Airship and Aeroplane The disaster to the American airship '
Akron,' involving a loss of life far greater than resulted from the destruction of the ' It 101 ' in 1930, leaves Dr. Eckener's ' Graf Zeppelin ' as the only large dirigible that has fulfilled its constructor's hopes. It may be as difficult to discover the real cause of the ' Akron ' disaster as of the ' City of Liverpool ' disaster of last week, though there are in this case three survivors who may be able to cast some ray of light on what happened. It seems clear that the chief factor was a thunderstorm, not any internal defect in the airship itself. The first reports of a fire. and exploion appear to be unfounded. The record of, these Vast dirigibles is a black one, and after this the United States is hkely to follow the example of this country and :Wan- don their construction. They no doubt possess certain qualities which the aeroplane can . never acquire ; the heavier-than-air machine has a long way to go before it can supply a regular transoceanic service ; but NN hen comparative costs and comparative risks are 'taken into account the future is all with the aeroplane, not the air- ship.
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