The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-28
Correspondent Gives interesting
Description of Trip Over
Eternal City.
WONDERFUL SCENE UNFOLDS
Plan to Make Aerial Tours Of City an
Attractive Feature for Visitors
When Normal Conditions Re-
turn-Trip Is Marvellous
Experience.
BY LLOYD ALLEN.
Western Newspaper Union Staff Cor
respondent.


Copyright, 1919. by Western Newspaper Union.)
ROme.-When you make that long
promised European trip to see the
great battlefields Of France and Italy
and get TO Rome you will undoubtedly
AVE the opportunity Of inspecting the
Eternal City from the deck of n diri-
gible.
BY the time Europe has set its house
In order n has recovered sufficiently
from war to make tDurists comfortable
Rome will be featuring an aerial tour
OF the city which no one will care to
miss, even though the cost of the trip
may be something like $40.
Instead of numbering through the
streets In the old-time r%ubberneck wag-
ons. or in a taxi, you will be able to
lounge comfortably In well padded
seats Of an airship and see at fairly
close range the layout of Rome with
Its glOries Of ancient and modern archi-
lecture and at the same time feel per.
fectly safe, because q dirigible moves
along with even less vibration than a
Pullman sleeper or American parlor
car.
l have just landed from such an in
spectiOn OF Rome. Except for a few
moments un%easiness while the dirigi-
bic was leaving the ground the trip
was a marvellous experience and al.
most absolutely free from any anxious
moments. even though the big ship
sailed along 1000 feet In the air at
times. 1t was a war craft, built for
scout duty, and capable of carrying 80
persons and was nothing like the com
Portable passenger airships that are
o being planned and which will soon
be In actual operation not only In
Rome but in other European capitals
as well.
The big factories and the men who
designed these ships are now turning
their thoughts to the possibilities OF
passenger traffic and they know that
Americans are going to be some of
their best customers during the days
of enormous tourist traffic that are to
come, In Italy, as well as France and
England, 1t Is taken for granted that
the day Of air travel is here.
No Chance for Civilians Now.
Just now, of course, civilians find II
impossible to fly over Rome, or ven
visit Rome for that matter, unless
they have special business there. All
transportation facilities are being used
to demObiliZe sections of the armies
and there is general congestion of rail-
ways and hotels. But, this reconstruc.
ton period is not expected to last
many months.
AS guests of the Italian government
and armed with a special permit to fly,
our party Of American newspaper men,
eight I'm NUMBER, were taken up at mid
afternoon for q One-hOur flight in
which our ship did a ~fgure-eight
course owe Rome, flying directly above
the magnificent structure of st. Peters,
the Quirtnal palace, the Coliseum and
the newer monumental edifice in white
marble and gold that has been erected
to commemorate the creation of new
Italy, the vast edifice Of simple and
severe architecture Of the monument
to Victor Emmanuel III.
In automobiles we were rushed out
of Rome through the ancient city
walls, some Of which were built during
the days of the old Roman republic,
across the gardenlike campagna of
green fields and f1ocks of sheep to ar
immense airdrOme in the prairie land.
The whole Of the interior was one
vast room in which three d~irigibles
were mOOred safe from rain and storm.