en this and other
air-ships built at that time: the propeller was placed in front of the
craft, instead of at the rear, as is the case in most air-ships.
Thus the craft was pulled through the air much after the manner of an
aeroplane.

In the autumn of 1903 great enthusiasm was aroused in London by the
announcement that Mr. Spencer proposed to fly from the Crystal Palace
round the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral and back to his starting-place.
This was a much longer journey than that made by Santos-Dumont when he
won the Deutsch prize.

Tens of thousands of London's citizens turned out to witness the novel
sight of a giant air-ship hovering over the heart of their city, and
it was at once seen what enormous possibilities there were in the
employment of such craft in time of war. The writer remembers well
moving among the dense crowds and hearing everywhere such remarks as
these:

"What would happen if a few bombs were thrown over the side of the
air-ship?" "Will there be air-fleets in future, manned by the soldiers
or sailors?" Indeed the uppermost thought in people's minds was not so
much the possibility of Mr. Spencer being able to complete his journey
successfully--nearly everyone recognized that air-ship construction had
now advanced so far that it was only a matter of time for an ideal craft
to be built--but that the coming of the air-ship was an affair of grave
international importance.

The great craft, glistening in the sunlight, sailed majestically from
the south, but when it reached the Cathedral it refused to turn round
and face the wind. Try how he might, Mr. Spencer could not make any
progress. It was a thrilling sight to witness this battle with the
elements, right over the heart of the largest city in the world. At
times the air-ship seemed to be standing quite still, head to wind.
Unfortunately, half a gale had sprung up, and the 24-horse-power engine
was quite incapable of conquering so stiff a breeze, and making its way
home again. After several gallant attempts to circle round the dome, Mr.
Spencer gave up in despair, and let the monster air-ship drift with
the wind over the northern suburbs of the city until a favourable
landing-place near Barnet was reached, where he descended.

The Spencer air-ships are of the non-rigid type. Spencer air-ship
A comprises a gas vessel for hydrogen 88 feet long and 24 feet in
diameter, with a capacity of 26,000 cubic feet. The framework is of
polished ash wood, m