The log cabin Democrat., 1921-03-22

and air will be admitted at the forward
 end of the car, where it will be warmed 1 over radiators.
 "One Is struck by the absence of
 noise or vibration in a large airship, and the absence of smoke or dirt is a great asset. The complete absence of seasickness Is also an important con- sideration."
 Craft of the type described by Brig l adler General Maitland already have 1 been used in Germany on short pas senger routes. The German Air Travel company, formed In 1910 and financed and managed by the Hamburg Amerika 1 Steamship line, ran regular passenger excursions and town to town services ! from 1910 to 1914. During this period i these airShips made 500 flights, carry i ing 1S,0OO passengers without a single mishap involving personal injury. One of the airships, the Vittoria Louise, made 200 trips In 250 consecutive days
 The company was able to make profit, although the passenger rates were reasonable. Since the armistiCe, despite the unsettled conditions in Germany, airships have been built for a special mail and passenger service between Berlin. Munich and Switzer- land. The first of these ships the Bo- densee, ran regularly from June to October last year, carrying 30 passen- gers a trip. It is said that the Zep- pelin company is now negotiating with Amprip1n fn1 a jzo tion of an air service from Spain to the United States and South Amer ica, and Is designing giant ships with speed of so miles an hour for this run. The ships will carry 100 passengers and their baggage, as well as six or seven tons of mail. Valuable War Reserve Force.
 The knowledge of handling the light er-than-air craft greatly increased during the war. The ships were used under all weather and atmospheric conditions and did valuable service as escort and convoy craft and also in combat against submarines. Small rigids were used to locate and pursue the submarines and were able to detect a U-boat far below the sur face. The new ships. in addition to their duties as passenger vessels, can easily be converted to purposes of war and will thus form valuable air re- serve force.
 One of the developments recently made in alrship landing stations is the mOoring mast, which enables the air 1 ship to come to the ground and be moored even during bad weather. The | mast Is tall structure, with swivel mooring device at the top, from which the airship swings.
 Plans are now being prepared for a mooring tower especially arranged for use with passen2ercarrying airships. The revolving head of the mast will be provided with a powerful winch for hauling in and shock absorbing buffer will enable the ship to be coupled up without difficulty even in winds up to 50 miles an hour. Within the mast there will be passenger elevator by which the passengers will ascend to an upper platform where they will cross gangway and enter the ship. Pipe lines to carry hydrogen, gaso- line and water to the ship also will be run up the mast, and the vessel can thus refuel at her moOrings.
 Inventions Increase Safety.
 Many war discoveries aid In increas- ing the safety of airship travel The wireless direction finder makes it pos slble for the ship to find her location ar all times and so navigate success fully in fogs. The increasing range and sources of information of the meteorological service aids in giving weather forecasts that will warn air craft of approaching storms, which can be avoided by q change of course.
 Laboratory investigations are now being made of the nature of the parti- cleS of moisture that forms fogs, and 1t is hoped that some way will be found of dispersing fog, so that local clear area may be maintained about the landing places. All landing places are marked with brilliant electric bea- cons and lighthouses are being erected to guide night flying ships along aerial routes.
 AirshipS are even now safe form of travel. When rain, high winds or electric storms approach they can seek the higher air levels and so avoid dan ger. The risks from fire have been reduced to minimum, and the dan ger of engine trouble, ever present in the airplane, Is nullified by the fact that repairs always can be made with out descending. Rigid airships never have less than four engines, and it is improbable that all engines will break down 1t one time. Even if half the engines broke down th4 ship could travel at four-hfths of her normal speed.
 Public Demands Speed.
 The airship has the advantage over both the airplane and the steamship as passenger craft. The airplane can only travel 300 miles without stopping