The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1921-03-11
Inventions Increase Safety.

Many war discoveries aid in increas-
ing the safety of airship travel. The
wireless direction finder makes 1t pos !
sible 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 change of course.
Laboratory Investigations are now
being made of the nature of the parti-
Giles of moisture that forms fogs, and
it is hoped that some way will be
found of dispensing fog, so that local
clear area may be maintained abort
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 dam
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
our descending. Rigid airships never
have less than four engines and it Is
improbable that all engines will break
! down at one time. Even If half the
! engines broke down the ship could
travel at four-fifths of her normal
speed.
Public Demands Speed.
The airship has the advantage over
both the airplane and the steamship as
a passenger craft. The airplane can
only travel 800 miles without stopping
at base for fuel and is thus imprac-
ticable for long distance routes. 1t is,
furthermore, Of limited carrying ca
pacity, and the disagreeable features
of noise and vibration cannot be done
away with. The great rigid, moving
steadily day and night and hav-
ing cruising radius of 1000 to
5000 miles, makes far better passen-
ger ship. 1t has been suggested that
airplane routes could be used as feed
ers to the airship lines, small airplanes
!; whence they could embark on the air
| ships of transoceanic and transconti
mental lines.
, When the lines are established the
, steamships also will find them seriou.
competitors. The airship is infinitely
quicker and does not have the pitcl
, and toss that makes steamer trave
5 unpleasant. The demand for grea
!, liners that cut down the time spent il
, transatlantic travel shows that Their,
r is large class of travellers who wan
E and will pay for speed. These peopi
: will be the clientele of the transatlan
: tic airship.
0 The shipment of valuables, bonds
! stocks and bullion on the speedy al
) liners will save the money lost in inter
b est, and urgent mails should be shippe
i in this way. Even at an &C
O vanced postage rate letter Of thor
; sands of words could be speedily trans
h mitted in this way at the cost Of on
n word of a cabled message.
o Advantages Over Steamship.
II The advantages of the airship owe
the steamship and also the relativ
cost of travel are shown in the follow
; ing table compiled by Brigadier Gel
:, eral Maitland:
~ Time of
transit Cost 2, T%s c1s
Is Egypt -. az g., go - isss-
IL Australia .1oa $50 IS isl
i'd Speed, safety, and a new and thri
lie ing form Of travel will be thus col
r bined at cost that, in view of the sa
to ing Of time, is relatively little great
In than the present steamship rate.
ar "The continental air routes will con
e. first" says Sir Trevor Dawso
but the most important part of a
ly travel will be that between Europe al
he North America. They are the ty
IT. great continents, the continents tn
be have between them steady flow
he passenger travel. Air travel mu
rel come, cutting down the time distan
oh between countries, and thus strengt
ening the ties of business, trade al
a international understanding. | a
or looking forward to the time when {
ps liners will bring London within t.
do We Of nrto se, k<~I,