Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-02-05 | Page 4 | Blimp as Mercy's Messenger

S r J 3 33 i t f Blimp as Mercy Mercy's s Messenger rr was was' a dram dramatic ti that came ame ou out of of tiny i Tangier island in Ch Chesapeake bay bay telling telling how howg tel owned y ne-a ne dirigible had carried d food to 1 1500 5 O pers persons ns inar marooned there and threatened with hunger because thick ice cut off approach i 1 foth offshore T There e was no need for word p painting ing or or colorful f l' l d description les sc The simple circumstantially related were all S Cut off from om the world though at night they could descry shore lights the islands islands' sla d only II b hope pe was was ws that ai aid might reach them by air It was as a job no o plane could uld do The only other possibility was the blimp blimp and and it delivered w J ld pretty bad lu luck Jc with our dirigibles First the Shenandoah ripped by high winds aloft earth in ih Ohio Then the Akron was torN to torn to fo bi bits bits' J off QU ff the he Jersey coast The last disaster dis dis- dis- dis aster was s that of the Macon which fell into the Pacific Pacific Meanwhile Germanys Germany's giant airships have been n plowing tiro through gh the the skies without serious mishap flights between Europe and ports of call in South America settling down downto to simple routine Maybe we gave up too soon The committee committee commit commit- t tee e of Pt scientists appointed last March by Secret Secre- Secre t ry of ot the Swanson Navy Navy Swanson urges that we did didin didin didin in a a. a report to the navy department It recommends recommends recommends mends that hat more dirigibles be built confident that continued on experiment will prove their airworthiness airworthiness airworthiness air air- worthiness in performing a useful and necessary necessary necessary sary function S t The scientists who studied this thi'S ma matter ter command command com corn mand respect Their findings will be De e worth calculating study by the navy The great ships challenge imagination and it is easy to s see e that i if they may be developed to a point of f reasonable safety there are many niches apart from their use ue in iii warfare into which th they y will fit in performing per- per fOnn forming g useful service in our complex scheme o 9 living Ag Against n t the loss of life in the three disasters o our r blimps have met saving these 1600 Tangier islanders from starvation is to tobe tobe 1 be entered to their credit