REAL SCARESHIP.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13979, 14 August 1909, Page 7

REAL SCARESHIP.

ADVERTISER'S TRACKED.

The expected lias liapnened! The up-to-date advertiser, always on the look ont for novelties, lias taken fidvantage of the cruise of the scareship, and made capital thereof. Moreover— though this is perhaps an undesigned piece of realism this particular scareship has been most satisfactorily and completely wrecked. Great excitement." wired a Dunstable correspondent of an English paper, "has been caused by the discovery of a wrecked airship in a field about a mile north of the town. Two men were going to work when they came upon a smaslied-up airship, whose long cylindrical gas-bag was lying across "the hetige. The bamboo framework was completely smashed, the two powerful lamps, radiator, and various pieces of machinery were scattered about."' .The introduction to the story is most promising, and of course the' local scaremongers proceeded immediately to searcli for' the mangled remains of foreign gentlemen whose guttural accents nave been affrighting his Majesty's lieges in- various parts of the kingdom during the past month. Hut no mangled remains were found. Then forth came a lime burner on night work on the kilns near by, who told how he had seen motorists trying to make their way along a narrow lane leading to the kilns. Finding the lane led only to a field, they returned, and turned a deaf ear to the shouts of the lime burner. This seemed a promising line of sensation, thus: Scene the great military camp that, as all Continental military l'owers know, is fixed at Dunstable. Time, the darkest night of the year. Characters, two cloaked figures in an airship of gigantic size and almost incredible speed; tollowing the ship 111 case of accidents two other military conspirators. But, alas! a more careful-examina-tion disposed of tlie wiiole airy fabric. Inside the broken framework was found the following document: — .Notice. In the event of- an accident. —Thi? airs>hip is the property of ~ London, who will pay the sum of £5 to the finder, provided lie first sends a telegram to , London, stating wiiere the airship is to be found. A telegram was duly sent, and in the course of the day the fragments were removed by its more or less disconsulate owners. A representative of "The Daily Chronicle" had an interview in London with a member of the firm to whose enterprise the scheme is due. They are a well-known West-end firm of i motor-car factors. j '-Yes."- lie said with a laugh, "This airship is one which we arranged some weeks ago to send tip as an advertisement. It consisted of twin cigar-shap-ed ballons to which was attached a bamboo framework, 40ft. in length. Underneath were suspended two large electric lamps. "It was, of course, merely a toy airship. The arrangement was that it ! should be taken from place to place by I motor-car and sent up at night-time. The ballons were inflated with hot air. "£ have been out of town for some time ,so that most of my knowledge as to the flight of the airship has been gleaned from the newspapers. As a matter of fact, I don't really know when it made its first ascent. All T know is that its first start in Norfolk." "Whether the cruise of the '•Scareship" suggested tho scheme, or the scheme is responsible for the scare, we are not prepared to say. In any enso there will he much chuckling in the cafes of Berlin, while the German comic papers should really bo worth reading.