BOMBS FROM AIRSHIPS.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9411, 3 April 1909, Page 7

BOMBS FROM AIRSHIPS.

Can England be invaded?” The question is asked in all seriousness by a writer in the February number of •‘ La Revue de I’A viatica. ” The navy, he presumes, can dispose of any attempt in that direction by sea; But what of the air? The progress of aeronautical science, be says has caused some stirrings of anquietude among thinking minds iii Great Britain, Not so far as France is concerned, the implicit alliance between the two nations removes uneasiness on that score. . But the stories of what have been done by German dirigible balloons have given rise to some uneasiness. The writer. M. Larisson, is in- ■ oilhed to scoff ; at the idea of invasion, and, above all, of invasion by Zeppelin balloons. Invasion by aeroplane now would be Q UJ te possible. But—it is a big “buf’-an effective invasion would mean the construction of 20,000 machines, each capable of carrying Qve persons The cost of such an aerial neat would be at least £4,000,000, and suitable landing places would have, to be found, if they were found, he remarks drily, it is fairly certain that they would'be kept under observation, and suitable preparations in tbe way of artillery would be made for the landing parties. No, on the whole, Larisson thinks there »is no need for England to be alarmed by the prospect of invasion by aeroplane. . . But as to dirigibles. Obviously the most desirable operation for hostile dirigibles would be to; wipe out the Channel and Homo fleets. T>ha difficulty would he for the balloon to find out where the warships were, and a voyage of exploration to his end would simply mean almost certain loss. So far, M. Larisson is comforting. Eat he turns to another aspect of Jjtlie question, as to which hia words deserve to be. carefully weighed. “There exists,” he says, “another way in which enormous damage might be inflicted on England—the destruction by dynamite of the ports of war, the arsenal, the depots of supplies. ” He continues : „ “Let us suppose, in fact, a dirigible, of a capacity of 15.000 cubic metres, specially designed to have a lifting capacity cf 5000 kilos, as would "be the case in an antoballoon of the Astral pattern With this capacity it could carry a 500 h.p, motor and sufficient spirit, oil, and water for a journey of 1000 kilometres, as well as sis passengers, the necessary sandbags, and a ballast margin of 5100 kilos, which would represent a weight of dynamite or torpedoes. ' „ ' “Here, then, you have a balloon capable of braving the air for a minimum of 13 hours, travelling at 50 kilometres an hour for a distance of (500 kilometres, and carrying 1500 kilos of dynamite ; 800 kilometres out and 800 back—that would .bo sufficient to explore the British Isles. “Let us carry the idea further, and suppose 20 balloons of tbe type described, which could compensate for lost ballast by ballooneta in toe interior of the envelope. These 30 dirigibles could bring 30,000 kilos of dynamite on a single journey. These are appalling figures, and they suggest the total destruction of the great English ports of war, such as Portsmouth, Hull, Dover, Plymouth, etc. “The dirigible is, in fact, the only war engine capable of inflicting injury on the British power, by attacking her at weak points insufficiently protected against incursions attempted along the aerial route. Relatively it would not be a costly matter—£l,2oo,ooo would suffice for the construction of 20 aerial torpedo cruisers and of their sheds. Ic_ is not impossible that the governing classes in England .have lifted this corner of the veil behind which the fnture is mapped out. In that case their uneasiness is intelligible. “The future (a ("future which might bo tbe present) is left, then, to a partial destruction by means of the dirigible. For tee security England would not do badly to study pratcically the question of gnns_ or mortars capable of discharging sharpuei to a height of 1000 metres.”