Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1923, Page 77

BY JAWES A. BUCHANAN. T last the United States has awakened to the fact that aircraft are needed both in time of peace and In time of $var. This has not come to pass by reason of any great strides that have een made by individuals alone, but has been brought about largely be- sause of the progress made by other mations, for those on the other side of the Atlantic, as well as across the Pacific, have been steadily perfecting SIDE VIEW OF MODERN DIRIG! both 11 fmachincs msed the commyc e dual possible t means of i b Jaboratories: bay posal of ter and heavier than air n every way encour- f raft as applied to have given have to the that it helped thrown was by ali the assistance give: have piaced at th menters all the re- and open - dis- their aents everything in their power th sources ¢ have done to aid the air Tt ment effort zatior but th effort on the sums, small meeds. have been late have successful some of our govern- aided in that departments have build up a forceful organi- that would assist in the work, re has not been whole hearted part of Congress. Small in comparison to the appropriated, but the lawmakers and, officers of both appeared to reali to keep abr some Nav ruih, and that if we times we t ac work of evolving of engage in the comethiig in t t line that will be of material benefit to and leep us 8t lewst on u par with the siher ne- tions of the For many eharge of the air forces and N have their work as have twisted and turned. @nd despite the many handicaps they have brought forth ideas that, when practice, will give to this styles of aireraft rhat nly afford a greatsr degr to our shores. but will air lanes to commers o e world th: men in of the Army carrying on months pas v been bes skimped new ction » the NG the world war many criti- zed our airmen. and those of too, for not going up and the giant Zeppelins over London, Paris Little did the public Dl [ our allies, Ehooting down that hoevered &nd other cities. yealize that it the fighting airplanes to reach them, for the planes of that day could rise 10 heights and no more, the “Zeps” quietly picked out the tar- gets and dropped the death-dealing bombs, then flew for home. It was ot us if there had been another huge dirigivle. provided with a fleet of fighting planes to protect it while it opencd fire on the Xep. Plans have now been awhich will permit the carrying of six er more fighting planes in the hold of the new dirigible. To one who has iven the matter much thought jt will sound like a fantastic tale, but the fact is that a plan has been worked out which will permit a “mother ship” to carry a number of fighting heavier-than-air machines in a receiving room at the bottom of the great bag. This is the plan of the Army, as soon as the necessary emount of money is available/to construct a huge dirigible that will be able to carry its own defenders, &0 that while it is aloft. dropping pombe. it will not be at the merey ot planes that may have flown wp from the earih. The modern plane can rise to about 30,000 feet, as has been demonstrated by several trial fights in this country The method worked out is an in- genious one. The dirigible is so con- gtructed as to provide room in the Jower third of the giant bag for a hangar capable of holding a half- dozen or more small fighting planes, &l of which will be manned by skilled flyers, for, despite the fact that planes g®re now controlled by wireless and other methods, the individual touch §s still the most effective form of uidance. At the b about tu paratory to gbjwmi below it, certain giant dirigible pre- the nt the mom into position dronping bombs on conquest of | an | the | e they could. They | was not possible for| s0 | worked out | ARAAAASDAR | & Efficiency for Army in’ IBLE I PARTLY COVERED. speck in the sky and the warns of an approaching dirigible a flock of fighting planes. The fivers take their stations in the com- | bat planes of the hangar. and | they take off. An air battle or more thousand feet ground is in progress {ues later, and the enemy routed. Now comes the problem of ing these protectors of the ship, for the parent bomber may la thousand miles or morc from friendly base, and in addition it {be attacked by other en | The planes that not been sent | crashing to earth maneuver until they are just Lelow the entrance end of the hangar. The ship and the plane maintain an equal specd, whereupon stout steel cables are attached large hooks S0 as to connect with the that have been et on top of the | planes near the hooks are made machine in the interior of the hangar raises the plane a of the hangar floor. The littie fighting craft |is then pulled inside. and this opera- tion is repeated until all | planes have been housed “lookout” from that point twenty above the a few min- has been replac- mother be may ny ecraft. have to which Ic wered iron rings upper main stry he fast and the Jifting te level the pursuit | HE question natura i L 1o tile danger involved by usc gasoline, electrical contacts, ete.. ¥ arises as of but the plan evolved provides for the use of helium gas, gas | so far discovered that has anvwhere { lifting power of land is also safe. It possesses | per cent of the lifting power of hy- | drogen and is non-inflammable ‘: During the time the United § {was in the recent war helium gas, in |1aboratory tests, cost about § | cubic foot. Its present-day {80 cents. The United States is par- | ticularly fortunate in having prace | tically ‘all the helium gas in the world. Some little is found in Canada, a very small amount in Italy and a tiny bit in France. Helium, however. is present in the air, but it is in such minute quantities that no way bas-vet been found to | tract it at a figure that nibitive. It exists in the proportion | of one part to 185.000 parts The government for many has been endeavoring to de plan by which helium could | cured and stored. One of the greatest problems that confront an army is the matter of transportation for troops, suppiies, Ie(c., which must be hurried from one point to another during a war. Rail and motor transportation are, in part, | satisfactory, but, where it is neces- sary to go great distances over water or tracklees wastes, other -means raust be devised. Of course, trar ports can move bodies of soldiers from one point to another, but there is the danger of the submarine or the demolition of the transport by machines of destruction that fly througn the ai a greater speed than any ship can travel on the water, » It is not beyond the possible achievement<of man to provide huge This is the only near the hydrogen ates ex- of air. month se some be se at bodies of men, fully equipped, a dis- tance of a thousand miles or more. In fact, plans have been worked out that call for the construction of a dirigible capable of carrying a thou- sand The plans of this pro- posed aerial transport call for the [ C-shape dirigible, this having been | found far better, wind re- istoace n the earlie; men. s far wceraed, tl is PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTION. also, | is not pro- | dirigibles capable of carrying large . THE S PHOTO SHOWS THE FRAME air cddies retarded the quite materially progres hese lighter-than- which are run to’the end | dly in g trencties a4 well defended positions and mighi also be cmpleyed as b Had Mex | eraf spi Gen, 1 ships Ter bheen hi cquipped expedition in o with these . many would 1 obstacles encoun- ave b tored en much more casily ht tharn surmounted air craft does all for a long streteh fron h ot the ground ssar to have o learing on P would provide an easy method of transportation for the wounded; there would be rio jar such as is occasioned by bumping over shell-torn roads, and physicians could, while traveling to a base hospital, render such primary treatment as iy often made impossi- ble by the use of the present-day am- bulance. | Numerous experiments have been| |carried on. both in this country and |abroad. for the purpose of securing a lighter and jess bulky fuel, but as vet nething ot a conclusive nature has been demonstrated. Dirigibles of the mother-ship class would be extremely useful in the de- fense of seaport cities and also of the Panama canal. It is not an im- possibility for a foreign fleet sud- denly to appear outside of Boston, New York or any other of our seaport towns. ‘The attack might come from | battleships with guns of long range; |it might come from dir that have crossed the have heen conveyed the United St might come ‘rom bombing planes have been brought to within miles of shores by a mother ship such | been described, or s moth the seagoing kind. su as n possession of the Navy, and | from which bombing and fighting planes are launched. It is not & hard | matter to convert a coliler or a trans- lport, or. in fact, any other kind of {crart into a seagoing craft that is! | capable of housing u number of| | bombing planes. | | A mother ship of tiie class proposed | would permit the meeting of the en-! emy at a point other than the one the | invading forces intended to destroy { Well known naval authoritles have admitted that the battle- | ship would sta chance ing *n high | our air enem planes £ other battle £ or point ard, uge o a a a few our s ship. How as modern-da but little igibies the mc by chance, |against planes or 4 ca ! bombs filled with ! explosives. so. if force had routed and destroyed the ship. the seagoing | ehips. cruisers might be—woul our lighter-than fightin |chines, for they could. without trou- ble, rise to a height suflicient to free them from danger of being hjt by shells of anti-airera’t guns and then | |take time to secure the range for . dropping huge masses of steel in- |closing high explosives on the decks jof the hostile vessels | * tie vessels whatever be o HESE are but few of the uses . which these huge dirigibles| could be put time of war. The| average cltizen does not like to thin terms of strife, nor does he desire inventions of this character to e used except in case of dire neces- | sity, for the average individual, like he majority Army men, abhors ;ar and its wanton destructfon. He look at the other side of the pic- nd see if aircraft of this char-| not be advantageously | constructive mere may tur acter might employed in useful and | occupations. Prcbably one of the greatest au- thorities on transportation by air is Licut. Col. Ira F. Fravel. air service, | |assistant chiet for lighter than air. | | training and war plans division. of- fice chief of air service. who, in dls- cuesing this important problem. said 'to 1n PAAA, PARTIAL VIEW OF The value of the a transportation is ciated by the large majority ¢ American people, and it leved that sufficient c. been given by hemselves “r¢ 1 hip ( not fully igible) appre- f the le Army i has officers a s not dependent upen tracks, roads. The burning tion of bridges. wa mining destruction roadwayvs and et or demoli- tearing up. otherwise of frequently houts or railways causes a great deal of embarrassment | and -delay t way traffic or rail- not de- animal, moto: The airship pendent upon channels, is water transportation The latter may be blocked by hidden rocks, bars, mines sunken ships None of the above has any effect the airship. The course is practically alwavs an open one. “If u storm appears usually o around or above it is as on in its path. it is by sailing An airship suit- able avoid it UNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, D. O, MARCH 4, 1923—PART Great Dirigfl)les Important Factors AND BRACE |able for transportation purposes will | healthf ave i speed greater 1ovement of the average | will be able to avoid it. “Isolated places can be reached that would be either extremely difficult or impossil all transy w storm le for tation T t does not need any imagi on to appreciate liow valuable a few good airships would have been to the | Pershing expedition into Mexico in 1916 pplies could by to Porto Rico, Panama Canal Zone and Hawaii With a base in Hawaii supplies could to Guam and the Philippine using vs. be sent Islands Landing fields for air be as smooth all that is necessary open space and the | holes, 1 brush would the damage swifter, hips need not for airplanes, being sufficient removal of snags anything that airship envelope or Airship travel as those rge tear the car. smoother. cleaner and more Cosmos Club of Washington Now Leads Among Those for Scientists in Country the Dearbor ndent ITHIN « White House ton stands the N hrow Wa of the hing- leading Cosmos Club. the club of ding somewhat Athenacwn Club of v\'l‘ll‘?ll\ Cluly of New Botolph Travelers’ Ciub of K C Club of Washington dif- it from all these in that it lives N mbership country the seientific the | sen Londd York « Boston nd the the st Club and. mos is vet fe up to strange ideals. {now includes 1.600 of | prominent scientists, literars ties, artists and others who have done meritorious work. The resident and non-resident members are about equal in number. the including many i('ullt-gn- presidents ientist and and other effort who asionally Washing- and who always maie the curiou their headquarters This unusual social center incubates far-reaching and important ntific search and v reh. Visit ghe Cosmos Club at any time of day and yu will find there one or more groups discussing this life, ir sconced chair: Its m: the celebri- latier | eminent men of art ietters lers in allied lines of called to Cosmos C1 scientists tricacy of modern art comfortable are’ leading or that dustry. in the which typical the home- likeness hospitality of this unique organization, basking in the pleasant glow of the open fir scien tific leaders project plans which may revolutionize this or that branch of human effort nd accomplishment it not uncommon e six or seven of leading cabinet officers mathered at the Club for, lunch. The late Alexander aham Bell was a frequent caller Hi on- in-law. Gilbert Grosvenor. president of "the National G Society, was official head curious seientific club, ¥ x HIS remarkable and romantic his- tory of the famous old Washing- ton houses which have been united to form the present home of the Cosmos Club—a rambling group of buildings of dignified simplicity—is ja worthy supplerent to the interest- ing story of the organization and de- velopment of this association of con- gentlemen which is different ¥ other socigl club in exist- Back in ! when the Cosmos Washingten was of and science, B leather of and is 10 s ographic of the * Fenial trom s | ence, | Club was - formed, ier® appears-& Liypes vf Zeppeling, A the dumercus ‘ihg lterary and-pcientific centep of home of the | most | |the United States. Due to the con- | centration of the mainifold govern- mental research investigations at the national capital, scientists d as- cembled there from all parts of the country. Most of them were in the employ of Uncle Sam; the others came to Washington to study history, so- ciology and economics in the great national libraries and galleries of art and science, At that period. the bureaus of coast and geodetic survey, geological sur- | vey. fisheries. ethnology, the Smith- sonian Institution. the weather bureau Department of Agriculture, the War, Navy and State departments, teemed with men of | scientific training and technical edu- | cation. It was but natural that these men should congregate for the com- mon expression of scientific thought and good will. They met fortnightly under the auspices of the Philosophical Society in Ford's Theater, which, sub- sequent to the death of Abraham | { Lincoln, was used as an annex to the general's office and as a repusitory for medical literature | After the philosophical meetings. the sclentists always held so-called adjourned mectings” at a bcer sa- Loon across the street where the tech- | | nical experts ate pretzels, drank beer |and discussed complicated theories |and practices. These congenial gath- |erings were never disreputable or | disorderly, despite that many of those | present were fresh from their scien- |tific studies at Heidclberg and Sutt- | gart. They conceived a scheme to | organize a club and to provide it with suitable headquarters. | The initial meeting of the organi_ vation was held at the home of Maj. 1. F. Powell, a former Union officer {who had lost one arm during the civil war. Maj. Powell was the first | divector of geological survey and was | 1eader of the first party that explored | Grand Canyon and journeyed from | the source to the mouth of the Colo- rado river, one of the most perilious boat trips attempted in the annals of America’s development Maj. Powell was the kind of man who would choke the mouth of a belching volca- no if he thought the spitfire meant anything but fun. At this meeting, Col. Garrick Mallery suggested that the new organization be called the Cosmos Club. There was some sug- ! gostion of spellinx Cesmos with a K. | ibut it was voted down. The Cosmos | Iv:lu\. owcs its ca’m. unbroken record | |and the well as surgeon { factory its aims and these aims adhered to original modesty of to the firmness with which and ambitions have been from its very institution. Froni the outset, zation established rigid requirements and a high standard for membership in the scientific asecciation. Its by- laws require that “its membership be eelected from those who meritorious original work ence. literature the fine arts or from those who, though not occupied scicnce, literature or the fine arts are well known to be cultivated in a special department thereof. or from those who are recognized as distin- he ani- new have done sc. guished in a learned profession or in | In most social clubs, | public service: by-laws are merely made and broken sire of the members. Most any men of fame and fortune can gain admis- #lon to these other organizations if their ordinaty credentials are sat. and they properly in by-laws to be are treduced. 1t is quite’ different at the Cosmos Club. It is an organization that has religiously’adhered to the high ideals and standards of its founders. Just because a certain candidate can sign his check for seven figures means nothing at all to the membership committee that carefully considers the qualifications of each candidate who wishes to join this truly great body. It is but ravely that senators or representatives are admitted to membership despite that active eli- gibility to the Cosmos Club is one of the greatest honors offered by cul- tured Washington society. Manufac- turers, captains of industry and law- yers ace occasionally voted into membership because of outstandnig excellencies which make them pre- eminent. Some of the most eminent an-bassaders and foreign diplomats are cn the Cosmos Club roster * x % T this writing the membership of A the Cosmos Club is cosmopoli- tan if viewed from the standpoint of occupations. However, in each in- stance the member was only admit- ted after careful investigation and determination of individual fitness. The present club roster shows that the membership includes geologists, biologists, anthropologists, pytho- pathologists. chemists. asironomers, writers of_prose, poet matter, DAnters, tors, doctors. lawyers, physicians. of- harmony .and prosperity to-the Army and naval officers, teachers and’ in largely at the de- | and editoriat | college presidents, ers, financiers, architects statesmen, super’ of government The origina ited to 200 re dent members, but these limits were shortiy increased. Right now there are $00 members who live in the Dis- trict of Columbia 00 reside in ion as well as in foreign countries, As the membership hag increased. the de- mands for larger quarters developed From the o inal three rooms in the Corcoran building the Cosmos | professors, bank- diplomats, tendents and chiefs bureaus. membership ident was lim- and 30 non-resi- while another very state in the U the famous | Which, during the administration of stable of Mark Hanna has now been converted into an assembly hall. which is used by practicdlly every sci- | ahead of the United States in the con- entific organization in the cit Washington as a meeting place. of One auditorium on all occasions. is hardly a week night now but what this hall is used by one or another of the various scientific clubs which compose the Washington Academy of Science. 1t would require the sagacity and keep tab on all the scientific schemes which are annually cooked up in the lounge and lunch and library rooms of the Cosmos Club. There gather the leading scientists of the Today Washington is easily the entific center of the entire universe. There are more than 3,500 scientist many leaders in their particular branches capital eity. Many are on country. logical center of assemblage for all tiese celebrities. The doors to this club are zealously guarded, but once one is admitted he is introduced to a itype of cordiality, hospitality and courteous kindliness never surpassed | anywhere. An exceptionally fine library philozophical and scientific ltera 4,000 volumes, of ure, a spe- comprising is (Continued on Fifth Page.) Plans for Monster Aircraft Await Government Sanction, While Their Possibilities in Matter of Transportation Grow |£ More Impressive—This Country Has Practical Monopoly of Helium, Which Makes Such Craft Safe for Travel—Euro- |rsamtive o s forcsn compans 0 # pean Nations Ahead of America in Development and Construction of This Class of Air Carriers—Offers Increased Time of War in Various Branches of Service. than the lateral |o Club | ized has grown to occupy and own the MOSt a monopol historicai home of Dolly Madison and | inflammable ga: Don Cameron residence, | Ship operations, William McKinley, was occupied by | armistice, Germany had planned or Mark Hanna and was known then as | started to bulld airships which could the “little White House" The old|be used for the bombing of New York service rendered by the Cosmos Club | Even Spain and Argentina are to the public has been the usé of this | ning There | within the near future Flilding a rigid of approximately the | the resource of an ancient chtonicler to | States s¢i- [ game time as the Zeppelin airship, it Who live in or near thej ..nor gevelop the rigid airships it Unelej : Sl : should have. Sam’s pay roll. while others come to!g 11y peen provided therefer, but its Washington to gain access to theiy.w oo ore yied by the policy adopted remarkable scieutific vecords in thely o ipo joint Army and Navy board, g,angr‘:sll?natl. Lm;nr), the greatest| o nupished in government order 4, epository of technical data in thejiar Department, 1920. The Cosmos Club is the Future War ‘and Peace gage passenger carrying flights the airship will prove the better. * % k& UITE arrange- ments were completed by a rep- recently primary #|the installation of a passengér Serv- J{ice by means of giant dirigibles be- /| tween the United States and Europy. The plans siwwn disclosed the fas that the cabins or carrying places for the passengers werq to be fitted up with all the conveniences of a ADDITIONAL WIRES ARE YET TO BE INSTALLED. than any Kind of road transportation A study of the tables of character- of few representative ty give some idea of the possibi ties of the airships already construct- ed by the different nations. It is be lieved that the future will see ships with a useful lift of 806 pounds. There is no iimit to the kind of ! supplies that could be transported to- ward the front by airships moving forward under cover of darkness. With large airships, replacement of personnel or, in an emergency, even tactical units could be so moved. and on the return trips salvage material or wounded could be carried back to depots or hospitals Tt is believed that if they shall not have been previousiy used. a war of any magnitude or length, in the fu- ture. will be e to develop hospital airships Pu gave one iman car. Beds and an idea of the ease might be had dur rail | modern-day { berths and comfort ing the voyage across the ocean constructed comtort the mornine night. Was the very not the have w sties wi a one luncheon an: e wit Had one provided sppliances that the plans were for cabin of an airship he: would {been of the opinion that they | for the inter of a private car la well appointed yacht In addition these creature comforts that provided thers were radio and wireless so that the business man might never be out of touch with of business The factors of had been car ried out to cater degree than those the rooms latest known wes to were his place far & employed during period of Zeppelin It is known that the id ing dirigible balloo | flights in the Zeppelin during the time s an officer in the Union the war of '61-'63, but he was laughed at when tioned the idea of flying rection other than that in wind would take it was a number of years betore could arouse among hLis home n being given There is no doubt those who have made a question of travel the public learns the tive safety of travel by al commercial : { that there he country an immer nection therewitl Three main routes for iggested follows York. Chicago, Denver Portland); second, New York, Louis. Denver, San Francisco; third New York, Washington, Atlanta. Sa: ‘Antonio, Los Angeles (or San Diego) These main roadways of air trave! could feed, and be fed by, many lince of airplane, motor or rail service There are many other uses to whici the coming dirigbles may be put. For stance, they may be used for the spection of tracts of country where a railroad desires the right of way, for by means of aerial photography both the general and minute aspects of the terrain may be shown, and th. time. in comparison with the old- fashioned method of sending “scouts through the country, is infinitesima In addition, it would give a far better idea of the surrounding country Another use to which the dirigibie will be put in the future is the send- ing of supplies to those who are su rounded by floods, or even to conves food to men who are working at i accessible points. Still another us will be the exploration of Aret regions or the sending of supplies K¢ air to the regions of Alaska that only Miow be reached by hard, some juurnevs over passcs t are filled with ice and IR routed covering practically entire early construction a of build s capable of lon of Count e served was mind has given to the possi- HIZ Army air service considerable studs Lilities of airships airplane car- viers. and it is believed that the future will see the development and ! successful operation of such craft. It expected that air planes will be | able to take off from and land on the mother airship, in which they will be housed and repaired When it is known that prior commecement of the world war 1914 German Zeppelins and commer- cial airships carried a total of 34,228 passengers in 1388 flights (average about 22 per flight), covering 107.180 miles in 3.167 hours (average approx- imately 34 miles per hour), using hy- drogen. without any casualties, it hard to understand the backwardness al his line of the ordinarily progressive American public. This particularly the case when it is real- that the United States has al- of helium—that non- so invaluable to air forces t that time he men in any d which the cas bag, and he sufficient terest le to permit his the government the m a el in ot by ds of of the that once and rel hips, ured, in by air will and this in co built ndustry up ng airships First, Seattle as It 1t is understood that. before the ty. England. Italy are i struction of airships and the neces- France and them. | plan- travel vy facilities for operating to inaugurate airship The Zeppelin company is now which the German to the replace <ize of the L-71. government is to United States government to airship alloted to the United under the provisions of the treaty of Versailles and which was destroy +d by the Gern..ns It has nut yet been decided wheth- er the Army or tha Navy is to get this airship, but as the Navy will have the ZR-1 completed about the turn over a2 of e s eza believed the latter should be al- lotted to the Army At present the United States Army Uit Not only have no ountry have already been” mapped out, and it is only a question of how soon the government will show a willingness to spend thw money. We shall then see these glants of the air speeding from coast to coast, from the great reaches of the Canadian border to the sunny shores of the gulf states. The United States gave to the world the start in flying machines. She can be the master of the air in every form, if those who control the purse strings will awaken to the gr sity of aireraft; if they will vis- Under that policy the Navy has been charged with the development in this coun- try of rigid airships. It is hcped that the Navy will soon agree that the development of rigid airships has reached the stage where the Army should be charged with the solution of its own airship prob- loms, many of which are quite dif-| ferent from those of the Navy. It is believed that for the short,!ualize tho protection that can he quick fiight the airplane will always | forded by mammoth “dirigibles be supreme, while for the long, bag- | “mothering” a flock of fightyrs. cach L