The forward engines drove two four-bladed swivelling propellers
through gear boxes and transmission shafts, the whole system
being somewhat complicated, and was opposed to the Zeppelin
practice at the time which employed fixed propellers.
The after engine drove a large two-bladed propeller direct off
the main shaft.
The petrol and water ballast were carried in tanks situated in
the keel and the oil was carried in tanks beneath the floors of
the cars.
The wireless cabin was situated as before mentioned in a cabin in
the keel of the ship, and the plant comprised a main transmitter,
an auxiliary transmitter and receiver and the necessary aerial
for radiating and receiving.
No. 9 was inflated in the closing days of 1916, and the disposal
lift was found to be 2.1 tons under the specification conditions,
namely, barometer 29.5 inches and temperature 55 degrees
Fahrenheit. The contract requirements had been dropped to 3.1
tons, which showed that the ship was short by one ton of the lift
demanded. The flight trials were, however, carried out, which
showed that the ship had a speed of about 42 1/2 miles per hour.
The alterations previously mentioned were afterwards made, the
bags of the ship were changed and another lift and trim trial was
held in March, 1917, when it was found that these had had the
satisfactory result of increasing the disposable lift to 3.
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