THE AIRSHIP TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 236, 6 October 1930, Page 6

THE AIRSHIP TRAGEDY.

The destruction of the British airship RlOl is one of those tragedies that in their horror almost numb the mind. The human side of the disaster is, of course, what one thinks of first. Here in an instant, almost, betAveen forty and fifty persons perished. The national loss in these casualties is grave, for the ship contained the Minister of Air, the Director of Civil Aviation, and a number of specialists. In the face of such a loss it seems almost unfeeling to refer to the economic side of the tragedy, but it cannot be ignored. RlOl, like RIOO, which recently made so successful a voyage to Canada and back, represented a great sum of money spent to justify the faith of the British Government in the lighter-than-air flying machine. It is not >only that the product of this expenditure has been entirely destroyed, but that the destruction casts fresh doubt on the whole policy of building this type of airship. It has always had vigorous and well-informed opponents, Avho insisted that the dirigible was too vulnerable to be useful. Lord Thomson, however, seemed to have complete faith in the type. Three years ago he said he was convinced that the future of long distance travel lay with the dirigible, and that its possibilities "entirely eclipsed the present system of ocean liners." The future may prove him to be right, but he has given his life for his belief, and the disaster in which he perished is bound to set back the movement he had at heart. The British Government must consider whether it is right to go on with the building of airships that present such possibilities of appalling disaster. In the meantime, everybody will lament the death of brave men and condole with Britain in her loss.