AERONAUTICS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2559, 21 July 1909, Page 5

AERONAUTICS.

FLIGHT ACROSS THE CHANNEL. AERONAUT’S STARTLING EXPERIENCE. United Preps Association —Copyright • PARIS, July 20. After waiting for suitable weather for a week at Calais, Latham started to-day across the English Channel. He aeroplaned at a great height. The motor slowly stopped and descended after going 10 miles. A French destroyer found Latham calmly smoking a cigarette, sitting on the floating aeroplane. It took Latham and the aeroplane to Calais. AIR-VOYAGES COMPARED. On August 4 of last year the ill-fated Zeppelin airship (dirigible balloon) covered 280 miles in 12 hours. The next day it reascended, and proceeded 14U miles, finally descending at Echterdmgen, where it was wrecked by a storm. The reasons for descent were motor defects and escape of hydrogen. As the appended table shows,- Count Zeppelin was beaten last year in time aloft but not in distance covered, by Major. Gross in his military ■ “semi-rigid airship. His latest voyage canes the palm m both departments. The details are:

—ln 1908. Zeppelin; yoyage, Friedriclishafen-Zurich-Fricdriehshafen j 200 miles, lllir ; Friedrichsliafen-Strassburg-Maintz; 280 miles; 12hr. _ Gross; Berlin-Magdeburg-Berhn; 188 miles; 13hr 2min. —Latest Trip.— Zeppelin; Friedrichsliafen-Bitterfeld ; 300 miles; 221ir. . From prelimintry particulars published of the new Zeppelin No. 2, it seems that the airship is polygonal m form, having sixteen angles. It is 446 feet in length, and 42£ feet in diameter, ' and has a capacity of 530.000 cubic feet. On the whole it is slightly larger and longer than the older Zeppelin airship. x ... „ There are 17 compartments (balloonottes) instead of 16,'one of them being covered, as an experiment, with goldbeater’s skin, while the rest are covered with cotton. Two, instead of throe, winged screws were to be used, thus, it was hoped, doing away almost completely with the whirring noise of the motors. Hydrogen gas is used, and tho cost of filling the airship is estimated at about £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 aughted it had to depend upon its own energies, to get away from the spot, and could no,t be packed on a' cart like other models. This drawback would be romoved when liquid hydrogen could be carried about in bottles without risk, . On the other hand, the Zeppelins possessed, he maintained, the great advantage that they would be less likely than other airships to be crippled by musketry fire, as no escape of gas would cause them to lose their shape, and so become unmanageable. A great desideratum .or the Zeppelins.now is the despatch of wireless telegrams. At present such powerful electrical machinery is necessary for • the purpose that the danger of sparks causing an explosion, has been deemed to be too great. It is said that a receiving apparatus, which is considerably less dangerous, is all that is to be carried at present. ;. ■ It has been stated positively that the Zeppelin has not yet been equipped with a searchlight. ’