NAVIGATING THE AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 108, 3 June 1909, Page 2

NAVIGATING THE AIR.

Till'. PAHSKVAL MACHINE. Received .li 2, 10.4J p.m. Berlin, June i. New dirigibles, of semi-rigid and no Irigid typn. designed in (iermoiiy by Major Parscvnl, attained a speed of U miles an hour. DANGERS OF AEKONAI TING. ' Loudon, June 1. Bidnnad, a parachutist, in attempting a descent at Northampton lost his parachute, and was carried away hanging below tile balloon. The incident was witnessed by 10011 holiday-makers. Bidmead lias not since been heard of.

A LUCKY ESCAPE. Received June 2, 10.4.7 p.m. London, June 2. Bidmead clung for Ml iniuutcs to a wooden ring attached to the cording. He was nearly exhausted when the balloon gradually dropped and he alighted safely.

AM VOYAGES COMPARED. On August -Jib of last year the US fated Zeppelin airship (dirigible balloon) covered 280 miles in 12 hours. !"« «» dav it teascended and proceeded HO niiies, linallv descending at Echterdingen, '.where it Wis wrecked |by ,a sltorm, The reasons for descent were motor defects and escape of hydrogen. Horn the appended a*-tuiU it will oe. neon U»t Count Zeppelin was beaten last year in time aloft, but not in distance covered, by Major dross in bis military " semirigid" airship. In 1008 Count Zeppelin ioiirnev from Friedriclishafcn to Zurich and back to Friedrichshafen, covering the distance of 200 mile, in 11 .hours) he afterwards proceeded from *. r ' cdrl "; shafeji to Strasshurg and Mnuitz, 28U miles in 12 hours. Major Gross went from Berlin to Magdeburg and back to I Berlin, 188 miles in 13 hours. Count I Zeppelin's recent trip from t riodrichLmifeii to Uittcrfeld, !)00 miles in »8, hours, carries the palm boUi for distance covered and time aloft. From preliminary particulars publisliI ed of the new Zeppelin No. 2, it seems that the new airship is polygonal m form, having sixteen angles, it is MBit. in length, and 42'/Jt. in diameter, .«nd has a capacity of .1:10,111X1 cubic feet. On the whole it is slightly larger and longer than the older Zeppelin airship. There are 17 compartments (balloonettes) instead of 1(1, one of them heing covered, as an experiment, with goldWater's skin, while the rest arc covered with lacquered cotton. Two, instead of three, winged screws were to Dt *sed, thus it was hoped, doing away almost ' completely with the whirring noise or the motors. Hydrogen gas is used, and the cost of | filling the airship is estimated at £75. ' A German expert has pronounced the [ Zeppelin to be the best airship extant, but pointed out that it had the disadvantage that when it alighted it had to depend upon its own cnergic to get away from the spot, and could not be ' packed oa a cart like other models. This r drawback would be removed when liquid hydrogen could lie carried about in ' bottles without risk. On the other hand the Zeppelins pos--1 sessed, he maintained the great advanJ ta'ge that they would be less likely than ' other airships to be crippled 'iviti mus--1 ketry fire, as no escape of gas would " cause them to lose their shape, and v ' become unmanageable. 1 A great desideratum for the Zeppelins, " now is the dispatch of wireless tele- \ grams. At present such powerful elee- ' trical machinery is necessary for the '' purpose that the danger of sparks causing an explosion has been deemed to be ' too grent. It is said that a receiving , apparatus, which is considerably lesi dangerous, is all that is to be carried at ' present. | It has been stated liositively that tlie Zeppelin has not yet been equipped wit't a searchlight.