Evening Star Newspaper, August 16, 1931, Page 48

Tasad DU addl Daafl, W LA0dada U ULy, 190i—Fanli ruun. EXT, Washington entered upon what he had now begun to erdently hope for-a n - AVIATION BY WILLIAM W. CHANCE. .. .Is the Navy's new s sound investment of $5 This is the question that may be answer weeks when preliminary test flights of the huge airship are sched- uled to be conducted at Akron, Ohio. It is a question affecting vitally the future of lighter-than-air craft as a modern military weapon—a question that as yet never has been satistactorily answered. . Naval air officials appear confident the Akron will prove to be all they have claimed—a mighty monarch of the skies, virtually impregnable and able to spread death and destruction to attacking enemy ships. Taking the opposite view, old-line officers of the Navy —stanch, die-hard supporters of the battleship as the country’s first line of defense—cling steadfastly to the opinion that the Akron represents $5,000,000 ill spent. Admittedly an “Experiment.” Even the most ardent supporters of lighter-than-air craft admit, however, that the dirigible, christened last week at Akron by Mrs. Herbert Hoover, is an “experiment,” but a noble one. No nation thus far has developed a dirigible purely for fighting purposes, use of that type of craft heretofore having been confined almost solely to obser- vation work, except for Germany's employment of airships to bomb London and Paris. Both the Los Angeles and the ill-starred Shenan- doah were used principally for training purposes. Much depends on the forthcoming flight tests. One of the main problems to be decided is whether the United States should construct -a sister ship to the Akron—the proposed ZRS-5—for which Congress | already has authorized an appropriation. Secretary of the Navy Adams and Rear Admiral William V. Moffett, chief of the Navy Aero- nautics Bureau, both apparently agree the second monster of the air should be built. In the Navy’s new “policy sheet.’ the first statement of naval policy under the Hoover administration, construction of the dirigible is set forth as an aim of the service. Final decision, how- ever, rests on the results of the Akron's preliminary and final prac- tice flights. Formidable Sky Voyager. From the military standpoint, naval air officers believe the Akron will prove to be the most formidable sky voyager that ever took to the air. Carrying five airplanes within her cigar-shaped framework and armed with heavy, .50-caliber machine guns, they expect her to long succession of pleasant and peaceful years a8 a mafter farmer. He had made before, now it was to be final. He one attempt set his hand to the task of broadening his acres, to the en- largement and improvement of Mount Vernon, and to increasing the produ&ivity il {105 of his farms O I 5 HIS was one of Washington's docks, built for the handling of grain, tobacco, flour and other products, which he shipped in his own sloop to points on the Potomac. “Buy nothing you can make within yourselves” was his motto. He made plows, dire@ed his black- smiths, wood burners, shoemakers, weavers and in a séason seined from the river close to one hundred thousand herring, marketing about eighty-five thousand of the catch. ardent crities. supporters and severe ! | | Increases Safety of Flight. | The proponents point out that | its remarkably slow landing speed | greatly increases the safety of | flight, and its rapid ascent make | it more practicable for use in con- gested areas where landing fields are small and surrounded by ob- structions. The opponents admit the unusual characteristics of | those now flying, but say that they | are too slow and too small for any | practical use. I can think of two uses for the windmill plane even in its early stages of development. It should make an excellent ambulance plane on account of its ability to |land near the scene of crashes and beside hospitals where flying fields do not exist. Also they shomld be.a powerful aid to the Navy in attack. Defensively, the Akron is con- structed to take plenty of punish- ment and stand it. Her eight pow- erful Maybach engines—similar to those on the Graf Zeppelin—ail are inclosed within the fabric, along with a major portion of the control cabin. These features of construction alleviate to a large extent the possibility of direct hits being scored and vulnerable parts shot away, in the opinion of air strategists. The Akron's gigantic size—she is;as long as several city blocks angd as tall as a 15-story building —gingularly is an aid to her de- fe@se. She has so many gas cells thit to shoot her out of commis- sign would be virtually impossible. Her length overall is 785 feet, com- d with 776 for the Graf and for the Los Angeles; maximum digmeter, 132, as against 100 for the German airship and 90 for theé American; height, 146 to 113 and 104. i Could Cruise to Hawail. it is the Akron’s eruising abil- Ig however, that the Navy is proud of. Without refueling, she can fly 10,580 land miles at an gverage cruising speed of 50 miles an hour. At that rate she could to Hawali, beat off an at- tack and return to her base on the Pacific Coast without leaving air. Her maximum speed is 88 miles an hour, or lpproum:tel 50 miles faster than the Navy’ fleetest cruisers. thing expected to be :filsd defiriitely during the flights be the question of what effect the-thousands of pounds of excess ‘weight built in the craft may have on her operations. The over- weight was caused, according to | It takes grim disaster to reawaken | official Navy explanations, by changes in specifications ardered during construction and could not be prevented, it was sald, even though the Goodyear - Zeppelin Co. was {0 have been paid a pre- mium for keeping the weight down to & minimum. Sought Br;;l:er't Rescue. mariners seeking a northwest pas- sage to India. Parker Must Get Credit. | 1Is there really any hope that a | satisfactory air trail lies across | be served en route over such a course and no great natural re- transportation. It is more than likely that future lanes of air com- merce will swing further south to avoid the rigors of the northern climate and connect up with large cities. | _But if the future should prove this wrong, if great caravans of men and mail are flown over that far northern highway tomorrow, | then no small share of the credit | must go to the vision, the courage and the work of Parker Cramer. Resemble Stock Crashes. On every hand one hears the query amon the flying men: “What has led to this sudden or; of crashes?” For several months we breeze along, piling up thou- sands of flying hours unmarred by accidents, then all at once from every section of the country come reports of air fatalities. A little reflection reveals some of the answers. The causes of air- plane crashes greatly resemble |stock market crashes. There comes a time when all is wel] and everything runs smoothly. en we grow careless, we take more chances, we aren’t as thorough in inspecting our planes and motors and in watching the weather. In | short, we lose respect for gravity | and his fellow enemies of flying. | us to the realization that certain rules must be followed and defi- nite precautions must be taken. Of late the three large govern- | mental agencies operating or con- | trolling aircraft, the Army, Navy and Department of Commerce, | have made a serious effort to com- gfle accurate accident data and raw reasonble conclusions. There | those subarctic spaces? There are | | no great centers of population to ! sources needing development or | Capt. Tra C. Eaker contributes | i¢ 2 surprising similarity between | the following story in his weekly | the findings of each of these| copyrighted - North American | gToups. The principal causes they | Newspaper Alliance article: ist are pilots’ errors, material | | make good shuttle planes for de- | livering mail and express from air- | ports, generally miles from the centers of cities, to downtown sections. The tops of office build- |ings would suffice as a landing | platform for autogiros. I confess, though, that their | makers and backers must answer some questions before I'll feel ab- | solutely safe in one. What hap paddles breaks? Could it be land- ed safely then? What would the landing speed be? | Of course, this novel little device will never be of importance for other than sport craft unless it can be adapted to large multi- enfine planes and unless its wind- mill can be folded up and put away after the take-off to prevent it from impeding the forward progress of the plane, and then brought out again for landings or emergencies. | All these questions and doubts | are challenges to the inventors| and manufacturers. These gen- tlemen usually know the answers. Let us hope they succeed in giv- ing them, for a really practical| autogiro would solve two of thef greatest problems in this flying| business—how to get quickly °fli the ground and safely back again. { Air Races Are Coming. l During the last days of this| month and the first week of next, | Cleveland will be the air mecca. | Toward it will4vend the manufac- turer to show his wares, the in | ventor for new ideas and the un | employed pilot for a job. There, t0o, will go the thrill seeker look- | | ing for a startling spectacle, such | as these races furnished last year. The great airport at Cleveland is being put in festival garb for | the Nation's foremost flying event. | There is much interest concerning | the pilots and planes belng‘ oomed for the racing heats. umor has it that Jimmy Doolit- | tle has secured a Laird capable of | 250 miles an hour. Lee Schoen- hair says his Laird will do 260. The Travelair Co. is feverishly fur nishing its mystery plane, expect ed to be very fast. The taciturn Capt. Hawks has ' not announced what races he will | Beveral years ago a personable | failures, weather, all others and young man walked into the office | unknown. of the Assistant Secretary of War Of these causes, the following is for Aviation and asked to see Mr.| & fairly close approximation of Davison. Obviously worried, he | estimated percentages for last hurriedly introduced himself and | year: Pilots’ errors, 55 per cent; el(erl' asked: material failure, 15 per cent:| “Will you send some Army Weather, 15 Ker cent; unknown, 7 planes to rescue my brother? Per cent; all others, 8 per cent | He's lost somewhere between | These figures show fairly clearly| enter and Al Williams, back from | Europe, where he went to interest continental pilots in our races, can always be depended upon for a good exhibition. Despite the much-advertised de- pression and the fact that both the Army and Navy are out of rac- ing this year for lack of funds, I think those who visit Cleveland pens when one of the frail-looking | % Labrador and Denmark. He had a land plane and if he was forced down at sea he can't last long.” 8o earnest was his entreaty that the War Department set about a hasty study to see what chances airplanes had in that region, where landing fields, if an; isted and what gasoline supplies were available The anxious young man was Parker Cramer’s brother. Parker, called “Shorty” by his flying! friends, while engaged in this first of his three efforts to blaze an air | trail along the Arctic Circle to link the Great Lakes of America | with the fjords of Norway, had been forced down on an isolated tip of Greenland. He went unre- ported for many days, hence the anxiety of his brother, When hope had been almost abandoned Park- lked into a Green- Lost Plane in Jce. On his second attempt he again reached Green tied his planc up to the icy beach and went ashore for the night. A severe storm blew up and the fce to which the plane was moored broke off from the shore. In the morn- ing the plane was gone Downhearted. but undaunted over the seeming hoodoo which dogged his efforts, Cramer quietly E‘reparsd for his third venture e shrouded his planes and de- arture in such secrecy that he anded in Greenlend before the news hawks knew of his purpose. Like a great many pilots, he had pet superstitions. Cramer thought it bad luck to announce what you are going to do. Better to talk about it after it's done, he used to say. He also thought it was a i1l omen to pose for phomgnghers. | The mystery surrounding Cram where the chief trouble lies and Will not be disappointed. They'll | We must what must be done to eliminate it. | ay more attention to pilot training and selection. As we find them today, the flying ma- 1 chine is more reliable than the| man who controls it. | Does It Take Supermen? Several hundred applicants for | the Army’'s Flying School will tell | you that it does. The Army Ailr| Torps has three large flying schools soon to be condensed 1nm| one, which will then become the largest aviation instruction cen- ter in the world. No better flying training is available anywhere. | These schools admit some 600 can- didates annually for one year's in- | guide book should possess. It describes | litical eris tensive training, clothing feeding them free and paying them a salary as they learn. Un- usually fortunate are the men se- lected for this course and there are thousands of applicants on the waiting list This week examinations were given at the larger flyin, fields to add to this roll of accepted appli- cants. At one fleld 1§ appeared, | and all were found physically dis- qualified. At another field 45 wer. examined and 4 passed. These re- sults were not abnormal. They| demonstrate the care the Army employs in selecting its flyers. But | despite the unusual caution taken | in picking them, more than half | of those who begin training fail to graduate. and | What of the Flying Windmill? | Perhaps nothing which tours the skies today is creating so much comment and discussion as the| autogiro. Minus a top wing, but ith a_structure greatly resem- bling a Dutch windmill in its place, | this weird creature has done some 'ever been detcribed er's third venture emp! the | remarkable things of late. There daring of one of America's fore- are the transcontinental flights, most aviators. This flight con- the landi on the steps of the stituted the most ambitious proj- Capitol in Was! and in the ect yet undertaken with a plane grounds of the Nal al Museum, equipped with a Diesel engine. He‘whm the original one now “'i see some hotly contested races, some thrilling air spectacles. PUBLIC LIBRARY Cuba. In connection with the disturbances in Cuba the Public Library calls atten- tion to the following books and maga- zine articles Purely Descriptive. | Terry’s Guide to Cuba, Including the Isle of Pines, by T. P. Terry. 1929 G973.T27. > “The present Guide to Cuba embodies best features that an accurate, heipful, dispassionate and dependable the island in greater detail than it has and it shows the traveler all there is worth seeing in the oculckest and most satisfactory way, with the least outlay of time and money.’ Cuba of Today, by A. H. Verrill. 1931 GOT3.V6l4c “Throughout the book he evidently endeavors to hold an even balance in his sccount, setting forth with praise and admiration the muititude of varied. interesting and beautiful charms and attractions to be found there, but not falling to warn the travelers of dis- agreeable conditions sure to be found here and there. | Polities and Ecohomies. A History of the Cuban Republic; a “A frank and unblased study of the Cuban Republic."—G. H. Stuart. Our Cuban Cclony; s Study in Sugar. by L. H. Jenks. 1928. JUBS3.J420. *‘Our Cuban Colony’ traces thé pen- | gradual of | | American capital and administrative | energy into the life of the neighboring | |island. Mr. Jenks thinks the time hn1 jcome for a reconsideration of the rela- tions of Cubs gnd the United States as defined by the Platt amendment.” The Recommendations of Habana Con- cerning International Organizstion. edited by J. B Seoft. 1017 ;| down. Very little polish is used, as this { is t0o new any opinion as to the success | their Snyder’s Inn 3 Miles West of Gaithersburg Fried Chicken Dinner Hot Biscuits All Fresh Vegetables Phone Gaithersburg 34.W M ai COLONIAL INN Westminster, Md. The best $1.00 dinner served in Maryland Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. A‘Sulente Bood Eonds Mipses Thte, o7 ‘Dhone Sorth Bill T Pike Washington to Frederick ccesaible by motor er W. M. pjace for motoriats to stap. xcellent food and service. Mengel. _ For particulars Blue Ridge 108-R. enie rive 5 A Colonial resort an Mhena Historic: scenically beautiful, spiring, romantic. ~Canoeln ‘Three_busses 1 Rooms, $1; Souther: nflfll" 1llv‘!f ul, - “Ml: wim- Riverside Inn Seneca, Md. The Prettiest Spot on Upper Potomac an Own Countrs Ham Fresh Vegetables Relicions foods served in an sitractive AT R | Chapman Manor Blue Summit, Pa. CHICKEN BINNERS WEEKLY SND WEEREP om"_ | by Cosmede la Torriente. JXAR,7Ing.v.12. [ | | | Cuba, 1822 Magasine Articles. Ordeal of Cuba, by Waldo Frank. | ?:flbfl!f'l Magazine, 90:13-23. July, | “Mr. Frank interprets Cuba in a | fresh and vivid fashion. His analysis of the part the American business man is phylnfnln Cuba will not make pleas: ant reading for Americans, but it can. not fall to aid if understan the mp)e who inhabit the island whi | n always a troublesome problem in | our governmental policy.” E Cuba Under the Machado Regime, by | Ernest Qruening. Ourrent History, $4:214-219. May, 1931. vindication of the policy of the United St the Spring of 1931, written visit to Cuba by the suthor. Cuban Dictatorship, by Malwon man. Nation, 132:309-311. 18, 1981 | A record of the Machado government and the government measures leading | 2877 up to the present unrest. Cuba Calls in Experts, by Review of Reviews, 1931 “Cuba, like the rest of the world suffers {rom depression. and during the past vear and a half the economic phe- | nomenon has been accompanied by po- | litieal unrest—a repercussion of the re- | cent revolutionary cycle in kindred | South America . Pinance and tax- ation are at the moment disorganized. | and Machado turns to America. He has | requested Prof. E. R. A. Seligman of Columbia University to make a compre- | hensive survey of the national revenue system.” | o r Shaw. | 84:61. July, n_Edge, by W. G. Shepherd lier's, 87:14-15. April 25, 1931 “The United States is responsible by law for the censtitutional liberties of the Cuban peoplé. Therefore, if those liberties are being denied Cuba | | has a story every American should read.” Cuban Tangle, by O. R. Strackbein North American Review, 231:123-128. February, 1931 “Ours is not the only President beset | | with tall diffieulties” Under this fore- word the writer launches a defense of | Gen. Machado and the methods em- | | ployed to meet an economic and po- | Col- CARS CLEANED IN CHINA AT THREE CENTS A DAY new coneern in Hongkong. known as nternational Automobile Cleaning | | " has recently developed a rather unique vice for cleaning and polish- | ing cars during office hours, aceording to s communication received by the Automotive Division, Department of | Commerce, from David M. Maynard, | assistant trade commissioner in Hong- | kong. Boys with the letters “I A. A. C.” across the front of their overalls your car daily wherever it may ed, and with sponge, cloth and ve it a good rub- A the Co. be. a little soapy water would add considerably to the cost. For | this service a charge of ¢ Ho dol- | lars per month is made. is at the | current rate of exchange ts ap- | proximately 85 cents American currency, less than 3 cents gold per day. A low wage scale makes these charges ble, as the boys who do the scrul Te- ceive about 450 Hongkong dollars (slight over §1 T'rited States) per month for their labe. The to_express of the ven. ture, but the service offers automobile owners & to keep cars in good trim at little expense. ‘The General Tire Co. of Washis , the removal of its th and I | gotogs ya, tates in the Cuban crisis of | £ive, O4ks Legse atter ‘a | i Paven mosse ———— SRVEL RN eC— PLATY NUMERALS INDICATE MILEAGE BETWERN OLTLEVED SonvTS Ll o Chasmes Maner, Delightfully Difterent | r!'“r-I.W'Amm' Rosd-B. at ek fan: B ; e g R Brachaven Inn Have YO_U Discovered Twin Oaks Tavern? Caftee Southern Cook La Plata R PENNSYLVANIA Biue Ridge Summit. Roules $40-15-16. Summit Villa, Blus Ridge Summit. Routes 340-15-16. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Rasgbaret Farm, Quees Chavel Resd. M2 8t NI VIRGINIA Black Lantern Inn, Fairfax. Route 211 Casigel View Waslle Shevpe, Upper Boad to Alezandria. e, Warrenten, Route 211. M Toll House Tavern SV TR . I ‘ Luncheon, Tea, Dinner | Sunday Breakfast On the cool terraces of Nor- mandy Farm one may enjoy excellently prepared meais daintily served in_an atmos- phere charmingly French pro- vincial. Only eight miles from District Line. Go out Wisconsin Ave. to River Road, to Town of Potomac. Turn right to farm abeut 1 mile. Phone Rochville 352 Decorations by Gemevieve Nendricks, Mee. COLLEGE INN Opposite Western Maryland Collese Westminster, Maryland. Phome 341-W SPECIAL CHICKEN AND STEAK DINNERS, $1.00 eautitul Grounds,” Restyul end Cool On Rockville Pike 4 Miles Above Bethesda Country Ham and Maryland On the Mountain Above BLUEMONT, VA. Telephone Bluemont 14 Here on porches over- looking the Shenandoah Valley you may enjoy delicious foed and a cool breeze, LUNCHEON, TEA, DINNER COMFORTABLE ROOMS 53 miles over hard reads, via Chaln Bridse and Reute 84 Choicest Foods Fre From Our Own Farms | Deliciously Prepared | ly Served | Appet "irectton rtre ey Bownes anbion 33 ARM - OLNEY, MD BLACK LANTERN INN || 2'0F Routes 30 and 21T VRS S Luncheon, Tee, Dinner ol 1 R GRAY'S HILL INN Overjosking the Formerly 8 pari of il Harpers Ferry, W. Va, Southern Modern dens is Dinners and Relaxation. Drive Out 16th Street to Marsiand State then 1 {Tl‘;l" straight Dass the door RPN T TR Five Oaks Lodge and Tea House On Frederick Road in Catonsville, 2 Miles East of Ellicott City lovely. comfortable modern heme, on autiful estate. The ma! b two rooms Apactive bungalows o are k. tful week-end reireats Jor tired townsfolk. Large Filtered Swimming Pool Sand Beach Night Bathing v, TRENE B PETER PAN INN At Urbana, Md, 38 mi. frem Washingten. Country Ham, Steak and Chicken Dinners, $1.50 Week Dar Luncheons, 75¢ and $1.00 CAPITOL VIEW WAFFLE SHOPPE s SRR e $1.25 Dinner "o - Ham, $1.00 3 TR, 2eg, GREAT FALLS, Md. 102 Years Old Famous Old Lock House n lodge and ode and | Wl Top Wouse. Harpers Ferry, Routes 340-348. ORKNEY SPRINGS HOTEL {3 hours drive from Washingtes, through beautiful Shenandoah Valley Turn . west, ot Mr Jackson Wash- ingt most atr g‘z'& it eo.n“m| #00d roads; reasonable raf Booklet. Phone Distance Mgr. Mt. Jackson 50 E. L. Cockrell, Pres. & Coffee Shoppe Warrenton, Virginis Home Cooking Special Lunches and Dinners Middle of Main Street ; ‘Hazelhurst Farm | $1.50 Chicken and Steak Dinners $1.00 Chicken and Waffle Dinners or | Farm Style | A pleasant, short drive—just this side of old Ram's Horn ima. }A Place of Refinement—Not & Road Nouss Potomac 3474-W THE LITTLE TEA HOUSE ial Sunda specl to 8:30 yP.I.