Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century] FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1916. THE LATEST ZEPPELINS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXX, Issue 14579, 2 June 1916, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century] FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1916. THE LATEST ZEPPELINS.

Wo have previously referred to the curious fatality which seems to cling to the German airship raiders. After about every second raid or ho wo get news of an airship coming to grief on the return journey. Quite half a dozen such disasters have befallen the enemy. It may be that some of these have been the result of the airships being "wounded" by British anti-aircraft guns. There is only one case wherein it is deJiuitely known that British gunfire has brought down a Zeppelin; but several may havo been hit and have managed to stagger part of tho way home before coming down. At the same time, what appears to have been pure misadventure has , given rise to tho disaster in most instances. There is, of course, a great inherent frailty in tho airship, and tho 300-mile voyage across the North Sea evidently puts it to an extreme test. This is doubtless the underlying factor in the frequent breakdowns and other mishaps , . For instance, in tho matter of bad weather, whereas a Zeppelin might be counted upon to

drive through a storm on a short journey, still she would possibly become a wreck in prolonged stormy conditions. Immense improvements nave been achieved by the Germans in the construction of airships sinco tho beginning of the war, and the enemy have sent out their later craft in such weathers as would havo put sailings altogether out of the question in tho early days—and it is in just this connection that there is a particular amount of satisfaction to be gleaned from the fact that "one of tho largest type" has proved unequal to tho strain tho unfavourable elements havo put upon it. In regard to those latest Zeppelins, the French export, M. Georges Prado, contributed iin interesting article to <; Tho Times,» based on an examination of the LZ77, which was recently brought down in Franco, and on private information received from Germany. He. suggests that the LZ77 measured about :!0,000 cubic metres, and tho metal employed was aluminium, toughened by a slight alloy of copper and zinc. Tho craft was bulkier forward than earlier types, and tapered off towards the stern, which gave her, with an equal capacity, less resistance when advancing, and consequently, with equal power, greater speed. There were, a a always, two cars, which tho Germans will "gondolas," a kind of metal boat, in which were placed tho motors aud tho mechanics. They communicated by means of a central cabin, in which were stationed the pilots, tho crew, and gunners who threw the bombs. The wireless telegraph apparatus was in the sumo place as the projectiles. A central ladder led from there vertically through the Zeppelin to the upper part, which was provided with a platform or shield, whenco machine guns could be iired. This ladder passed botwoon two of tho twenty independent ballooncts, separated by partitions, which in a Zeppelin correspond to the watertight compartments of a ship. M.-Pradc further states that the LZ 77 was provided with five motors of! the same type as those of previous dirigibles. (It will bo noted that recent cables spoke of tho L2O having six motors). .In the 1912 and .191:5 types there were three of these motors, driving four profilers-. In the 1915 types, b'.ich. as LZ 77, there is, in addition, a fifth motor, which drives a, fifth propeller placed bohind the stem car., hi thirf way an increase of horizontal speed was obtain-

<\\, aud at the- same, time an increase of'ascensional speed, so that the airship throwing out ballast, inclining its vertical planes and raising its nose to over 15 dog., might rise and escape at full speed. The corpses—or, rather, remains oi corpses, for several were entirely carbonised —which wore found on the ground pointed to a crew of 23 men. The 1912 models could bo worked by eight men, those of 1913 by 12 men. and those of 19 J 4 by IS men. The LZ 77 had on board 1500 kilogrammes of bombs, composed of 20 projectiles. Each bomb was placed, in a .special bomb-thrower formed of a hook which the weight of the bomb opened when the hook was freed by an. electric current controlled by a push-button in the

cabin —an arrangement corresponding to that of a bell, with its electro-magnet, and soft iron. The crew discharged all the bombs before tho Zeppelin reached tho ground. They made holes in tho soil 7Jft deep and. 17ft in diameter. Tho airs-hip, said M. Prade, in concluding his description, carried no revolver cannon, even of small calibre, but only six machine guns, two on tho summit revolving round the shield, two in the forward gondola, arid two in the stern

gondola