Evening star., 1923-12-26
MISSING D|R|G|B[E
BELIEVED IN AFRICA
French Officials Doubt Land
ing Could Be Made With
out Accident.
By the Associated Press.

| PARIS, December 26-Officials at
that. although they had received
many messages reporting the pres
ence of the missing dirigible Dixmude
over various parts of Tunis and the
seacoast, they considered that the
| latest trustworthy news was the of
fetal dispatch from Biskra last Fri
day announcing her arrival there. It
was at this point that the Dixmude
was instructed by wireless to remain
in the south because of a violent
storm along the French coast.
The message in question was sent
at II pm. Friday, at which hour the
dirigible was seen twelve miles from
Uled Jellal, thirty-three miles from
Biskra, which is about 125 miles
south of the Mediterranean coast.
The Dixmude was then proceeding
southwark. -
Government air experts say it is
doubtful that the Dixmude is still
afloat, as she could not navigate
without power and her gasoline sup
ply Is undoubtedly exhausted by this
Fdfrfgible since Friday is taken as
supporting this view, for If still
aloft it Is believed the commander
would have found means of sending
messages. The principal hope fos.
tered here is that the Dixmude has
landed In the desert, from which it
might take days for news to come.
Twelve Tons Water Aboard,
If the airship continued to travel
as a free balloon, without help from
her motors, department officials ex-
pressed the opinion that she might
| cover considerable distances, is II
was estimated that she had twelve
tons of water on board for ballast
without reckoning her motors and
accessories. If she has landed II is
considered improbable that the land
ing could have been effected without
accident.
Regarding the food on board the
dirigible, it is stated now that in ad-
dition to fresh meat and other per,sh-
able foods sufficient for three days
she carried an eight-day suppiy Of
biscuits and an eleven day stock Of
preserved meat, together with $50
gallons of water, a three-day supplv
and her twelve tons of water ballast
A revised statement of the number
or persons on board given out TODAY
says the total was fifty, four officers
and forty-six men, and ten other Off
GERS carried ss passengers Naval
Lieut.. du P1essis de Grenedan. who
commanded the Dixmude, was the
officer who brought her from Germany
with her German crew when she was
surrendered under the peace treaty.
He has continued to command her
ever since, but this was to be his last
voyage a.. he was about to be pro-
NOTED.
Had Little Part In War.
The Dixmude, as Zeppelin L-72, took
very little part in the war operations.
She has six cars suspended from her
main structure, each with a 300
horsepower motor. Between Sep
tember 25 and September 80 she
! established a record for a nonstop
flight with a total of 11S hours flying.
M. Faroux, the aviation expert, writ
ing today to LAuto. takes the loss of
the Dixmude for granted and ex-
presses the hope that 1t will induce
France to abandon her plan Of Great
ing a fleet of dfrigibles. He denies
| the. contention advanced by those
favoring the project that the late war
showed that dirigfbles can be of great
| perience has shown the contrary He
quotes Field Marshal Won Hinden-
burgS "reminiscences stating that
Count Zeppelin himself. admitted that
dfrigibles were out of date as war
machines and declares that the future
| mastery of the air belonged to air
planes.