Evening star., 1923-03-04

healthful than any kind of road. rail
or water transportation.
A study of the tables OF character
istics of few representative types
will give some idea of the possibili-
ties of the airships already construct
ed by the different nations. 1t is be-
lieved that the future will see air
ships with useful lift of 100000
pounds.
There is no limit to the kind of
supplies that could be transported to-
ward the front by airships moving
forward under cover Of darkness.
With large airships, replacement of
personnel or, in an emergency. even
tactical units could be so moved. and
on the return trips salvage material
or wounded could be carried back to
depots or hospitals.
1t is believed that if they shall not
have been previously used. a war of
any magnitude or length. in the flu
ture. will be sure TO develop hospital
airships.
Z x i; i
i considerable study TO the possi-
Utilities of airships as airplane car
riers. and it is believed that the
future will see the development and
successful operation of such craft. 1t
is expected that air planes Will be
able to take off from and land on the
mother airship, in which they will be
housed and repaired.
When it is known that prior to the
commencement of the world war in
1914 German Zeppelins and CONNER
cial airships carried total of 34,22S
passengers in 1883 flights average
about 30 per fiighD, covering 1Ot.lsO
miles in 3.167 hours (average approx
imately 81 miles per hour), using h!-
drogen. without any casualties. it is
hard 10 understand the backwardness
al ng this line of the ordinarily
progressive American public. This is
particularly the case when it is real
ized that the United States has al
most a monopoly of helium-that non
infiammable gas so invaluable to arr
ship operations.
1t is understood that. before the
armistice, Germany had planned or
started to build airships which could
be used for the bombing Of New York
city.
England France and Italy are
ahead of the United States i'll the con-
s;ruction of airships and the neces-
sarv facilities for operating them
Even Spain and Argentina are plan
ming to inaugurate airship traVel
within the near future.
The Zeppelin company is now
building a rigid Of approximately the
Size of the LII. which the German
government is to turn over 10 ti'e
United States government to replace
the airship allotted 10 the Cnl'eo
States under the provisions OF the
treaty of Versailles and which was
! destro, ID by the Gern.ns,
1t has NJ. yet been decided wheth-
! er the Army or thc Navy is to get
! this air ship, but as the Nav! Will
J have the ZR-1 completed about the
same time as the Zeppelin airship' IL
! is believed the latter should be al
j lotted to the Army
/ At present the United States Army
/ cannot develop the rigid airships IL
| should have. Not only nave ho
funds been provided therefor put 1ls
hands are tied by the policy adopted
by the joint Army and Navy ooaro'
as published in government order T.
| War Department, 1920. Under that
policy the Navy has been charged
with the development in this coun-
try of. rigid airships. 1t is hoped
that the Navy will soon agree that
| the development of rigid airships
has reached the stage where the
Army should be charged with the
solution Of it's own airship prob
| Ions. many of which are quite diff
| ferent from those of the Navy.
! 1t is believed that for the short
! quick fight the airplane will always
be supreme. while for the long, bag