"NORGE" BUILDER LOOKS FOR DIRIGIBLE SUCCESS

"Great dirigibles, constructed of alloy metals and as large as passenger litters, will take care of the trans-Atlantic trade of the future," affirmed General Umberto Nobile, constructor of the airship Norge, in an interview with a CRIMSON reporter yesterday. General Nobile spoke at the Harvard Union last night on his flight to the North Pole.

"The lighter than air craft will never have to compete with air planes for transportation privileges. An airship is capable of carrying so much more, with a greater degree of safety than an airplane, that all long distance carrying will necessarily be monopolized by dirigibles.

"Norge" Strong in Storms

"I have proved to my own satisfaction that an airship can last through very severe storms and can survive in weather that would keep airplanes from taking flight at all. The Norge experienced the climatic changes of four different zones and withstood them without any difficulty.

"As for the question of speed, I confidently predict that the dirigibles of the future will exceed 100 miles an hour. This means a passenger from New York would arive in London in about 30 hours. At present, we can go 60 miles an hour in some airships, which is much faster time than the best trans-Atlantic liners make.

"The airships that have been constructed during the last few years could not conceivably suffer the fate of the Shenandoah. It is true that your American airship ran into a very bad storm, almost a tornado, but it would not have broken to pieces if it had been designed according to modern plans. Aerial styles change more quickly than any other kind, but they follow the dictates of Science and are steadily improving. Soon the plans that we are so proud of now will be regarded as mere experiments. I dare not estimate the progress of the future.

Tells of Pole Flight

"When we were flying over the polar regions in the Norge, I had this fact of progress deeply impressed upon me. I had but to regard the bleak wastes of snow and ice below me to visualize the unfortunate explorers of the past. Brave men had wasted their lives in crawling toward the Pole over the ice and snow and frozen drifts of this Arctic area which we were flying over in comfort at ten times their best speed! When I considered these explorers with their dogs and sleds and years of wasted effort, I felt almost guilty because of my own easy progress. I think we all felt somewhat solemn when we reached the region of the Pole.

"However, there is a place for all forms of activity in the world and even though our work in the field of aviation may seem somewhat elementary, we may be certain that it will not be valueless. As it now seems, we have succeeded in producting dirigibles that are durable, practicable, and economical."