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fell 20,900 feet in 12 minutes, establishing a new altitude record.

Lieutenant Hamilton jumped from a La Pere plane piloted by Lieut. P. H. Downes, at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Fla. The previous "high jump" record was 19,800 feet, made by Lieutenant Krug in Texas.

AIRSHIPS AND DIRIGIBLES. The part played by airships in the World War was discussed by Admiral Scheer of the German navy in his book, entitled The German High Sea Fleet in the World War. The admiral stated that at the outbreak of the war the German navy possessed three Zeppelins, each of 15,000 cubic meters capacity, but as the war progressed this number was increased to 67, 17 of which were lost due to enemy action, 34 were accidentally destroyed, and six were captured by the enemy. This left 10 airships available at the armistice. The ships were not all of the same type but differed in size, continually increasing in their dimensions. Type L-50 had a volume of 55,000 cubic meters, five engines of 260 h.p., a speed of 110 kilometers per hour, and a useful load of 38 tons. In type L-70 the volume was increased to 62,000 cubic meters, seven engines were fitted, and the useful load increased to 43 tons at 130 kilometers per hour. The armament also developed during the war and while the first airships were armed with machine guns, the later types also carried a 2-cm. gun. The crew numbered 20 to 25 all told.

It soon became evident that owing to the rapid development of the aëroplane, the airship was useless on the Western Front and its main service was with the German fleet, and in air raids on England. The last of these air raids took place Aug. 5, 1918, when the L-70 was shot down.

One of the misunderstandings following the Treaty of Versailles concerned the turning over by Germany of its fleet of airships. These were to be distributed among the various nations and all allotted actually were turned over in 1920 except that given to Japan, which after being studied by Japanese officers, was to be shipped in small parts. Three Zeppelins were wrecked by German soldiers during the Armistice week and these too figured in the discussions. America was to have received a Zeppelin, but not participating in the reparation settlement this aircraft was assigned to Italy.

During the year the Zeppelin dirigible L-72 was delivered to France by Germany.

The first proposed designation, "DR-1," was not in accordance with French practice, which assigned names to airships, and accordingly it was renamed the "Dixmude," in recognition of the magnificent work of the French marine fusiliers in defence of that town in October and November, 1914.

Italy also received her share of the Zeppelins and the "L-120" on November 19th left her station at Seerappen, Koenigsberg, for Stolpe in Pomerania, where she was turned over to representatives of Italy. The hangar at Seerappen also was assigned to Italy; to be taken down, transported to Milan, and reërected there to house the "L-120." A duration record of 105 hours was claimed for this airship. Italy also secured from Germany the "L-61" and it was reported that previous to making the voyage to Italy, the "L-61" carried 85 passengers during a trial trip lasting 10 hours at a height

of 2500 meters. The journey from Friedrichshafen to Rome took 12 hours, and to cross the Alps the airship had to rise to 3500 meters. On arrival at Rome it was found that the shed provided was only 151⁄2 inches higher than the airship, but the vessel was docked without mishap. In Great Britain the completion of the huge dirigibles under construction aroused interest particularly the R-80 which, except for its Wolseley-made Maybach engines, was an allBritish design and not as in the case of R-33 and R-34, a copy of Zeppelins. The R-80, while smaller than the R-34 class, had greater speed, which represents an advance in design. These two airships are compared with R-38, which Great Britain built for the United States in the accompanying table.

The R-80 was provided with two streamline cars and a longitudinal gangway connecting them. There was means of egress to the top of the ship where there was a gun platform. The hull was divided into 15 gas containers with transverse partitions, and the transverse section of the hull was 21-sided. The chief features in which the R-80 was considered an advance on previous airships were: abolition of string netting; lighter and less permeable gas bags; increase in aerodynamic efficiency, strength and rigidity by improvements in the form of the cars; improved arrangement of controls; reduction of head resistance by installation of sliding radiators.

The trial flight of R-80 took place on July 19th from Walney Island, Barrow.

The United States airship R-38 referred to above was practically completed during 1920 at Bedford, England, and it was anticipated that its trip to the United States would be made in May, 1921, at which time the hangar at Lakehurst, N. J., would be ready to receive the giant dirigible. With the completion of the Lakehurst hangar, the United States would be in the position to construct airships similar to the R-38. The English hangar in 1920 was the only one in the world in which such a large dirigible could be built and its dimensions were exceeded by that at Lakehurst. In addition to the items in the table the following figures of the R-38 are of interest: Length, 694.5 feet; diameter, 85.5 feet; useful lift, 45 tons; fuel capacity, 32 tons (13 tons available for freight, personnel, etc.); consumption per hour, 180 gallons; cruising radius, 5600 knots; speed, 60 knots; speed, cruising, 50 knots; complement, 6 officers, 19 men; motors, 6 Sunbeam Cossack, 350 h.p.; gas volume, 2,724,000 cubic feet hydrogen; dead weight, 33 tons. The R-38 took part in the celebration attending the return of the Prince of Wales, flying over London. An American crew which had been sent to England to bring back the airship handled the craft.

The largest dirigible actually in use in the United States Air Service in 1920 was the French-built airship "Zodiac," officially known as ZD-1. She was 300 feet in length and ordinarily carried a crew of 3 officers and 10 men. A somewhat smaller airship but of American construction was the United States army airship, D-2, which completed its test at Akron, Ohio, and successfully made the flight from that point to Langley Field via Pittsburgh on October 31st, a distance of 444 miles. The ship, constructed for the government by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, has a gas capacity of 190,000 cubic feet. The dimensions are: Length, 198 feet; height, 58 feet; width, 51 feet 3 inches. It has a cruising radius of 550 miles, which may be extended to 790 when running at half-speed, and an altitude distance of 8500 feet. The ship was fitted with two engines of the Union vee type of 120 h.p. each and making 1400 revolutions per minute.

The D-2 was used for training purposes at Langley, and at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds for bombing work.

THE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON RACE. The annual international competition for the Gordon Bennett Trophy started from the balloon field, North Birmingham, Ala., October 23rd. The field was made up of eight large spherical balloons, including the Pilot, with representatives of the two daily papers, and the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce balloon, piloted by Roy Donaldson. The big bags were filled with the by-product coke gas from the Sloss Sheffield Steel and Iron Company and the balloons ascended in a mild northwest breeze. The Pilot started at 4.15, and 4 to 10 minutes later the others started.

First place in the competition was achieved by the Belgian balloon "Belgica," in charge of Lieutenant De Muyter and Lieutenant Labrousse, which landed at 9.30 A.M., October 25th, at North Hero Island, Vermont. The distance covered was estimated at 1100 miles, which however, was less than the American record of 1173 miles, made by Alan Hawley and Augustus Post, in the International event in 1910. Lieutenant De Muyter, pilot of "Belgica," explained that his landing was forced because he was out of ballast. In its flight the balloon crossed over the Great Lakes, reaching a maximum height of 20,000 feet, at which a heavy snow and rainstorm was encountered.

Second place was achieved by the American balloon "Kansas City II," with H. E. Honeywell and Jerome Kingsbury. This balloon landed at Tongue Mountain, Lake George, N. Y., and its journey covered more than 1000 miles. Third place went to the Italian entry, with Major Valle as pilot, which, after forty-eight hours in the air, within twenty-six minutes of the American record, made by Clifford B. Harmon and Augustus Post in a national race in 1909, landed near Homer, N. Y.

The "Goodyear II," with Ralph Upson pilot, was fourth for distance, landing at Amherstburg, Ont., across the river from Detroit, being forced down by a heavy snowstorm encountered at 20,000 feet. Its record was 675 miles, and the descent was made at 2.10 P.M. on Oct. 25th. Fifth in the competition was the French balloon piloted by Capt. Louis Hirschbauer with Leo C. Nathan, aid. It descended at Mason City, Ill., 675 miles distant.

Sixth place went to the U. S. army balloon piloted by Lieut. R. E. Thompson, with Capt. H. E. Weeks aid. It traveled 622 miles to Charforce, Mich.

NATIONAL BALLOON RACE. This contest for 1920 was started from Birmingham, Ala., on September 25, and was won by H. E. Honeywell of St. Louis flying the balloon "Kansas City II," which accomplished a flight of 700 miles, landing at Thamesville, Ont. Dr. J. Kingsberry accompanied Honeywell as aid. The second longest flight was by U. S. Army Balloon No. 1, with Lieut. Richard E. Thompson, pilot, and Lieut. Harold E. Weeks, aid. They landed near Ridgetown, Ont., a distance of 690 miles. Third in the competition was "Goodyear II," Ralph H. Upson, pilot, and W. T. Vann Ormann, aid, with a landing near Amherst, Ont., a distance of 620 miles. The fourth was the U. S. Navy Balloon, Lieut. Raafe Emerson, pilot, and Lieut. Frank Sloman, aid, which landed near Graytown, Ohio, 610 miles. The fifth balloon had as its pilot J. S. McKibben, and Allen O'Neill as aid, landing near Vanwert, Ohio, 550 miles away. The sixth balloon, "Ohio," had Warren Rasor as pilot and Herbert Rasor as aid, and landed near Grayville, Ill., 350 miles distant. Seventh was U. S. Army Balloon No. 4, Capt. Dale Mabry, pilot, and Lieut. G. W. McEntyre, aid, and it landed near Lewisport, Ky., 300 miles. The eighth balloon, with R. F. Donaldson as pilot, and C. T. King as aid, landed near Owensboro, Ky., 300 miles. Ninth came the balloon "Elsie Delight," A. Leo Stevens, pilot, E. B. Weston, aid, landing near Drakesboro, Ky., 280 miles. Tenth was U. S. Army Balloon No. 2, pilot Lieut. Byron T. Burt, aid Lieut. R. M. Olmstead, landing near Hanson, Ky., 275 miles. The eleventh balloon, with pilot Bernard Von Hoffman, landed near Caneyville, Ky., 275 miles.

FLIGHT OF NAVY BALLOON A-5598. A free balloon flight that aroused considerable interest towards the end of the year was that of the U. S. navy spherical balloon or aërostat, A-5598, which left the naval air station, Rockaway Point, N. Y., on December 13, 1920, in charge of Lieut. Walter Hinton, a veteran of the Transatlantic flight of 1919 in NC-4, with Lieutenants Louis A. Kloor and Stephen A. Farrel as associates. On leaving Rockaway the balloon went in a northerly direction and was last reported as sighted eight hours later on the night of its departure at Wells, N. Y., and while there were rumors of its being seen at other places nothing was heard positively until a dispatch came through several weeks later announcing the descent of the balloon in the St. James Bay District of Ontario, about 800 miles from the point of ascent and in a direction slightly west of north. At the time the balloon started there was only a fresh breeze blowing but as it proceeded north the wind freshened so that a gale was blowing by the time northern New York was reached. In reporting their safe descent the officers in charge stated that they were driven by a storm, late on December 13th, west by north, at lower Hudson Bay, and were forced to land 2 P.M., 12-14, about ten miles north by east of Moose Factory, Ontario, at latitude 51.50, longitude 81.00. The party of three was lost in the forest four days, but finally reached safety and

food at a Hudson Bay Co. post. The only avail. able means of transportation to railroad was by dog sled, requiring about nine days. Various searching parties had been organized to look for the missing balloon and considerable interest was aroused by its flight.

AIRPLANE PHOTOGRAPHY. During the world war airplane photography was highly developed by the aerial observers and military engineers of the various armies so that much in the way of practical experience to be used in water and land surveying and mapping was available at the close of hostilities. There were carried on in 1919 and 1920 by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in coöperation with the military and naval air services elaborate trials of the new methods and it was stated that with proper development this manner of surveying was of the greatest advantage for the rapidity, economy and minuteness of detail thus secured. In fact aërial photography made possible an early and complete revision of the shore topography in the Coast Survey Charts, and tests made along the New Jersey coast with various instruments and methods showed how readily and economically this could be done, especially on a coast where the shore line is subject to frequent changes due to the action of the sea. Experiments were also carried in the field of aërial photo-hydrography, where conditions were much more difficult than in merely securing topography data. In the existing state of photography the results are not as promising and the photographs made from the air in the experiments supplied little positive information either as regards depths or bottoms that would give hope for the elimination of field work. However future developments in photography might result in improvements that would furnish comparative, positive, and critical data comparable with that obtained by ordinary sounding. This last work was undertaken on the Florida coast where the waters are clear and where it is desired to mark the small coral heads and pinnacles that are such a danger to navigation.

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THE U. S. AERIAL MAIL SERVICE. In his Annual Report to Congress, Postmaster Burleson claimed that the Aërial Mail Service had operated during the year with increased efficiency, increased saving in car space, and greater expedition of the mail through the extension of the mail to additional commercial centres. He stated that there were on hand in the United States thousands of planes obsolete for military purposes but which could be adapted to the carrying of the mails and which would be ultimately rendered useless through deterioration in storage if not put into service by the Post Office Department. Mr. Burleson referred particularly to the creation of types to carry greater loads at less expense and with longer cruising radius, so as to eliminate intermediate stops for gassing. The greatest advance in this direction, he stated, had been made in Germany, and the Post Office Department, together with other governmental activities, had purchased some of these imported planes for thorough testing in daily operation. The planes were all metal, built of a light aluminum alloy, and would carry 1000 pounds commercial load with 240-horse power motor. They had a cruising radius of six to seven hours on low-grade fuel, as against the salvaged war planes in the

Mail Service which carried 400 pounds of mail with 400-horse power engine and had a cruising radius of three hours with high-test gasoline.

Mr. Burleson believed that such new types of airplanes offered a solution for commercial work by reducing the cost of operation probably 50 per cent. Their introduction into the United States already had turned the attention of American manufacturers to the building of planes of greater economy of operation, and their tests by the air mail had furnished information that would enable the Post Office Department to utilize some additional discarded war-training planes. The salvaged war planes being prepared for the mail service would carry 600 pounds of mail with 240-horse power motor and have a cruising radius of five hours. The utilization of these planes would cut the operating cost about 40 per cent.

Postmaster-General Burleson also reported that in addition to the direct operation of the transcontinental air-mail route, referred to below, and its feeder lines, the Post Office Department had let a contract for carrying the mail by seaplane between Key West and Havana and by land plane on the following three routes:

(A) Between New York and Atlanta, via Washington, Raleigh, and Columbia, a distance of 815 miles.

(B) Between Pittsburgh and St. Louis, via Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis, a distance of 600 miles.

(C) Between New York and Chicago, via Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Fort Wayne, a distance of 735 miles.

It was claimed that the mail in each of these cases would be expedited by from 12 to 16 hours, and the contracts for the land routes on advertisements for bids were let at prices within the amounts that would be saved on transportation of these mails by railways. A contract was let from October 15, 1920, to June 30, 1921, for an airplane mail route from Seattle to Victoria, British Columbia, to connect with the steamer leaving Vancouver on the previous day for the dispatch of between 12,000 and 14,000 letters to the Orient with a saving of time equal to the elapsed time before the departure of another steamer.

The Post Office authorities found that, the establishment of air mail routes would result in a great saving of time but in many cases the cost of transportation would be greater than by train. The Postmaster General recommended that in the interest of improved service the law should be amended so as to permit the making of contracts for carrying mail by airplane, even at increased cost over train service, considering the commercial benefits to be derived from the greater expedition of mail. In addition to amending the law so as to permit of a more liberal contract service Mr. Burleson urgently recommended that the system of government air routes be extended as follows: Boston to Detroit, via Buffalo; Chicago to Los Angeles, via Kansas City; St. Paul-Minneapolis to Seattle; and St. Louis to New Orleans, via Memphis.

Congress, however, had provided in its legislation that the cost of transporting mail by airplane must not exceed the expense of train carrying and this restriction, it was claimed, prevented