Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-04

The Kaiser used to demand "a place
in the sun" The United States goes
His Bocheness one better, for 1t is the
sole posSessor of some of the sun in
its own place. No region on earth, or
in the heavens above or in the waters
underneath the earth, possesses any
supply of helium except the sun and
the United States. And now a new
deposit of helium is discovered in Utah,
and the firm, "Old Sol & Uncle Sam"
is in the way Of doing a thriving bust
ness, in its monopoly. How we and
the sun do shine!
The one limit to the business is self
imposed, since it consists in monopo-
listic law forbidding the sale of single
cask Of the precious gas for export.
Europe cannot obtain even sample OF
the stuff for basis for making syn
thetic" helium-if such a compound
is conceivable. Talking of farm re-
lief" in the way of debentures on the
exportable surplus of wheat, ETC., sug-
gestS the possibility of Uncle getting
rich by exporting all helium not needed
for home consumption, and charging
in accordance with the usual monopo-
listic custom-"all the traffic will bear"
But, for once, our statesmen have let
thrift 60, while remembering safety
".
ton which can produce the non-inflam-
mable gas, invaluable for initiating diri-
gible lighter than-air ships, we hold
the world in the hollow of our hands
in case of war, and We intend to stand
pat in self-defenSe.
All other airships than those OF the
United States must use hydrogen gas
for imitation, which single spark from
a cigarette will explode. Well walk
mile" for helium, which can't burn.
shot fred into a Graf zeppelin will
bring 1t down a mass of flames, while
our helium-f1lled gas bags must each
be punctured to cause the slightest dis
turbance in the stability of the ship.
The famous dying command OF the
admiral, Don't give up the shlp!" Is
therefore magnified in modern Ian
guage, Don't give up the helium! and
all the airships will take care of them
selves.
There is rivalry between the two
kinds of vehicles for travelling in the
air-the airplane, heavier than air,
which rises by reason of its propulsion
against the atmosphere, due to its pro-
peller and its wings" has one mission
both in peace and war. Its rapid
fight spans the continent In
day, and in battle 1t darts about
like q singing wasp. The airshlp scars
like q great condor or hoverS In bal
ance upon the air, yet 1t can travel at
will with the speed of a locomotive,
and its partisanS assert that 1t can be
used profitably for conveying freight
and mail. Both airplane and atrshlp
are finding their proper lines OF useful
ness. and within the next decade Will
become commonplace in commerce and
pleasure riding. Experts predict that
automobiles will fly within the next
three years
The airplane owes its invention to
Americans: the airship originated in
Europe. but fortuitously owes its great
est development now to the peculiar
helium gas found only in the United
states. Europe has outdistanced
America in commercialiZing the air
plane: will America get even by monop-
olizing the one safe gas for the dlrigible
airship?
The Navy Department is now build
ing two airships which are the larg-
est In the world-nearly three times
as large in gas capacity, as the great
Los Angeles and with range OF flight
without refueling two and a half times
as far as that of the Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles has useful lift"
of 10000 pounds; the new ZR-S4 will
lift 1872, 900 pounds of cargo. The Los
Angeles has 1000 horsepower in its
five engines: the new ships will each
rate 4.48O horsepower. The Los Angeles
takes 2.470OOO cubic feet of gas to
I'LL; the new ships each require 6,500,000
feet of gas-helium gas. The Los
Angeles speed is 635 knots per hour;
the new ships rate 1878 knots, and
while the Los Angeles can barely cross
the continent without refueling, the
new ships can travel about three times
as far, and could go from Washing
ton across the Atlantic and across
Europe to Central Asia, without new
supplies-or to Russia or Greece and
back again. Within the great ships
is q hangar storing six or seven air
planes which can be launched, at will,
above the clouds.
It was the very thrilling experience
of the present writer to voyage on the
Los Angeles from her Lakehurst hang
ar to Washington (via Philadelphia, |
Baltimore, Annapolis and Mount YER
nom, when that great ship was de-
keep up with the novels" I'd abandon /
that plap and instead I'd start ont |