Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-02-06
AIR PASSENGER
SERVICE PLANNED
New York Chicago Dirigible
Coaches Perhaps-Ticket
One Way $500

One Way $500
New York, Feb 2.-The Manufacturers
Aircraft association announced yesterday
that one of its members was investigat-
Ing the feasibility of establishing passen-
ger service by dirlgible between this city
and Chicago. j. NJ. McElroy. chief engi-
neer Of the Sturtevant Airplane company
Of Boston and Noble Foss. son of ex-
Governor Foss of Massachusetts, esti-
mate that a service with four airships
can be established at an initial cost of
about s., ,OO0
Preliminary plans for the aircraft to be
used include carrying capacity for 25 pas
sengers and ten members of the crew,
and 1t Is pointed out in the announcement
that development of this type of airship
is entirely feasible inasmuch as dirigibles,
as well as airplanes, have carried more
persons than is proposed. Their first esti-
mate Is that 1t would cost about s. cents a
mile to carry each passenger. and that the
fare probably would be more than $500 to
Chicago. Their estimate follows closely
the figures of the report of the civil aerial
transport committee of Great Britain and
other organizations that have made in
vestigations.
THE ships would be of the Zeppelin
type. rigid housing, and multiple compart-
ment structure" says the announcement.
"Helium gas would be used, thus remov-
Ing the danger Of inf1ammability that now
exists with the use Of hydrogen. Recent
figures give cost Of 10 cents per cubic
foot, which would amount to $4,000 for
the initial imitation of 10000 cubic foot
! op;< .I,;r 4, t.
said to be less than that Of hydrogen. and
| there are at least two plants in this coun-
try built especially for the production OF
this gas which would insure an adequate
supply.
Cabin Accommodations, under the plans,
would be in the interior Of the housing
structure and in the center of the ship.
| connected to the top Of the structure,
| which would be in a housed-in observation
| deck, by a spiral tubular staircase. The
cars would be swung out from the hull
| to give clearance for the propellors.
This ship would be approximately 425
| feet long and As feet in diameter. Its
engines would total 1.20O horsepower. The
bag would have 1000 cubic feet capacity
| providing n gross lift of 20 tons at sea
level. which would means approximately
10 tons useful lift. 1t would be capable
Of flying 70 miles an hour and a trip to
Chicago could be made comfortably ir
| less than II hours.
! The power plant would consist Of twir
engines, side by side, driving through
gears central stub shaft mounting 8
variable pitch air screw. This arrange
ment would centralize the power ant
allow operation OF one or both motors il
the car to meet conditions OF adverse OIL
On NIA I'D, IL l..
The engines would be heavier constructed
than the typical airplane motor. with tn,
reliability and endurance of the automo
bile type. Gasoline and oil tanks would
be located along the keel and fuel fed t,
the engines through an automatic pres
sure system that would insure even los
in tanks, so as not to affect the balance
Of the ship
Mr.. McElroy believes that the creates
difficulty to be overcome in handlin,
these afr liners will be in landing them
but he asserts that the problem can b.
solved. Passengers could be lowered IL
a cage, he thinks. or heavy windlasse
could ease the craft into dock. Anothe
, suggestion Is that a dock floating In tn
air be devised 80 that the changes o. tn
, wind would not hamper a landing Thi
dock would be anchored only at one end
. AS proof of their ideas that the use O
, the type Of airships is feasible, the pro
, motors point to the successful fight O
German ship to East Africa, a journe
OF more than 1000 miles. without repro
visioning. The last successful flight cite
is that Of the United States navy dirigibl
C-1 from Long Island to Key West Fror
: this preliminary type larger ships TO
oceanic flights probably could be devel
oped. the announcement says. in pontin
. out that It IL more desirable to carry GU
the preliminary experiments over land.