AIRSHIP BURSTS'.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 11110, 6 May 1911, Page 5

AIRSHIP BURSTS'.

PANIC AT FARNBOROUQH. By Tclccranh— Press Association—Oopyrlnlik (Rec. May 5, 10.45 p.m.) London, May 5. The Lebaudy airship, which was built in France last year to the order of tho "Morning Post" subscription fund for presentation to tho Army, lias been totally wrecked at Farnborougb, near Aldershot. On October 26 last the balloon was navigated from Moisson, in France, to Farnborough, and met with an accident I while being boused. Yesterday it was used for, tho first time sinco that mishap..".",','.,,,' The airship, ascended in a calm, in the presence of a large crowd, and mado a flight of an hour's duAtion. The wind freshened as tho machine was descending, and it soon got entirely out of control. Tho soldiers, who were assisting, failed to catch tho towing ropos, and a panic ensued as the airship was blown about just above' the ground." Women and children ran screaming from itsjj.patb, and tho trailing ropes tripped up scores of persons. Tho airship just missed tho balloon factory, and fouled a clump of trees. It then burst, with a report that was heard a mile away, and collapsed, n complete wreck now. The remains are enveloping a three-story house. Tho crew had miraculous escapes, and received no worse injury than a sovero shaking. Description op the airship. The Lebaudy airship made its crossChannel journey last year without mishap, descended safely near Aldersliot, but wliiio it was being housed in a shed at JParnborougb. one of the girders in tho roof apparently pierced tho envelope and it collapsed. Fortunately nobody was injured and the framework of tho airship was not much damaged. The voyage of the airship occupied about five hours and a half. She carried eight passengers. The airship was built to the plans of M. Juliiot, engineer to JfJI. Paul and Picrro Lebaudy. Semi-rigid in type, it embodied the principles of construction given effect to in'lhc Lebaudy, La Patrie, La Eopubliquo, and La Liberte, which belong to the French Army, but it marked an advance upon these airships in regard to size and speeil and power. The envelope had a length of 337 ft. lOin., a diameter of 39ft. s!in., and a capacity of 353,165.8 cubic feel. It was composed of panels of waterproof canvas, consisting of two tissues of cotton and two layers of vulcanised imliarubber, glued and sewn together. The lifting capacity was about 7.341b. for every cubic foot of gas, and the loss was -placed at considerably less than 1 per cent, of its volume in cas in 24 hours.

Tho car, winch was relatively short, was built of iteol tubes, and was incombustible. It, could carry 20 persons, and contained two four-cylinder I'anhard petrol motors, each rated at 135 horse-power.

Perhaps tho most important modification which 31". Julliot introduced was the provision of a free air space between the envelope and the horizontal piano of tho under-frame. Tho results of this device were that both the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal piano came into operation,' and, by their resistance to the air, prevented the balloon pitching, that Oio air resistance of tho under-framo was doubled, and that it had been found possible to reduce the breadth of the. underframe without decreasing its effective action.