, 1921-06-19
Hangar Door
Higher Than
Skyscraper
Huge Terminal for Government
Airships So Big That l6-S,oy
Building Could Be Moved Into
1t Through Doorway


A MERfcA's first great terminal
N for giant aircraft Is nearing
completion at Lakehurst. n. J.
This structure. the largest Of its i
on earth. is sos feet Ions. ga feet
wide. and 1876 feet high. Some ieea
Of IS INN snse size may be cleaned
from the fact that If set down In a
city hangar would occupy three so 1
blocks. Its doors Mt each end stand
more han IFS feet high and are ss4
feet wide. A is.story s-kyseraper could
be pushed through the space disclosed
by the doors when. they are opened.
The hangar is officially known as
the Navy Airship hangar, n repre-
sents The latest word in construction
for buildings of this type. II is
planned to have 1t ready In the early
summer TO house the two giant dir
igibles now under construction. the
FRI. building at League Island navy
yard. Philadelphia, and the z-R-s.
nearing completion in England. The
transatlantic flight OF the latter is
scheduled for late in July or early
in August and the United States navy
AtlAA 1AAAtAl IAuAAo - nLNt Aut nAlkAE
completed for service before the air
ships are ready to sal.
Docking Airships n Problem.
The new airships nearing compile
ton arc OF such largo proportions,
each being 700 feet long n SIS feet
In diameter. as large as many OF tho
great ocean liners. that the manner
of docking them presented serious
problems in engineering. but II is be-
iieved that the Lakehurst hangar win
20 far toward solving many OF these
problems.
First in Importance came the ques-
tion of doors to the hangar. Each
leaf OF the two doors. there being two
leaves to n door. is made up OF 500
tons of steel and corrugated asbestos.
These leaves are supported on con-
crete trucks which in turn rest on
wheels the size of those or n freight
car. The leaves nre rolled apart by
a 25-horSc power electric motor. IL
manpower were needed to open the
doors. IL is estimated that 1900 men
would be called on. Naval Experts
calculate that the giant doors can not
be rolled open within IS minutes and
the entire process OF housing one Of
the dirisiblcs VIII consume approx
lhlstely ~ minutes.
Running iengthwise through the
hangar Ia a railroad and three trolley
slots technically described as docking
rails. The dirigibie about to enter tho
hangar win be cablc-fastened TO those
rails, which extend on a 1.500-foot
runway at either end. and guided to
its berth.
Open Windows by Motor.
Under the roof among n network
of steel ~rafters. five monorail cranes
support movable platforms which en-
able workmen to repair an aircraft
latter It has locked. These rafters are
so far above the floor of the hangar
that the workmen resolve themselves
into mere speclss.
So large are the glass windows in
the sides md the roof that individual
motors are necessary to opel each
window.
Every procaution a been taken
to make the hangar as nearly fire
proof as possible. The concrete floor
is asphalt covered to prevent failing
tools striking sparks and possibly ex-
ploding gas.
searchiights OF high intensity will
guide the dirigibies at night and
sunken lights, arranged like crosses.
at the end of each runway, will facil-
itate landings.
Like the doors the entire siding Of
the hangar is of corrugated asbestos.
arranged in strips, alternating be-
tween gray and two shades of owl
EXPERTS declare II will be impossible
for n hostile observer to Identify the
Lakehurst hangar from the air.