Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-29
BY ROBERT WELLES RICHIE.
Universal Service Staff Correspondent

| Were the R-33 to settle down OF
Broadway the great skyflyer woul'
Fmore than fill the street and stretcI
| for three blocks. Her length is 81
feet and at her greatest diameter tn
huge girth of the rigid gas bag'@f
~ feet. -Four. gondolas, one for
ward and one aft in line and twt
abreast amidships, swing under tn,
gas bag and five engines capable o
developing $50 horsepower drive thu
huge craft at maximum speed o
| 20 miles an hour.
"The amidships engines in tn,
twin power cars were already run
ming at low speed when l clamberec
into the control gondola under tn.
bow of the aifship," Capt. Rusf
Brooke began the story Of his ex
periences. Then Major Thomas
the commander, signalled to the
ground officer that all were aboarc
and ready.
4 Airship Leaves Ground.
AT the blast OF bugle all hand.
let go and the vessel rose slowly
from the ground. Imperceptibly the
men on the ground grew smaller
and shorter. The sudden clang of q
bell twice repeated aroused me from
the first awed sensation of flight
and almost Immediately muffled
drone behind me announced the
starting of the engine in the com.
partment adjoining the control cab.
in in which | stood.
Looking out from one of the
windows along the vast fsh-forn
hull of the ship saw cascade oil
water ballast pour out from an aper.
ture in the keel, followed in a
moment by another towards the
stern
"Wc were now we'll clear of the
ground and rapidly climbing with
uptilted bows. The airship was re.
markedly steady, however, and but
for the diminishing size of objects
on the ground passing slowly a
thousand. feet below, one was
scarcely conscious of motion.
my surroundings now claimed
attention. The helmsman and height
coXswain at the rudder and the ele-
vator wheels were intent on their
duties. GO.
"As occasion permitted, the cap.
tain explained to me the uses oil
each of the numerous clocks ant
control boards; the bubble state.
scope, which is sensitive to the
slightest rise or fall; the aneroid
height recorder, gas thermometer
gas valve controls, the controls fol
the water ballast, discharge and
trail rope release. The engine
room telegraphs were operated by
turning, all indicator handle on a
dial marked with the necessary
commands, one communicating
with each engine. In addition the
captain could talk either by tele-
phone or voice pipe to every sta.
ton of the crew of the ship.
Sixty Miles an Hour.
"The air speed indicator, to my
surprise, was registering 81 knots
90 miles per hour. One has no SEN
sation of speed in these huge yes
sells. We. were travelling at consid-
erably more than the velocity of an
express train without the slightest
sense of speed and none of the
clamorous shrek of engines and
wires that is so noticeable when
flying in an aeroplane.
Presently the captain invited
me to take walk through the cor
ridor in the hull of the ship to the
rearward engine cars. The keel cor
ridor is like a tunnel with he Sec
tional shape of an inverted V, the
gas bags when full reaching down
on either side.
Walking down the center gang
way one passes long row of petrol
tanks and water ballast bags on
either hand. Som" of these petrol
tanks are suspended from quick re-
lease hooks so that on pulling lever
they can, if necessary, be jettisoned
as ballast
Further along down the corridor
we came to the quarters for the
crew while off duty. No doubt the
hunks are appreciated on a long
fight. My guide informed me the
ship could cruise for 100 hours if
necessary.
The warmth of the rear power
gondola was very welcome. 1t was
little more than a duralimin shell
surrounding the two big engines and
gearing which drove the 20-foot pro-
peller at the after end w
I'VE were now approaching the
coast, through clouds of mist Oc-
casional glimpses of the sea on one
hand with tiny ships leaving long
pencils of white wake on the water,
and on the other hand the FROST
bound country, the clumps of trees
and buildings standing out as black
spots on the general whiteness."