800 



The Outline of Science 



all intermediate stations and sheds only at the termini. It must 



be remembered that a shed, to house an airship between two and 



three hundred yards long, costs over one hundred thousand 



pounds. In addition, a crew of some hundreds of men is neces- 



' , sary to take one of these aerial monsters to its berth, or bring it 



ut to the open. 



A mooring mast costs less than 25,000 to erect. The up- 

 to-date form of mast consists of a lattice-work tower with a top 

 which revolves easily. From the revolving top a cable can be 

 let out and, when an airship approaches, a second cable is let 

 down from the nose of the vessel. The two cables are then con- 

 nected, and a steam winch hauls in the slack, gradually drawing 

 the airship closer until her nose fits into a socket in the revolving 

 head of the mast. So fixed, she will always swing with her nose 

 up wind, and can safely outride winds of 40 to 50 m.p.h. velocity. 

 The additional advantage which mooring has as against berthing 

 in a shed is that It^s than half a dozen men are needed to moor 

 an airship, and the act of release is even simpler. Passengers 

 and goods are carried to the top of the mast in a lift, so that no 

 inconvenience is experienced by travellers. The actual dimen- 

 sions of the airships which we have in Britain are as follows 





The Future of Airships 



With regard to the future of airships, it is safe to say that 

 they will be utilised for mail, passenger, and goods services for 

 the long-distance routes, whereas aeroplanes will be employed 



