MORAL OF A DISASTER

Evening Star, Issue 17793, 15 October 1921, Page 9

MORAL OF A DISASTER

ESS’S COLLAPSE. AIRSHIPS NOT DOOMED, Is Britain worthy of tlio men, who wont down in the ESS? (osks Major (J. 0. Turner in tho ‘Observer'). One has heard during tho past few days far too much to tho effect that the disaster is “tlio cm 3 cf airships,” far too much from the wiseacres to the burden of "1 always eaid so,” and very little in tbo humor ant! purpose cf “such a sacrifice, and all tho devotion and labor at the back of it cannot have been for nothin", must not bo in vain i" i'or tho more wo examine iho matter technically mconsider it patriotically tho more does tho conviction grow that (l-re is not 4ho end. If tho nation bn won by of tho men who have given thoir lives it will resolve that their work shall bo carried on, ■ ns they would have wished, without a faltering of the lino towards iho cud they had in view. And why should not thh resolve take tho form of a great national memorial 10 tho B 38 —not b vain pyramid, of stone, but the means to build a new rhip, not for war, but for. peace? In 1003 tho German nation subscribed £300,000 to enables Iteppciin to do his work, and ihatiSit.v- after a whole series of disasters and will! very little wellbased hope of success; whereas wo have tho full assurance of suocew.

Tlio destruction cf tlia R3B provides not Bit; shadow cf an argument against air:,hips. Wo shall know the precise causo in duo timo. On present information that cause appears to have been related to a structural weakness discovered on July 17. Tho circumstanco was admitted in the Air Ministry communique. Measures wore taken to remedy it; and it may have been remedied. On tbo oilier hand, it seems that tho aiivliip buckled and broke before taking fire. What then? AN EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN. Tho E3S was designed for and intended to have a performance which, except; ns regards speed, is not requited- by a commercial airship. Kho was designed for great altitude and endurance, in "View of tbo special requirements of an airship in tiro British service confronted by tho particular situation created by the late war. She was built light to' that end. 'This proposition called for design departing radically from precedent. There must, of course, have Leon an error or a blunder romewliero—an error in design or in construction, or ono, conceivably in undue haste in attempting tbo completion of her Inals, or in an attempt at some raaiucuvre which in certain special circumstances may have been unjustifiable. Thoro is no precedent for iho disaster that occurred; and certainly tt. will not be repeated. But it would be ridiculous to ignore the fact (hat slia was nil exceptional design, very different from that of an airship intended for commercial (■musport. Collateral proof is afforded by the 113(1 and the Roj, very capable ships that have noli displayed anv ctruclnral weakness.

Without attempting to explain tho accident, ono reforenco to a condition of airship work, with special regard to iho design ol (he R3B may be ruggrsttvn. Tho rigidity of a rigid airship is purely dependent upon tlw interior pressure ol the gas. Jf an airship ascends to a great altitude she lose.-j much of her gas iliroug!) the valves. When she dcseeuda again (ho remaining pan contracts, and tire’, interior prosniro is diminished. Tho 1138 had only boon up 51 hours; but it will bo hitero.reiiig to till'! out (ho maximum altitude attained. Probably Ibis war, not so great as that for winch die ware designed, and the mater is oiny mentioned boro in reference to another. AN INNOVATION.

In the Ti3B iho gnu was contained in only fourteen cntnparlmnus, are agamrel ttio ctehtre:!! or nine to on d win ted by tbo usual pm-i.icn for re. very lung ship. Tbts would mean <i more amven dirirlbulion of iuli-ri-n' pra.re.-i're than ir usually ibc ca;e. more oapairiollv wm : ;n a.t ft (;te-p sngk l , r.nn tho rtmreea on. a rigid airship ait; oKCocdingly conipliea led. film bad just coma down tbrm:gh r.loudr,, ’.yliicb would more or less* iitr-re.r;-’. ilm cmiiraetion ot tho gaa—prob-

i ably io u. vciv vrul-.ng extent iti a. ruprt I ip’rliiv) it' which 7no r.nv-oloro 'ir, clriPtmeu : in proiVel. Ihe vas irom violent olic ri"i3J ol | temperature. Then there 5s tl:o donlit- a haul, I the (■troii'Hh of her circiera. wilier or' j not filio was i’iC'U iharoiy turned Is a- ! tk'a tint will be clc-Toa no; :'! I.hit !■> j known is tint her uinicworl: yielded nntt i broke. All that n sniTC-sted is ihsl in view I of Ibe larger gn.3 compartments, each occupy- | in;; a cnmirßi chip Jar-'-iMiclinal tri.itii, flu t I me.,' lev; !v>--a vm c 1HI! ■ rV. r,f v - ihi < r ; i in « i-li/irp ia;tr.onm\' or umter hisrli freed; :'uv v.al.nc r. ilr't c'.-’vt" d i ulil I!. n vr-.-d rlsnlf. Thin wit:; possibly a case hr which U;o designer bad to reply too much : upon Ih C-OTV. i *Tlio mu I (lot r mined opponents of rurekips 1 roust, concede the fc tho new." in Ix-kwf'tn i failure- and ttiececr, was narrow, and that ' tho c trident cannot fall to tenth important lessons. Again, ho must concede teat vhc disaster was tho uttermost possible penally to pay, one out of a'l proportion io any error or rnirjurlpacnt To use. (ho 'mooter rhetorically ppwinst cirsbins is not only unfair; it Is dishonest. Vet it is bein'? no wed. FJIOUH) DBFBAT .KB AO'JKlTivll? The development of the airship is not foil!" to stop bcefurm of lii<* In ; of tho K"! or merely bcor.u:s tho rrcrtt Krt Jt Common wealth is e : spo J te rn'm upon any oxcuro for pretending it cannot ahorl to take o aha.ro in that chivohipTmmt. Smaller and perhaps poorer Slate.';, although not possessing a tenth of Britain's pamfpliy and laboriously notjuirod cijxincnoo ana material, will curry on tho work,. As in Great Britain, to In Amen'sa, tho public mind is apt to Ewing like a psnrluluni; arid no doubt murk reckon on a v.’illiugnnßj on both iridon of Iho Alleutio i<> jnsko the most of tho loro of ib" ltd:!, which, however, it cannot bo too strongly insisted, proves nothin!? against ton airship. Kvou tho iruhimre a bilily of the yes racy 1)3 overcome by having ecreeniirf cminnknu ute filled with Iho non-inflammable fccii-.ro), and there is no reason to fear that .w.iiaually ruf-iclent helium will net bo found to provide the whole of the lifting agent. And so much research k poing on in tho derection cf fuels less ir.fiarmnablo than petrol that wo may bo ooarKtent of slice's;;. Kid ties preronl lack of tboso things is no onCobo for coasing ainship operaCionß. There a: sound reason for bolicviasf tlrst the French are id.>oat to start an lurcaip fervioo baturecn Mcrirailloa and Algiers, using at ,'irst the Korda Lera, one of tho rurronfiored Scppolino; tly> Gormans project m airship bsso in Spain T/ith tt i view to Btrvices to (South America; tho ’UniteA. State? has » great airship corporation, and is not going to bo tnrnou aside from her purpose by or)3 e?U>sck. "Will Britain ha v/illiag to eoo other oonntrkkt taking up the worfc where the is counselled weakly to surrender? If this ehocld prove to bo the case it would ho evidenoe of Che Ioe? of some of Iho nation's reputed ppiril.