Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-05-09
VAST DIRI|lIeIDLE
LINE: is PLANNED
Corporation Is Formed for the
Promotion Of Commercial Fly
ing in United States.
Big Men REHHD Project
First Line to Be Operated Will BE
From NeW York to ckicago-Air-
ships to PC of Modified Zeppelin
Typc-Use HeIium Gas.

WashingtOn.-The formation OF a
gigantic corporation for commercial
navigation Of the air in this country,
through the establishment Of regular
lines over which viii be operated huge
dirigble airships of the modified Yep
| peiin type, was announced by the Uni
ted States chamber Of commerce.
The corporation will be known as
| General Air Service, its inc0rporat0rs
and founders include some of the best
known men of the country. Definite
/. plans for the construction of huge
dirigibles in Germany have been
! formed, the whole dirigible situation
has been studied from an advanced
scientific point of view and, it is an
nounced, the corporation expects to
be able to place two large ships in
operation in this country in the sum-
mer of 1923.
Benedict CrOwell is one of the group
of financial men and engineers behind
the project, and he will be president
of the new corporation which was in
cOrporated under the laws of Mary
land on Feb. 81, 1922 Mr. Crowel
WAS formerly assistant secretary OF
war, was head of the American avia-
ton mission to Europe. and is prcsi-
Gent of the Aero Club of America.
Field Thoroughly Investigated.
Before going ahead with the incor-
porition Of the General Air Service,
which viii be the manufacturing and
operating company. the men Interested
In the project formed what was known
as the American Investigation corp0r-
alton, for the purpose of investigat-
Ing the practicability of the establish
mert of commercial air service with
large rigid airships in this and neigh
boring countries. In their inveStiga-
tions the representatives of the cor
pOration had the cooperation and as
Sistance of DR.. Johann Schuette of the
Schuette-Lanz Airship company of
Germany, and his corps of engineers,
also various engineers and associates
Of other airship authorities of Europe.
DR.. Schuette had been in America In
the spring of 1920, as had officials os
the Zeppelin company, and the infor-
nation gained from them was of ma
terial service in the first formal step
the organization of the American In
yestigatiOn corporation.
The first line the company hopes to
put into operation will be from New
York to Chicago, to be extended 10
Pacific coast cities as soon as addi-
tional ships can be built. The New
York. Chicago line will be opened, it
is announced, by two ships, each of
approximately 100000 cubic feet ca
pacity, these ships to be fabricated
in Germany and erected in the United
States. They are designed to provide
accommodations for 100 passengers
and 80 tons of mail and express mat
ter. 1t is announced to be the plan
to build larger ships for lines to South
America and Europe when the faciii-
ties for complete construction have
been gathered
DR.. Schuette is identified with the |
new II Id uCIlSlLCu W DC I
the plan to build the later ships III
this country, and virtually to transfer !
a large part of the experimenting |
business to the United States.
Plan to Use HeIium.
1t is not planned to use hydrogen !
gas, but helium, in these gigantic new
dirigibles which, it is asserted, will |
the latest notifications Of /
both the Zeppelin and Schuette pat
ents, both of which We're combined In j
the last Of the German dirigibles built |
during the war. 1t is also asserted i
that gasoline, another source of fire /
and explosion, will not be used, and
that that motive power will he fur
nished by Oil fuel
Commercial air transport in tine
United States" says the announce
ment, as in the doldrums, and appar-
emily will remain so until it is given
legal and economic status by federal or
at least by unified state action. Prop
arly developed, with present transport
tation systems, this new agency can
become a most valuable addition to
the nations specialized carrier capaci-
~ in peace as well as In war.
cat present nationwide regulative
legislation is greatly needed, not only
fer the ordinary needs Of public safe :,
". but also to establish the legal stat
is and responsibilities Of air trans
port in national and international busi-
ness. Canada. Australia and Euro
aean nations already have provided
such legislation. without practical
commercial aeronautics /
n America will continue to lag behind
,ereign development TO such an extent ,
Is to constitute menace to future
security and to delay fatally the es-
;entiaI commercial development IN
shicli America should rightly stand
irst."
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