All About Inventions and Discoveries
The Romance of modern scientific and mechanical Achievements

246 All About Inventions single charge of fuel, and capable of carrying a load of five tons. It is unnecessary to dwell upon the achievements of this airship in the grim exigencies of war. As a weapon of destruction we have had ample experience to enable us to judge its capabilities in this direction. The question which is of far greater import is its commercial value. Previous to the war airship ser- vices were inaugurated in Germany, and aerial trips and scheduled journeys were carried out with con- spicuous success. Count von Zeppelin has expressed his belief that before many months have elapsed he will be able to build a vessel capable of travelling from Europe to America. Already the radius of action has been raised to such a degree as to bring the journey between the north of Ireland and Newfound- land within the range of practicability. The only unknown factor is the weather, and, as events have proved, this is the Zeppelin’s worst enemy. Count von Zeppelin, despite anything which may be said to the contrary, may be regarded as the in- ventor, pioneer, and only successful exponent of the rigid type of airship. Imitators have striven to eclipse his achievements, but have only met with exasperating failure and disappointment. But another aerial achievement has served to relegate the rigid dirigible to the background among the nations of the world, with the solitary exception of Germany. This is the aeroplane, or heavier-than- air aerial vessel, which at the moment is absorbing the greatest and widest measure of attention for the simple reason that its future possibilities are quite beyond human calculation.