Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-23
ANOTHER DIRIG1BLE DISASTER.

The wreck of the giant dirigible Roma adds
another to- the long list of disasters which have at
tended the progress of development of air naviga-
ton. In spite of all the assurances to the contrary
there exists in, the public mind the thought that the
navigation of the air is yet very far from being an
exact science, an impression which seems to be more
thoroughly warranted by the facts. In the case Of
the dirigible there are many facts leading to. the
conclusion, not merely that methods of construction
and use have not yet been developed sufficiently to
avoid the risks which must be expected in the per-
lection of any important instrument, but that the
development of this particular agency to a point of
reasonable safety. is SO exceedingly improbable and
so nearly impossible as to prohibit further effort
along this line except, perhaps, for war purposes,
where the element of risk becomes a secondary mat
ter,
1t is true that some. of these giant balloons are
now in regular service, and have been in regular SER
vice for some time, without having suffered import
ant accident. That does not alter the fact that a
distressingly large proportion of the d%irigibles
launched have come to grief. The two great ships
purchased for the United States army have both
been wrecked within a few months, both with large
loss of life. Other airships, one after another, have
been lost. Some have suffered because of structural
weakness, some from one cause and some from an
other, but the fatalities have been too many to in
spirc any feeling of confidence in this method of
travel.
AS a result Of the inquiry which has been start
cd it may be found that there was a defectlin the
construction of the Roma's rudders. 1t has been
ascertained that the construction of the British
built ship, the ZR-2, which exploded a few months
ago while on a trial trip, was due to a defect in the
framework. Always these things are due to some
defect somewhere. The trouble is that it is impos-
sible to build such a giant structure suitable for nav
igating the air without enormous risk of having
something fatally wrong.
Because the airship must be supported by the
air it must be of very light construction. The factor
of safety which is observed in most other %construc-
ton is reduced almost to nothing in the case of the
.airship. The thing must be made just as light as it
can be made and still hold together. That means
that a slight defect anywhere is likely to result in a
smash. In addition to its risk of defects in material,
design and workmanship, the %dirigible, being of
enormous Size and little weight, is utterly unman-
'ageable in squally weather either in starting or
alighting. Added to these facts we have the enor-
nous cost of construction, the great cost Of hous-
ing, and the need for a small army of men to handle
the machine when entering or leaving its hangar.
1t may be that these giant machines have their
utility in war, and that they are needed for purposes
of defense. II so we must keep on building them.
But we must do so in the expectation that they will
keep on being wrecked. r