Evening star., 1922-03-03
The Battle for the Air.

The collapse of the rigid ZR-2 and
the senli-rigid Roma, with the at
tendant loss of life in both cases,
causes the Boston Transcript to gen
eralize the potential danger inherent
in lighter-than-air- air-craft as First.
no thorough means Of control for
these giant airships has yet been de-
vised, and, second. the use Of highly
infiammable gas. hydrogen"
The proposed substitute for hydro
gen gas. the non-inflammable helium,
whose development. in the words of
the New York Tribune, was under
taken five years ago "at tremendous
expense and with much enthusiasm"
danger, but for the fact. as the Trib-
une adds. "the enthusiasm has never
waned, but the quantity Of helium
gas apparently has never waxed
Until the United States has suf-
ficient supply of helium gas. or some
other gas suitable for imitation of air.
ships" in the opinion of the Hartford
Times, good sense dictates that there
be no further experimenting In peace
times with this dangerous type OF ar
vessel" point upon which the Mil
waukee Sentinel says there Is no
room for controversy" The Indian
apolis Star thinks it probable that
not a life would have been lost had
the Roma been filled with helium in
stead Of hydrogen" and this simply
because congressman refused TO ap-
propriate enough money to continue
experiments looking toward the com
mercial production of helium." That
the 'lproblem is a scientific and not a
political one" is pointed out by the
Rochester Times-Union. land Con-
Not f1,n f{CfC ro6 or.
gineers solve it, instead of trying to
thwart the development of navigation
of the air." "In heSitating to develop
our helium resources the United States
is omitting the opportunity to make
itself supreme in the realm NJ Of p;atr ar
burgh Sun, and the Waterbury Re
publican hopes that "the Roma dis
aster will lead to greater efforts to
make an increased and cheaper pro-
to be solved in the field OF llghter-
than-air aviation"
Many papers are in sympathy with
the New York Herald when it says
that mingled with the horror Is an
overwhelming regret born OF. the
happened" ut would seem to be
not unreasonable criticism to say
that the Army should cease to ex-
pose its men to the perils Of infam-
mable gas when it is practicable to
obtain helium." says the Adrian
index-AppeaI points out that "our
Army aviators seem to monopoltze,
more or less, the accidents which
take place in navigating the air"
that 1.-The Navy rarely has an accident
of this kind" and that there has not
aviation either in this country or in
Europe in more than year" Struc-
t1tral deficiencies come in for their
share of condemnation Of the Brit
ish air ministry in their report on
ZR-2. and hopes the investigation OF
Of "scientific thoroughness,' and "un-
biased frankness." The ZR-2 failed.
the News goes on to say, because
she had been built toa stand still in
her hangar, not to buffet the winds
and sustain a'r the ase per or the ie
structure always to destroy?" in
ami. es the st. Louis Globe-Democrat,
and the Roanoke Times asks, as 1T
possible that the greatest mechanical
nation on earth cannot successfully
compete with the rest Of the world
in this field of aeronautics?" since
operate the large dirigibles."
Whether the dirigible is practical
or not comes in for misch discussion,
but the great majority of the papers
are unwilling to abandon the trial.
The Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph
states that athe Germans sent out
eighty-three of these huge craft. OF
which sixty-six were lost" and that
s.they proved of no decided mill
tary advantage and the Buffalo
Times believes the ."1oss of the Roma
will be re-conffrmation Of the wide
plane, not in the dirigibae, Is the true;
solution Of the problem Of artificial
flight" On the other hand. the
Cleveland Plain Dealer feels that the;
effort to achieve the conquest Of the
air must 60 on" but that every pos.
sihle safeguard should be maintained
that ffYeA shan nor hA s4ETtHcAd.