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Show oo LATEST ZEPPELIN IS DISAPPOINTING Before Zeppelin L-49 fell in France without damage, reports from Swiss sources told of wonderful construction and mysterious equipment. A writer in Scientific American says: Reports state that the L-49 is evidently evi-dently a recent type of Zeppelin, probably prob-ably one of the many turned out in 1916, and intended for scouting out at sea and for raiding purposes. Much credit is due the designers for the care and the skill displayed in the arrangement ar-rangement of the craft as a whole, and in the treatment of minor details. But tho construction in general impresses im-presses one with a sense of hasty workmanship, for there is much of the makeshift order in evidence. The super-Zeppelin is commanded from an enclosed bride, just forward of the wireless room. In order to protect pro-tect the occupants from the cold and wind, the bride is provided with a three-ply windshield and a heavy fiber mat. All the controls are at hand, so that the giant airship, like Its counterpart coun-terpart on the high seas, can be guided guid-ed from the bridge. For operating the vertical rudder and the elevating planes, handwheels are provided, much after the fashion of those used on motor boats. An elaborate chart table also forms part of the bridge equipment, as does a control board containing 38 red and white buttons, each of which takes care of the expansion ex-pansion or the contraction of the balloons. bal-loons. Lightweight stools made of three-ply thin wood are used in the navigating room by the crew. The power plant of the L-49 consists of five separate units, the largest of which is just aft of the wireless room. Running the full length of the envelope enve-lope is a narrow gangway which permits per-mits the crew to walk from one part of the aerial greyhound to another, giving ready access to any one of the engine rooms. At one point there is a well or tube, formed of balloon fabric, fab-ric, enclosing a light aluminum ladder which leads to a small gun platform on top of the envelope. This platform mounts two machine guns which can bo brought to'bear on hostile battleplanes battle-planes attacking the airship from above. The other power units are contained in bullet-like gondolas or cars which are suspended below the balloon proper, and which are reached from the gangway by climbing down eight-foot eight-foot ladders. Each of these gondolas contains two engines which drive a single propellor, and the arrangement Is such that either engine can bo employed em-ployed separately to economize fuel when full speed Is not required. The envelopo of the Zeppelin contains con-tains 19 balloons of gold-beater's skin, with ballonets inserted In each one, so as to form an integral member. These ballonets are an essential part of each ballon unit, and servo to take caro of the expansion and the contraction of the hydrogen gas, thus maintaining tho proper conditions in each balloon regardless of tho altitude at which the airship Is traveling, the 'temperature, or any other vital factor. The ballonet valves are under tho control of the navigator on the bridge, through the agency of the 38 little white and red push buttons on the control board before be-fore him. Also contained in the envelope arc the water ballast tanks, so arranged as to distribute the weight along the I entire length of the craft. These tanks are of canvas, and each has a capacity of about 200 quarts. Any desired tank can be drained of Its contents from tho bridge, and the buoyancy of the Zeppelin can be delicately and readily controlled. Fuel for the engines is carried in 16 tanks of substantial construction, so piped that any one of tho tanks can be used to feed one engine or all tho engines. en-gines. The Gorman constructors have evidently taken every precaution to safeguard their fuel storage and distributing dis-tributing system In order to reduce to a minimum the fire hazard. All In all, tho L-49 Is an interesting craft. Still, after the many wild rumors ru-mors which continually emanate from Swiss sources concerning tho wonderful wonder-ful super-Zeppelins being tried out over Lake Constance, tho secrets betrayed be-trayed by the present type are somewhat some-what disappointing. Thero Is no evidence evi-dence of marvelous bomb-dropping apparatus, ap-paratus, tremendous speed, all-powerful armament, gigantic proportions, mist-producing machinery for hiding from enemies, or non-inflammable gas in place of hydrogen. Again we are led to believe that these things exist mainly in the minds of the Teuton camoufleurs, whose chief role is to inspire fear among the civilian population popu-lation of enemy countries. |