Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-13
NEW D|R|G|BLE FOR
NAVY NOT DELIVERED
Department is. Concerned Because
Connecticut Company Has
Failed to Fulfill Contract
TRIALS SET FOR OCTOBER |.
Officer viii be Sent to New Haven ia
Learn Cause Of Delay On Work.

The Navy Department is somewhat
concerned about the failure of the Con
necticut Aircraft Company. of New Ha,
ven 10 deliver the dirigible balloon in
time for the official trials on October ]
AS result of this failure the De
partment will send 10 New Haven this
week an officer who will ascertain, il
possible the cause of delay Lieut.
Com. r. r. McCrary, associated with
Capt. Mark L. Bristol, in charge of the
Office of naval aeronautics. has beer
designated to make the trip TO New Ha.
ven by the Department.
The contract with the Connecticut
company called for delivery of the diri-
gible for trials at the naval aviation
station AT Pensacola, Fla, within four
months after the signing of the con
tract. The contract was signed ] me
!. u is now nearly the niddl of Octo-
tober and the delivery of the diiigible
is not imminent
The Department has been unable
10 get from the company the work
ing drawings of the balloon. II is
tho custom at the Navy Department "a
attempt no inspections of work being
done under contract for tn navy until
the contractors furnish corrected work
ing drawings. These are used by the
inspectors as a basis for checking the
work actually done TO see whether or
not it conforms to the specifications.
AS the Connecticut company has not
furnished these drawings for the diri-
gible the bureaus having supervision
of inspections have not attempted 70
examine the works. requests that the
drawings be submitted TO the Depart
ment have met with the reply that they
were nearly ready mad would be for
warded soon With the passing of the
date promised for delivery of the diri-
gible it was felt that, aside from the
usual inspections, it would be well tc
Iok into the situation.
The dirigible in question is the first
ordered for the navy 1t is to be a
comparatively small one and for expe-
rimental purposes only. The policy OF
the Department at present is to acquire
small dirigible by theu Sc of which
officers of the aviation corps can he
come familiar with that type of air.
craft, its design, construction, and op-
Grafton. This experience, it is believ-
ed, will give the Department the basis
Of decision as to whether or not it is
desirable to include dirigibles i'm the
regular equipment of the naval aVi-
alton service of the government.
Last spriag bids were received from
a number of concerns, and it was con-
sidered that on the basis OF design and
price the Connecticut company submit
ted the best proposal. Accordingly, a
contract was signed with that firm
Capt. Thomas Baldwin, one of the lead
ing balloon men of the United States.
was understood to be associated with
the firm. Meantime, the Navy Depart
ment has been building hangar for
the dirieible at Pensacola, Fla This
hanger is not quite finished.
II is said that should it appear that
the delays in the delivery of the dirigi-
BILE arises only out of thief act that such
construction is relatively new IN the
United States and that within a rea-
sonable time the balloon will ber eady,
the department viii grant such extern
sion to the Connecticut company as
may be necessary.