The log cabin Democrat., 1921-03-22
PASSENGER AIR LINERS PROMISE
 TO LINK WORLD
Elan to Fly Giant Dirigibles From
 Lonton to America, Aus traIia and Africa.
SPEED 50 MILES AN HOUR
Graft, With 100 Passengers Aboard, Expected to Fly From England to California in Four Days comme "ciaI Arship Is Al.
 ready a Success.

iSo6J a SOSSSoos
 London.-PlanS are now under dis sussion here for linking up all parts af the world by passenger air routes, an which giant dirigibles, flying two miles above the surface at 60 miles an hour, will join London with North America, Australia India and South Africa. If these plans are carried out air liners 500 feet long, equipped with berths,' dining rooms, smoking rooms, libraries and observation plat forms, will speed from England to San Francisco in four days, stopping tu discharge passengers and mails at New York and Chicago. Each ship VIII carry 100 passengers, and the fare will be only 50 per cent more than present. steamship rates. Ships capa- Ole of this service are now in com mission, and trial passenger flight will be made to Egypt by a British government airship to determine the Feasibility of opening such passenger routes.
 1.-The commercial airship already las proved it's success" said Sir Ire vsr Dawson of Vickers, Limited, when asked whether he thought the plan practicable. Vickers. Limited. is now building airships for the Brit fsh government, and Sir Trevor is an axpert on the lighter -than-air craft.
 ~0ay of Passenger Liner Here."
 "The success of the R-84 showed the possibilities of transatlantic service" he continued. "It is now only a question of building more and larger ships and eQuipping suitable landing Aeads, sheds and mooring stations on both sides of the Atlantic. The air ships are speedy, safe chd reliable They can carry large carkoes, have a wide cruising range, and can ride out almost any weather.
 ''The day of the passenger air liner fs here, and if the task of organizing air routes Is undertaken by big finan- efal interests it should be possible to begin regular passenger service over Europe within six months with the ships and bases already in existence. The American service would require somewhat larger ships and landing stations In North America. But it could be in operation in less than three years. We need such service, and believe that it will come."
 The R-34 is the type of craft sug- gested for the proposed service, but the contemplated ships, although built on the R34 lines, would be much larger and have a far greater cruising radius. It is said that a rigid airship could be built that would be HOO feet long, carrying 136 tons of freight CT passengers, and having a maximum range of 13,250 miles, cruising radius.
 Maitland Supports Project
 Brig Gen. E. M. Maitland, who commanded the R-34 in the transat- iantle flight, is a believer in the plan for world air routes.
 AEven the existing airship of today enn be regarded as q reasonably safe public conveyance,' he says. "They already have proved themselves capa- ble of flying through practically any type of weather, and the larger air ships of the future, fitted with more powerful machinery, necessarily will be even safer. FOgs do not prove real menace to airships, as with the present methods of navigation it Is not necessary to see the ground in flying between bases It is true that at present the most violent forms of cleo tric storms are an undoubted danger to all forms of aircraft but at the most this danger appears 10 be less than the danger of rocky coasts and snaIlows to the seagoing ship.
 "Airships of this type of he R-3S, which is now being built at Bedford. or the German L-71, would De capable sF dying from England to Egypt, distance of 2,200 miles, without Il stop in two and one-half days These ships would carry about So passen- gers, with 100 pounds of baggage for each passenger, and about two tons Of mail and merchandise To put 1t another way, T. tons would be avail ehle for passengers, mails or mer- ehanGise
 Comfort In aerial travel is essen. rial If it is to have any extended flu ture, The advantage of speed is thrown away if the passenger is physically or nervously exhausted on landing, But ample accommodations can be provided for day and night vavel."
 sleepers Are Provided
 A proposed car has been designed by Beardmore, at Dalmuir, in which spe- eial attention has been given to the importance of giving each passenger q good view. The windows are so ar ranged that passengers can see both outward and vertically downward should they wish to do so. The passen- gers sit facing each other with a table between them, rather like a large Pull man car If they wish, they can ar.