Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-09
'R34 WILL FLY HOME
EARLY TOMORROW
Weather Bureau Report Is Fa-
vorable for Start OF
Return Trip
TO SAIL BETWEEN 3 AND q

BY the Associated Press
Mineola, n. y, July 9.--The British
dirigibe R-34 will start on its re-
turn fight before daybreak tomorrow,
il was announced positively this after
noon by Major G.. II. Scott, her com
mander. He expects to get away, he
said, between and 4 O'Clock.
The following report was received to-
day from the Weather Bureau at Wash
ington:
"At Roosevelt Field the weather will
be partly cloudy becoming unsettled
during Thursday with moderate south
erly winds becoming fresh southwest by
Thursday morning. Start of return
fight should be made within next twenty
four hours and over southern course as
previously advised Favorable winds
and weather will be encountered over
the western Atlantic.
Balloon Again in Peril
The dirigibo again narrowly escaped
serious injury last night. when a sud
den gust caught her tail, swinging it
around in semicirclc and dragging
several score Of soldiers with if.
The rear gondola scrapcd along the
ground but the mon succeeded in keep
ing it high enough to prevent damage,
while man on watch in tho pilot
house. by releasing several hundred
pounds of water ballast. caused the
cars to rise few feet above the
ground.
Last night the airship was anchored
from the bow to its concrete anchorage.
while the stern was allowed to sway
with the breeze. Less than 100 men
were on duty with the ship in this pO-
stion. but GOO more slept in barracks
nearby ready to respond to buglc calls
in case of emergency.
Colonel IEcnspy. who will be the
American observer on the return fight.
has been authorized by the War Depart
ment to continue his observations in
Europe after he has landed at East
Fortune, Scotland. Colonel ITcnslry
takes the place for the return trip of
Lieutenant Commander Zachary Lans-
downe. L. S. n. who was the Amer
lean observer on the r "a on the west
ward journey.
Colonel Hensley will study all the
new types of balloons in England and
France. He is recognized as ono Of the
foremost authorities on balooning in the
army.
Description Of Big Ship
At distance of some 200 yards. the
limits to which the visitors to RoOSc
welt Field are held by the military po-
lice, the immense airship presents in
Vulnerable possibilities, and many cx-
plantations of the probable interior
mechanism of the monster craft have
been advanced.
Officers of the United States army
and navy aviation sections have been
permitted to inspect the ship and Cap
tain Samuel I. Moore, of the balloon
section of the army, today gave to the
Associated Press representative a de-
scription of the first lighter than air
ship to cross the Atlantic.
Over all the R34 is $40 feet in
length, with four cars or gondOlas sus-
pended from the cigar shaped envelope.
The forward gondola is occupied by the
navigator and pilots, and from it all
parts of the ship are controlled by means
of speaking tubes and bell signals
Here also is the mechanism for con
trolling the water ballast tanks. OF
the two pilot wheels in this forward
cur. the front wheel controls the ruddrr,
while the side wheel controls the clp- =
vator planes. This car also contains the
navigator plotting table and his navi
eating instruments.
il the rear of the forward gondola
is the wireless room, which also holds
one of the ships engines. From the
navigator car n ladder Of aluminium
run. to the ship above. This ladder i,
inclosed and at distance resembles
a tube. The two side gondolas each con
tain an engine and are large enough fol-
only two men. The rear car holds two
engines.
Deck Only Nine Inches Wide
Inside the bag is the deck of the ship
1t runs the greater part of the lengtl
of the bag and is only nine inches wild
except at its middle, where it widen
out into a compartment eight by twent!
feet used by the officers and crew as
dining saloon.
The hydrogen gas-the lifting powe
of the ships carried in eighteen com
partments inside the envelope. ThpS
compartments are at the top of the shiI
and each is of about equal gas capacit,
and is equipped with au automatic hHut
valve for the control of the gas con
tanned in them. These gas compart
ments are of gold beater skin, which il
common language is nothing more thar