The sun., 1919-07-07
MAMMOTH DIRIGIBLE.
BUILT FOR BOMBING
British Had Intended to At
tack Berlin and Other
German Cities.
rs 643 FEET IN LENGTH
Has Lifting Power Of SO Tons
and Can Garry $751; CAL
Ions Of Gasoline.
rs 643 FEET IN LENGTH

The R-34, now q peace ship. originally
was designed to out-Zeppelin Germany's
zeppelins. The mission cut out for the
R-s4 and her sister airship. the R-2a
was TO fly low over German cities. drop
500 pound bombs and blow buildings and
populace to smithereens. Batteries for
eight guns on the upper structure pro-
vided the certain means of bringing fur
Their death and destruction.
The sudden termination of the war
put a stop to these death dealing
plans. Designs on Berlin and other Ger
man municipalities were forgotten. The
R-3l was converted into a peace ship
Then came the rumors that Germany
would refuse to accept the peace terms
and again the R-34 was placed on q
war basis. She started on 1000 mile
cruise over the Baltic and the German
coast region at O low altitude where al
observers could look up and do a pile
of thinking. She carried no bombs but
the Germans were tremendously I'm;
pressed with her possibilities. As soor
as 1t became a moral certainty tina,
the Germans would sign the treaty and
promise to behave themselves the crew
resumed preparations to come to Amer
lea and make US visit
Longer Than Most steamships.
The R-3t is bigger than anything else
that carries men and freight with the ex
ception of the biggest Of the big ocear
steamships. Her balloon is 64s feet lonG
from nose to stern. Her beam Is II feet
II placed on end she would stick Out
twenty-seven feet above the top of the
Singer Building. Her measurements are
very closely those of the steamship Adrt.
attic Of the White Star Line.
Suspended from the balloon are foul
gondolas. The distance from the bottom
of the lowest gondola to the top of ths
gigantic balloon Is seventy-nine feet The
gondola placed forward is for the cap
tain and the pilot Two wing sondola'
hang amidships under either side OF the
balloon. The fourth Is suspended aft.
The forward and amidship cars eacf
carry a Sunbeam Maori engine capable
of generating 275 horsepower. The AT
gondola Is equipped with two OF these
powerful engines. The total Of the foul
is 1000 horsepower.
The propellers Of the forward anc
wing cars measure I'm feet from tip t'
tip and the propellers of the aft gon
dola 1917 feet.
There are nineteen gas bags inside thu
outer rigid envelope, which is built o.
duralumin and covered with the usua
doped aviation fabric, painted a silver,
hue. Durslumin Is q patented aluminium
alloy discovered by one A Wilson, wht
hailed from Berlin. Germany.
Hydrogen Gas Employed.
The gas bags are Oiled with hydrogen
gas and furnish the lifting power. Th'
bags are partitioned SO as to allow spacs
for members OF the crew TO pass freely
throughout the interior of the envelope
The inside OF the envelope looks not un'
like the inside Of a collapsed circus tent
The gas bags form sloping shelter oVei
a narrow runway which extends the en-
tire length OF the ship.
This runway is reached by ladders
from the four gondolas. Abaft the wint
cars inside the envelope Is a messrooH
for the crew Cups, plates &C, hang OF
the wall. and everything Is as shipshap'
as a cooks galley.
The gondolas have comfortable accom-
modations for the members OF the crew
with sleeping quarters for half that mum
Der. Radiators on top OF the motors
supply the men with hot water and cleo
trio stoves guarantee hot meals.
The dirigible has 100000 cubic Zee
OF hydrogen gas imprisoned in her bal
loon and her eighty-one tanks can carr!
a total OF 5,751 gallons of gasolene 70
her five engines. The R-3fs lfting ca
pacity is SO tons. OF which 2lia tons 4
dischargeable weight, or weight which
can be disposed OF from the ship itself.
wireless Radius 500 Miles.
Tho wireless Is controlled from tn
Captains gondola- 1t is possible TO sem
messages 500 miles by the SGT and thu
the dirigible was in a position to &c
word to the shore at every point Of 1t
history making journey.
Because the greatest danger to sue
a craft is Are the most elaborate pre-
cautions were taken to prevent a blaz<
The dirigible Is bristling with FIRE ex
tinguishers in all parts. The crew eve
wear rubber shoes as a fire preventio
measure.
II Is estimated that II cost the Births
Government $4,000, 900 to build the RS
and her hangers and to train the cre'
10 operate the airship. All Britsher
are OF the opinion that it was worth tn
money.
Most folks VINO saw the great Births
airship tried to think OF something tina
Il most looked like and the majority az
narently were agreed that as II sale