ZEPPELIN'S LATEST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 522, 1 June 1909, Page 7

ZEPPELIN'S LATEST.

BEATS FORMER FEATS. NON'STOP TRIP, 300 MILES, 22 HOURS. RETURNING TO SHED, : (nt MtXaKlKH'tlßSs AS9ObUTIoM--Cotl&l6in\) * (Iteo. May 31, 11.6 p.tn.) Borlini May 31. Count Zeppolin has mado a voyngo iii his Zeppelin No. .2 airship, Which eolipses, both in dlptance and time Aloft, tho records mado by him . with tho older Zoppoiin, that was wrooked at Echterdirigeii on August 5 last year. The older Zeppolin, on lief ill-fated trip, had ooverod 280 miles in 12 hours. Zeppelin No. & (which replaces her) has just travelled 300 miles in 22 hours, without a stop, going frow ftiedrichshafon (oh tho German shore of Lake Constance) to Bitterfold (Sasony); thenoe the airship turned, and passed SVeimar, on her return to. Friediriehshafen.' , ' Zeppelin No! 2 was steered by Count Zeppelin, and tarried, two engineers, and a crew of seven; AIR-VOYAGES compared, On August "4 of last year the ill-fated Zep. pelin airship (dirigible balloon) covered 280 miles in 18 hoar!;. Tho neiit day it reafeCended and. proceeded HO inilcs, finally descending it Eeblerdin<!6n, whero it was wrecked by a storm. Tim reasons for descent vera motor defeats anti escape of hydrogen. 'As tho appended table s'hows, Count Xoppelin was beaten last year in time aloft, but not in distance covered, by Major Gross in Ms militarv "semirigid' airship. His latest voyage carries tho palm in both departments, The details arei '■ In 1908. . Name. „, , ypyage. Miles.- Sr, Min. Zeppelin Fnedfichshafea-Zurleh „ Friedrichshafen. 200 ll 50 Zeppelin Friedriehshafen'Strass.' • burg-Maintis , 280 15 0 Gross Berlla-MagtUbttrg-BerHn 188 13 2 Latest Trip. Zeppelin Friedrichshafeii-Bitter, ' fold. • 300 S3 0 New Craft Descrtfaed. •', l?rom pMliminary particulars published of the now Zeppelin No. 2, it seems that the Mrshlp is polygonal in form, having sixteen angles. It is 446 ft. in length, • and 42tft. in diameter, and has a capacity of 630,000 cubic feet, On the whole it is slightly larger and tonjrer than the older Zeppelin airship, . 1 hero are 17 (balloonoUee) instead of 1(1, ono of them being covered, as an experiment, ivith gold-bealer's skin, while the rest are covered With lacquered cotton. Tiro,' instead of three, winged screws wow to be used, tlins, it was hoped, doing away almost completely with tho whirring noiso of < the motors. \ r' . Hydrogen Bos. is used, aild tho cost- of filling tho : airship is estimated at about .£75, , Advantages and Ol«advanlag«B, A. German expert has prononnoed tho Zeppelin to bo tho best airship extant, but pointed out that it had tho disadvantage that when it alighted it had' to depend 'upon its own energies to got away .from-tho spot, and could not bo packed on a cart like other models. This drawback would be removed when liquid hydrogen could be battled about in bottles without risk. ' On the .other hand, the Zeppelins • possessed, he maintained,' the jroat advantage.that they would be less likely than other alrShips to bo crippled by musketry fire, as no osoape of gas would c»nse them to lose their Bhape, and. so beoome Unmanageable.' >. Wirelesi aSd Searchlight. ' A great desideratum for the Zeppelins now is the dupatoh of wireless telegrams. At present such powerful eloctrioal machinery is neoessary for tho purpose that the danger of sparks causing an explosion has boon (homed to he too great. It is said that a receiving apparatus, which Is considerably'-ioss dangerous, is all. that is to bo carried at present! It hw been i stated positively that tho ZepP 4 ' lo has not yet (been cquinpod with n searchlight.