OCR Text |
Show LOSS OF THE AKRON . Again the highest hIghe ! > t modem engineer enrrlneer- enrrlneer eneineer- eneineer enrrlneerlng eneineering engineering - - ing lng skill his h'lS hlS ' been set at naught by the theclements theelements theelements clements elements , resulting in the loss of the theworld theworlds world s greatest airship , the Akron Akronwith , . wIth a loss of 73 lh live lise " , only thl thiee three ee of ofthose ofthose ofthose I those on board being saved ThIs ThIsmarks Thismarks Thismarks marks the most disastrous tragedy In Inthe inthe inthe the history of aeronauticsThe aeronauticsThe aeronautics aeronauticsThe The Akron's Akrons ' ' fate recalls that of three threeother threeother threeother other American dirigibles-the dirigibles the dirigibles - - the ZR-2 ZR 2 ZR-2the ZR 2the - , the Roma and the ShenandoahThe ShenandoahThe Shenandoah ShenandoahThe The ZR-2 ZR 2 - , built bunt In England for the theAmerican theAmerican theAmerican American - - - Navy . , buckled and exploded - - - ovci over -l--H l H Hull Engi Engind England nd on August 25 , 1921 1921causing , I causing the death of 62 of the 66 men menaboard menaboard menaboard aboard , 17 of whom were Amcric'lns Amcriclns ArcriCans Amcricinsthe ' , , . the nucleus of i 1 a ' . ere crew " , sent to brirg the theshIp theship theship shIp to the United StatesThe StatesThe States StatesThe The Roma Rama , built in Italy foi fOl the theUluted theUnited theUnited Uluted United States Army , went out of con- con control control con control - trol at Hampton Roads , Va , . struck struckelectnc struckelectric struckelectnc electnc electric wires which broke , setting etting fire fireto fireto fireto to the airship an au ship , causing the deith de'lth delth de'ith ' ' of 35 35out 35out 35out out of a crew of 46 , on February 25 25,1922 251922 25,1922The , . 1922 1922The The Shenandoah broke in three threepieces threepieces threepieces pieces and fell feU to earth dming during dm ing a storm stormOs stormover 0\ 0 Os 0er \ er Noble county , Ohio on September September3 SeptemberI 3 , . 1925 , killing kUling 14 out of 41 on board boardJand , . I and 'rlously rlously " ' nously rrously injuring mJuring tv t\\ t t0 two \ . o 0 othcrsAt othersAt others othcrs othersAt At present the United Umted States State ' ) Navy Navy1 1 1s -s s . - s two la1 laige large ge dirigibles the Los LosAngeles LosAngeles LosAngeles Angeles , temporarily temporarlly out of commission commissionas as an economy measure , and the theMacon theMacon theMacon Macon , . sister ship of the Akron , . just justcompleted justcompleted justcompleted completed In the light of what has hashappened hashappened hashappened happened to nearly every dmglble dirigible dmglblesooner dirigiblesooner dirigiblesooner sooner or later , . we imy m'lY mlY may ' well ask askwhether askwhether askwhether whether they are worth wh11eMore whileMore while wh11e whileMore More than 100 German Gennan dirigIbles dirigIblesv dirigibleswere dirigibleswere v . were ere destroyed during durmg the war without withoutmhcting withoutinflicting withoutinflicting mhcting inflicting ! any serious damage upon upontheir upontheir upontheir their enemies The allies alItes lost a dozen dozenor dozenor dozenor or more , practically all they ever had hadOf hadOf hadOf Of all the large dirigibles diriglbles built by var- var various various var various - ious countries since the v w . war art artonly ar , only two twoor twoor twoor or three remain , . the rest having met metwIth metwith metwith wIth dIsasterThe disasterThe disaster disasterThe Thehole The whole \\hole hole \ history of dirigibles dirlgJ.bles dirlgJbles . , . like likethat likethat likethat that of submarines , is one of v w . wastedmoney asted acted astedmoney actedmoney money and wasted lives The world worldwould worldwould worldwould would perhaps be better off of ! if neitherof neitherof neither neitherof of these death-traps death traps - had ever been in- in invented in invented - vented inIvented vented in-I in I I |