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Show Kaiser Firm in Belief That Flying Fly-ing Machines Will Be Great Factor. GERMANY NOW HAS FLEET OF FOURTEEN While Working Thus Far on the Offensive, the Defensive No.t Forgotten. BY MALCOLM CLARKE. Special Cable lo The Tribune. BERT.IX. April J6. It is not alone In battleships and army corps that Germany is pressing to the front in preparation for tho inevitable time when tho sword must decide the question of European If not world supremacy. From Iho time Count Zeppelin demonstrated the fact that he was not a visionary dreamer but had solved the problem of aerial navigation navi-gation the German war office had never wavered In Its faith that the dirigible airship would be a great if not a controlling con-trolling factor In the next war in which the Fatherland should engage and as a result the kaiser has at his disposal a fleet of fourteen aerial warships ranging rang-ing from 140 to -15" feet In length and with speed ranging from 21 to 375 miles an hour. Thero arc nine more building, one nearly 500 feet long, and another having an estimated speed of fifty miles an hour. Working on Airships. Ten or a dozen factories and "dock yards" .where airships are manufactured on systematic lines aro at work. Twelve or fifteen permanent garages several of them elaborately equipped "stations" dot the frontiers. In tltc proximity of the sea. and at Inland centers. A special battalion of nearly 1000 officers, engineers engi-neers and men trained in nil the exigencies ex-igencies of aerial navigation, is ready to "take I lie air." Germany's great ordnance ord-nance niakets, tho Krunps and iihrhardts arc perfecting airship-destroying artillery and oxperlino.nl Ing with guns and explosives ex-plosives for offensive operations from a height. Airship maneuvers have become a regular feature of the army's work. Chain of Stations. The army's scheme of "aerial defense" eon templates a chain of permanent stations sta-tions which will eventually extend in a sweeping semi-circle through the north and east. The Idea is that Germany shall be fortified in the air along her entire en-tire French and Russian frontiers, and in tho area flanking the sea. Every fortress within this area is said to be provided willi one or moro vessels. At present military airship stations are standing at aiolz. Cologne, Frankfort, Berlin, Fried richsha fen, and can accommodate accom-modate Iwo more vessels of the largest type. Gas-generating plants arc at-s tached to the mllltarv airship stations, which -arc to he duplicated gradually at all strategic points as the "Jloot" grows. Airship Destroy ors. "While working hard on the offensive programme, the defensive has not been neglected. The Krupps have perfected three airship destroyers, ono stationary lieldpicee with an extreme range in height of 07.10 yards, another for mounting on an armored motor car with an extreme range of USflO yards and a naval pioce which will hurl a forty-pound projectile lo the enormous height of 12.600 yards. For all tho ICrupp guns a time-fuse is used. Jt is claimed iliat I lie fuse is perfectly per-fectly safe to handle, yet so delicately adjusted ad-justed that It will detonate' tho shell immediately im-mediately on piercing tho hull of an airship air-ship or balloon. Tho Krupp airship destroying des-troying guns are also provided with tracers, trac-ers, whereby the trajectory can he followed fol-lowed by day or night. Future in the Air. Germany is universally enthusiastic over its "future In the air." "Aerial navy leagues" already number hundreds of thousands of members. Several universities uni-versities and technical colleges have established aeronautical professorships. Tho kaiser is encouraging Iho officers of his army and navy to interest themselves moro and more in aerial navigation The richly endowed "aiotor Airship Study society." so-ciety." composed of millionaire captains of industry. Is ready with unlimited funds to support any aerial enterprise, airship or aeroplane, which promises to incrca.se the fatherland's prowess ii the clouds. Roth the society and the army are building build-ing aeroplanes of their own and of foreign for-eign systems, the German Wright company com-pany having perfected facilities for turning turn-ing out five biplanes a month at their works In Tegel. Ten machines aro already al-ready in commission at t ho army's disposal. dis-posal. Excavations at Porgamon. Tho Vosslseho Zcilung publishes an Interesting In-teresting description of fresh results al-taincd al-taincd by the excavators of the Horlin Archaeological society on the site of Porgamon. Por-gamon. In Asia Mlnoi. the seal of tho Altaild dynasty in (lie third aud second centuries V. (.. The" work described was ejtrriod out in the late autumn of WOU. l:pon an artificial lerrace of the city hill, which, as isolated inscriptions prove, was known as the "Demcler Terrace," were discovered the. remains of a great sanctuary sanct-uary aud tomplo of that goddess. Dr. Ilepding says Iliat with Ihe sanctuary. In addition lo the allar of the chief goddess, god-dess, were altars of Aeskleplos. Hermes. Helios. Znus, Ktesios. Pcutiicios ami others. Of special Interest Is un imperfectly imper-fectly preserved inscription on a marble altar which, according to Dr. Hcpdlng's deciphering, was dedicated to " the unknown un-known gods." If this interpretation is right, it is the first confirmation evor found for the famous passage in the Areopagus speech of St. Paul: "For as I passed by and behold your devotions. I found an altar willi this Inscription, "To tho unknown God.' " |