The Airship Golden Hind""

F. officers made their way towards the concealed hangar. "That's what Drake's

as an augury that this 'Golden Hind' will do

nyon, with a laugh. "Drake did a considerable a

e good old days. Now left," he added. "Mind

h, the two chums found themselves entering a dense t

Fosterdyke, laconicall

e baronet "knew his way about." He knew how to deal with the dictatorial and often completely muddled officials who ran the Surplus Disposals Bo

" he said, throwing open a small do

elage, constructed almost entirely of aluminium, was a full 120 feet in length, and enclosed so as to form a series of cabins or compartments. Amidships these attained a beam of 15 feet, tapering fore and af

on, and projecting 25 feet from the side of the fuselage. Thus the total breadth of the "Golden Hind" was well under 60 feet. On a

" remarked Kenyon,

unlikely event of the motors giving out there is enough lifting power in the envelope to keep he

ed Bramsdean. "Le

cally so, except in compression; but that's done me so far. There's a huge fortune awaiting the chemist who succeeds in producing a liquid capable of conforming to these conditions. I even made a cordite-fired motor once--something on the Maxim-gun principle, fed b

tly inflated,"

ly short period, say a month. The gas isn't hydrogen, nor is it the helium we used during the war. Helium, although practically non-inflammable, is heavier than hydrogen. Fortunately, I hit upon a rather smart youngster who had been in a Government laboratory before he joined the R.A.F. With his assistance I

is three-and-a-half times that of the vertical. That gives less surface for a side wind, and conse

f lot of fuel with those

f any description. When the fuel supply runs low, there is a tendency for the airship to rise, owing to the reduced weight. To counteract this, a certain quantity of brodium is exhausted f

ticed that the men worked as if they had an interest in what they were doing. Several they rec

," said Kenyon

d son," agr

ns of the cabins. The floor was composed of rigid aluminium plates, corrugated in order to provide a f

It opened into a saloon 20 feet by 7 feet, which in turn communicated with

st any alterations in the internal fittings, let me know. It often happens t

e thinking out, sir,

fraid I spent some sleepless nights

unded end of the nacelle. It was plainly furnished. A canvas cot, a folding table, and two camp chairs comprising the principal contents. The large windows with c

d of the owner's cabin. Each was in a compartment measuring 10 feet by 6

nted out. "I'm using pressure-feed in preference to gravity-feed. It

thusiastically, as he studied the spotlessly

tor-mechanics to be on the safe side. When we are running free, one man will look after two

om on the starboard side. It was a compartment 20 feet by 6 feet 6 inches, with a bun

red Bramsdean, "and wa

cabins. Nothing like keeping warm at high altitudes. Warmth an

he alley-way, clamped vertically

elope. There's an observation platform--useful to take stellar observations and all

of motor-rooms, Fosterdyke halte

kitchen,"

haft of each of the 'midship motors. The starboard one provides 'juice' for the kitchen; that on the port generates

ters; while beyond the for'ard motor room the alley-way terminated, openin

eight deck-hands and the two cooks. You'll notice that the head-room i

ceiling. There was no indication

. "Saves the inconvenience of disturbing the 'watch below' by having to pass through their quarters. Up

is chum, the baronet

a large-size chart. Right "in the eyes of the ship" was a gyroscopic compass, which, by reason of the needle pointing to the true, instead of the magnetic, north pole, greatly simplified steering a course, since those complicated factors, variatio

ble shaft. Once inside the rigid envelope, it was possible to walk the whole five hundred feet length of the airship along a

he strong but not obnoxi

remarked Kenyon,

ve out this morning; otherwise you wouldn't know by t

eld it aloft. It burned

idents to aircraft in the earlier stages of the war, you will find that in over eighty per cent. they were caused by combustion. Of course I'm referring to d

f this shaft automatically rings an alarm, otherwise anyone ascending might sta

med Kenyon, after the mechanic had

ded Bramsdean. "He got the D.C.M. for d

s objector, and, I believe, a genuine one at that. What caused him to change his opinions was rather remarkable. Do you remember that Zepp raid over Lancashire? Hayward was driving a motor-lorry that night somewhere up in the hills north of M

inquisitive outsider

en enough aircraft during the war to take the edge off their curiosity. As for our rival compe

ere'll be a stir,

it. The novelty has gone, as it were. Even interest in the flight to Australia--in itself an epic of courage, skill, and determination--was limited. Sensations of yesterday become mediocrities of to-day. For instance Blériot's flig