THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April l. (915. 



Portable Signal Lamp 

 Aviators. 



\gain, long Rights, with accompanying chill, weaken the aviator, 

 mhI t In - i chau tion maj come at a crucial stage of his journey, 

 high aloft. 



Respirable air is normally composed of -'1 parts « « i" oxygen and 

 79 parts of nitrogen. Nitrogen is much lighter than oxygen, 

 hence thi ends to rise just a- the latter is disposed t" 



settle and tc i cling n i the 



earth's surface T li e 



higher one mounts, the 

 greater the perci n 

 of nitrogen, and the less 

 thai of the \ itallv neces 

 sary oxygen which helps 

 in body-building, heat 

 making, a n d bli « id 

 li ansing, hence the i isks 

 run in ascending to great 

 heighi - 



To meet this situation, 

 the Kaiser's air pilots 

 an supplied with small 

 reserve tanks, holding 

 pressed oxygen, did 

 the ruhlier hose leading 

 therefrom is attached to 

 a mouthpiece, also made 

 i if ruhlier. hanging w ith- 

 in easy reach of the a\ i- 

 ator; or. again, in an- 

 other form, can he at- 

 tached to the head and 

 placed 1 1\ er the nose ami 

 mouth before tile airman mounts skyward. All he has to do is 

 to turn a little valve and at once he is stimulated by this con- 

 centrated breath of life. If he is cold and numb, inhaling the 

 oxygen for a few moments will suffice to excite the circulation 

 of the blood and to carry a sense of warmth to the very ex- 

 tremities of his bodj . 



But the airman has reason to fear water, and more than one 

 of them have already been drowned 

 by dropping into seas, lakes, and 

 rivers during long flights. Seine ol 

 the German air pilots who hav*; 

 caused alarm in England have fallen 

 into the North Sea and the Channel; 

 but these aviators are safeguarded. 

 both for work aloft and against acci 

 dental dropping into the water. The 

 German pilots are able for a limited 

 time even to breathe beneath the 

 surface of the sea. The airman 

 caught in the rigging of his w i 

 machine and held under water, in- 

 stead "i struggling violently ami 

 tening bis end. can now 

 work delil • i itelj i' 'i' a consid 

 interval in getting clear of the tangle. 

 In fail, he can breathe submerged I)} 

 1 the ' in' 'i -' H' ' apparatus 



now supplied him, for half an hour. 



When not used for this purpose tin 



equipment can be draw n upot 



the i xhausted aeri >naut, 



safety auxiliary for ai 



plane service consists of an oxygen 



tank, having a storage capacity ot 60 litres, a caustic soda 

 e for the cleansing of the exhaled air, an elastic breath- 

 ing pouch of ruhlier slung over one shoulder, and the Con- 

 ■ . '".lies and mouthpiece we have alrearlv described The 



exhausted air passes through the cartridge, where it is fried of 

 carbonic and gas, then, mixed with new oxygen from the metal 

 cylinder, flows thence into the breathing sack. In the mouth- 

 piece are two cleverl) arranged valves, by which the circulation 

 of the exhalation ami the respirable air is maintained. The 

 whole outfit is attached to a life-bell 01 ''st of ruhlier. which 

 lits the aviator like a jacket This safely coat serves the double 

 purpose of a warmth-giving outer garment and a life-belt. 



This jacket does not interfere with the aviator's freedom of 

 movement. Upon ho chest are the caustic soda cartridge and 

 the oxygen flask, which are of such form and size that they do 

 lot hamper him. Should the airman drop into the water he 

 can instantlj pine the breathing pipe in his mouth and open 

 the valve controlling the supply of oxygen, This done-, the rest 

 of his jacket, idled with air. will hold him afloat indefinitely. 



A somewhat similar equipment ha- been designed foi the oi 

 ficers ami crew of tin great Zeppelins of the German air fleet. 

 Because of their enormous sizes, these dirigibles are likely tar- 

 gets for the- guns "f an enemy when sailing low. especially in 

 ■.he daytime. Therefore, it is necessary that the Zeppelins, for 

 their own security, should always travel at much greater heights 

 than the more active anil the comparatively small aeroplane. 

 Besides this, the men in the dirigibles must he' exposed to the 

 ■ "] i i, ,r longer periods than the pilot of a flying machine, hence 

 it is of clii' utmost importance that officers ami crews should 

 have safetj equipments from which they can draw invigorating 

 oxygen from time to time. A simpler form of the mechanical 

 respirator has been de-vised for the dirigibles: but. again, india- 

 rubber is indispensable for the air-bags, the connecting lubes. 

 ;.nil the mouthpiece. 



Irom a military standpoint, these protective auxiliaries are 

 demanded, because the slower-moving and bulky Zeppelins can- 

 not eleidge the agile aeroplane, but must seek to gain the better 

 • f it by soaring to greater heights and thus either get the "drop" 

 on the flying machine or "freeze out" the pilot so that be won't 

 dare follow to the elizzy altitudes. At this stage of the game 

 the' people on the airship must have more oxygen than the en- 

 veloping atmosphere contains, ami it is then that the' respirators 

 are calleel into service. 



A Military Flyer 



'ACKED FOR 



Tr VNSP0RTATI0X. 



There are other directions in which india-rubber is lending 

 its peculiar characteristics towards making dirigibles ami aero- 

 planes more effective It will be remembered that when the 

 German airmen dropped bombs on some of the English 



iast 



