New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-02
Zeppelin Type Ships Pro-
posed to Carry Is; Fares,
$500; Trips, II Hours
Speed Would Be 20 Miles
]. Nj. McElroy Works Out
Details; Suggests Lower
ing Cages for Landings

nautical engineers The corporation
with which this man is associated has
made public complete plans for the
construction and operation of dirigi-
bIes carrying a passenger list of at
least twenty-five, with a crew of ten.
4 Announcement is made through the
Manufacturers Aircraft Association,
which is TO hold its annual aeronauti-
raj exposition at Madison Square Gar
den and the 69th Regiment Armory
March to To- IN cooperation with the
War and Navy departments.
J. NJ. McElroy, chief engineer of the
Sturtevant Aeroplane Company, of
Boston, collaborating with Noble Foss.
one of the officials of that corporation
and son of former Governor Foss of
Massachusetts, has worked out a plan
for the operation of the New York
Chicago line on an original investment
of S5,000,000. This amount would be
necessary to organize company with
four airships and two main terminals
Would Be Zeppelin Type
The ships would be the Zeppelin
type, rigid housing, and multiple com
partment structure. Helium gas would
be used. thus removing the danger of in
fammabiity, says Mr. McElroy Recent
figures give cost of 10 cents per cubic
foot, which would amount to $4,000
for the initial imitation of a 100000
cubic foot capacity ship. The loss due
to leakage is said to be less than that
Of hydrogen. There are at least two
plants IN this country built for the
production OF this gas.
Cabin accommodations" says Mr.
McElroy. would be in the interior of
the housing structure and in the cen
ire of the ship, connected to the top
of the structure a housed-n obseva-
non deck by means of a spiral tubu-
lar staircasing. The cars would be
swung from out the hull to give suffi-
Gent clearance for the propellors."
The fact that one of the large air
plane and motor manufacturers has
turned its attention to dirigibles as
we'll as heavier-than- flying ma
chimes lends increased interest to the
recent successful flight of the navy
dlriigible CT from Rockaway TO Key
West and to- the report of the British
Air Ministry, Lord Weir and the
British Parliamentary Committee on
civil Aerial Transports. The English
authorities while urging the develop
ment of the airplane as the quickest
means of transportation. believe that
the day is not distant when both bal
'oons and planes will literally fill the
air, each type going about the bust
Hness to which it is best suited.
One-way Fare to Chicago, $500
The distance is about 500 miles.
The cost per mile, roughly speaking"
says Mr.. McElroy, would approach
90 cents per passenger. There is no
doubt that, after the line is run for
some time, it would be possible to
cut down the rate considerably" AT
So cents a mile the one-way fare to
Chicago would be $500. This is about
the ratio arrived at by the English
engineers in computing the cost pen
=. mile of dirigible flight, whether oven
, land or sea-
. The proposed airship would be ap-
, proximately 425 feet long and forty
. i've feet in diameter. It's engines
, would total 1900 horsepower. The
bag would have $4,000 cubic foot ca
pacity, providing a gross lift of twenty
tons at sea level, which would near
( approximately ten tons useful lift
: The ship" said Mr. McElroy, would
be capable of flying seventy miles pei
hour, and a trip to Chicago could be
made comfortably in less than twelve
hours
The power plant would consist Of
twin engines, side by side. driving
through gears a central stub shaft
mounting d variable pitch air screw
3 This arrangement would centraiize the
power and allow operation of one OF
both motors in the car to meet CON
ditions Of adverse or favorable winds
Or fo- Ion do Lo
would be heavier constructed than the
typical airplane motor, with the relia-
ellity and endurance of the automobile
type.
Gasolene and oil tanks would be
located along the keel aud fuel fed to
tae engines through an automatic
pressure system that would insure even
loss IN tanks, 50 as not to affect the
Daianhe Of the ship.
Dir. McElroy has worked out some
new details. such as the following
Balance and altitude could be adjusted
~ expansion or compression Of the
gas. self-contained electrically OPP
Grated pump in connection with stor-
age tubes would exhaust the gas from
the bags compress and pass same over
70 the storage tubes. When increased
5eight ~ desired the gas would be al
lowed TO expand back into the bags. In
me same way, by regulating the
amount Of gas in the different com
partments, the ship could be easily
trimmed.
"Of course, il would be necessary to
carry water ballast, but in much
smaller quantity than is now carried
on The present wartime Zeppelin, and
~ would be used almost entirely for
obtaining altitude.
he crew would consist of captain,
navigator, chief and two assistant en-
ginecrs, wireless operator, steward,
fkk1 and Il maid, who would also be a
Hsjtress"
ar- Destroys plan calls for a mag
aiacent observatory on the top Of the
great gas bag.
Dir. McEiroy faces squarcly the prob
lsm Of safe landing, and he proposes
some unique plans for the new line. He
continues:
The main objection to the lighter
shzn-air craft is the danger in landing.
IN way, this resembles the marine
problem. Ships. even to-day, have TO
EEK refuge in protected harbor.
Where natural projections are not
ayxilable, artificial breakwatcrs are
8eotstrneted. II is reasonable to believe
EnsS hivh-walIed landing zones could
9ns located or natural depressions in
fps earth could be enlarged 10 offer a
pseak~air 70 permit the air liner to
SINE down safely.
Again, modern liner must be con-
EYED and warDed 70 dock with the use