universal wonder to-day, will of a surety be accepted
as everyday occurrences before the world is many years older.

CHAPTER VIII

THE WORK OF THE AIRSHIP IN THE WORLD WAR

The outbreak of war found us, as we have seen, practically without
airships of any military value. For this unfortunate circumstance
there were many contributory causes. The development of aeronautics
generally in this country was behind that of the Continent, and the
airship had suffered to a greater extent than either the seaplane or
the aeroplane. Our attitude in fact towards the air had not altered so
very greatly from that of the man who remarked, on reading in his paper
that some pioneer of aviation had met with destruction, "If we had been
meant to fly, God would have given us wings." Absurd as this sounds
nowadays, it was the opinion of most people in this country, with the
exception of a few enthusiasts, until only a few years before we were
plunged into war.

The year 1909 saw the vindication of the enthusiasts, for in this
summer Bleriot crossed the Channel in an aeroplane, and the first
passenger-carrying Zeppelin airship was completed. Those who had
previously scoffed came to the conclusion that flying was not only
possible but an accomplished fact, and the next two years with their
great aerial cross-country circuits revealed the vast potentialities of
aircraft in assisting in military operations. We, therefore, began to
study aeronautics as the science of the future, and aircraft as an
adjunct to the sea and land forces of the empire.

The airship, unfortunately, suffered for many reasons from the lack of
encouragement afforded generally to the development of aeronautics.
The airship undoubtedly is expensive, and one airship of size costs
more to build than many aeroplanes. In addition, everything connected
with the airship is a source of considerable outlay. The shed to house
an airship is a most costly undertaking, and takes time and an
expenditure of material to erect, and bears no comparison with the
cheap hangar which can be run up in a moment to accommodate the
aeroplane. The gas to lift the airship is by no means a cheap
commodity. If it is to be made on the station where the airship is
based, it necessitates the provision of an expensive and elaborate
plant. If, on the other hand, it is to be manufactured at a factory,
the question of transport comes in, which is a further source of
expense with costly hydr