Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1919-03-20

ZNSf
built for the allies The impression got about
that lighter than air ships We're failures, because
the Zeppelins failed in their raids. There is no
doubt on this subject in the British air Ministry.
There it is known positively that the era Oh the
drigibe is just beginning.
An immense amount of antisubmarlne patror
ing and convoy escorting was done by dirslples
during the last year of the war chain VI
airship stations was maintained right around the
coast of England, from Mullion in Cornwan
around Scotland to Pembroke. large number
of hostile submarines were either put out OF ac-
ton or actually destroyed by bombing. Other
subs were located by the air men. and the IN
formation passed along to the destroyers that
knew well enough how to handle the under-sea
murderers.
1t was in convoy escorting that airships showed
their special advantages over airplanes The
airship with It's big bag Of gas to keep 1t up.
could go very slowly, keeping an even pace with
the transports below loaded with American sol
diers 1t could stay at any given height while
its lookouts searched the sea for mines and subs.
Can Cross Atlantic in Fifty Hours.
During the war one British airshp made
cruise lasting so hours and 55 minutes, and since
the armistice this record has been beaten by a
trip of 81 hours. With such reliable data as this
to work on the air experts figure that crossing
the Atlantic is going to be a fairly easy job,
since there are in existence today dirigibles that
would mean something like 40 or so hours con-
tinuous flying to reach New York.
A. nresent the British builders are specializing
IN two big lighter-than-air types. The first is of
ahout the same size as the largest Zeppelin,
while the second type, the one that will have
2OOOOmile cruising range. is four times large
as the largest Zeppelin ever built.
Imagine an airship with gas bag LOO feet
long longer than the Mauretnnia and higher
than the Woolworth building were the diriRible
SET ON end Inside this bag 100000 cubic feet
of gas will be carried. capable of lifting 200 tons
OF freight and passengers in addition to the
weight Of the operating machinery. Plans for
the craft make provision for saloons, drawing
rooms. smoking rooms. and a "roof GARDEN
which may be reached by an elevator The es.
timated speed is 95 miles an hour
| When the German Zeppelin L 70 was built
II was predicted that she would be the largest
OF her kind yet the British Goliath of the
| air has quadrupied the capacity OF the German
4 production.
| AS compared to the ''ten million" ship the
other British type is somewhat OF an infant since
she can carry but so tons of luggage and mas.
sengers and can travel only 5000 odd miles
/ without descending for a fresh supply of saso-
| line and oil.
Best for Long Distance Flights.
With these possibilities in aerial travel virtually
| realized 1t is conceded here that the dirigible
must take first place l0ng-dlstance pas
senger carrier Heavier than air machines will
be built in considerable numbers, and will come
into very large use, but In all probability they
! will be utilized mainly for flights that aggregate
into the hundreds of miles rather than into the
| thousands. The airplane's special advantages will
be made use of where certain routes are to be