Oct, 23, Wes reproduced yesterday morning portions of a letter describing the experiences of two American engineers in Germany, who, among other wonders, estimated that "there were over fifty Zep-behns ready waiting to start" from one flying station, apparently at Berlin. A correspondent has now supplied some facts about the making of dirigible balloons, which still further enhances the wonder of Germany's titanic energy. The correspondent in question, having been intimately associated for some years with M. Lebaudy, the French. maker of dirigibles, should know of what he speaks. Within the outer envelope each Zeppelin contains sixteen balloons. How many separate pieces of silk go to each balloon we do not know. But there are 1,400. pieces "in a Lebaudy dirigible which has but the one envelope. The capacity of a Lebaudy is 3,500 cub. metres, that of a. Zeppelin is 12,000. Therefore we can at least be sure that the material used in a Zeppelin is very much greater than that ina Lebaudy than the difference of outward measurement would suggest. The piecing together of these strips to form a balloon is a work of the very greatest difficulty. The cutting and piecing call for high expert knowledge, and the sewing is done by a special machine driven by electricity; for creases in the skin of the balloon mean weakness, liability to breakage. partly owing to the fact that all the material has to be coated
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.