RIGID AIRSHIPS.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16072, 5 April 1924, Page 3

RIGID AIRSHIPS.

WHAT CAN THEY HO

Among some of the striking examples m the possibilities or rigid airships of me Zeppelin type, states tile ‘•aeronautic Digest/’ are tlie flight of tlie 1(34 fa British ship built after the zeppeun motley) across tlie Atlantic Ocean anti oack, and the trip of tlie Zeppelin 859, wnicli in November, 19i7, sailed from Bulgaria across tlie Mediterranean down to German East Africa to relieve a beleagured force, but finding that it had surrendered, turned and came back to its base without landing, making the flight of 4225 miles in less than four days. More striking, as showing the commercial possibilities of tlie Zeppelin ships, adds tlie “Digest,” is the fact that Zeppelin subsidiary company during tlie three years before the war carried 35,000 passengers without an accident, and the Zeppelin Bodensee during tlie period, August 24th to December Ist, 1919, carried 2380 passengers. 11,000 pounds of mail (440,000 letters and 6300 'pounds of express matter), between Friedrichshafen, on tlie Swiss bordei', and Berlin, under all kinds of weather conditions. Fur flier operations of the Bodensee and its sister ship, the Nordstern were stopped after that period by tlie interallied Commission. The. Nodstern a 22GOO cubic metre airship, was handed over to I'ranee, and is now named the Mediteranee.