ;>cr cent. was due to
mechanicsi shortcomings in the engine.
end 30 pc cent. to trouble with the f'ier
himself Within the last few months
America developed apparatus whereby
Students acquire flying experience and
training without leaving the ground. 1t
IS known as the Ruggles Orientator.
"As we look back on the record Of ac-
comnlishment in the problem Of obtain
Ing large numbers OF high powered
aviation engines for our army and navy
air service, both In this country and
abroad II seems to those OF us who were
N close contact with the work and the
difficulties more like a fairy tale than
the statement OF hard facts which Is a
reality. The Liberty engine stands to-
day as an achievement which for daring.
constructive imagination and farsighted-
less, will ever be a cause OF pride to the
American people.
THE present war has made aviation
IN four years what it would have taken
two decades at least to accomplish in
4 time OF peace and has multiplied the
] reach and capabilities of the physical
military unit to an extent which Is only
Tow in the beginning. May we not Ter
ven.ly hope that the further develop
,nent Of aerial navigation will place in
our hands such potential destructive
rowers as to go a long way toward
making war again imposs!ble?
Gen. Squier said more than 100000
iren and women were engaged IN air
craft production at the end OF the war
and told OF the development Of the
worlds largest seaplane carrying fifty
one persons from Hampton. Va, TO
Hockaway Beach, and of more than
5000 Liberty motors manufactured in
Ials And he reminded his hearers that
ten Years ago, when he talked on the
fame platform about military aeronautics
the Signal Corps had just advertised foi
The Arst heavier than air flying machine
for military purposes, which. he SAID
was produced by the Wright brothers:
Gen. Squier reported that more thar
$500 fiiers had been trained in the
United States since America entered the
war and that these students had made
fights OF more than $4,000 hours, OF
more than 100000 miles. He sale
hat on November II there had been de
yeloped. tested and adopted by the arm!
four a.rp,anes on which production
would have started early in the calenda
year. These were the Lepere, or l.. U
s A, Gil. equipped with a Liberty en-
gtne the U. s. De Haviland "a. VIII
the Liberty engine the Martin bomber
with two Liberty engines, and the Loen
ing two seated fighter. with the ~
horse power Hispano-Suiza engine.
o. the naval seaplane NC-1. which ha
a wing span Of 1875 feet. weighs 1900
pounds loaded and $4,000 pounds empt'
and Is driven by three Liberties, Gen
SQuier said: This is the largest sea
plane in the world at the moment and
an American product throughout
Cotton in Great Demand.
Among the achievements OF first I'm
Tftanoe he ranked the development o
4 cotton substitute for the linen fabri
covering, and It's manufacture sufiicien
10 meet the needs of both America an
the Allies at cost slightly more tina
one half that OF linen. He also referre
i 10 the planting Of 1Os, 900 acres OF caste
beans In this country to meet the dc
fnand for a high grade lubricating oil.
| The first experiments looking 10 IN
large scale separation Of helium fror
certain natural gases in Canada, con
nin!ng about one third OF l per cent g
T. were undertaken In the Universit
OF Toronto at the request OF the Brtis
Admiralty. The United States Burea
u Mines. learning OF the problem froI
British confidential memorandum, pei
II suaded the Signal Corps and the Burea
H o. Steam Engineering OF the Navy
approve and finance Jointly an exper
II mental programme on large scale.
The results mentioned were due
sad Cen. Squier, partly to the UNUSUAL
III r"h resources in this country, partly
III III sklll OF two commercial compani'
whose services were enlisted, to the Ell
thus.asm of the Bureau of Mines sta
an OF Mr.. Carter of the navy, who Il