The commonwealth., 1921-06-10
FIRST GREAT TERMINAL
FOR AIRCRAFT NEARING
co NJ PLET| D n
(By Associated Press1

(By Associated Press)
New York, June 1O.-America s
first great terminal for giant aircraft
is nearing completion at Lakehurst.
N. j.
This structure, the largest of it's
kind on earth, is 8O3 feet long, 264 |
feet wide, and 1875 feet high. Some
idea of it's immense size may be CLEAN
ed from the fact that if set down in |
a city the hangar would occupy three
solid blocks. It's doors at each end
stand more than IT'S feet high and
are 264 feet wide. A 16-story sky
scraper could be pushed Though the
space disclosed by the doors when they
are opened.
The hangar is officially know as the
> United States Navy Airship Hangar,
and represents the latest word IN con-
struction for buildings of this type. It
is planned to have it ready in in the
early summer to house the two giant
dirigibles now under construction, the
z RI, building at League Island
navy yard, Philadelphia and the T.
R-2, 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
Department plans to have the hangar
completed for service before the air
. ships are ready to sail.
Incidental to the hangar is gigan-
tic mooring mast to which graf d1r1-
gibles may be tied when it is imprac-
ticable to house them inside the han
gar. The mast is so constructed that
the giants Of the air will be moored
bow on, and will swing in the direc
ton of the wind thus avoiding the
dangerous force exerted by higl
winds. The result of experiments
:, with the vLakehurst mooring mast will
determine the policy Of the Navy De
partment in erecting similar moorins
masts at various air stations through
out the country, such at AS. Louis
Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, Sal
Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans, At
lanta, Columbus, O., and San Diego.
The new airships nearing completion
are of such large proportions, eac1
being 700 feet long and 85 feet in dia
amater, as large as many Of the grea
ocean liners, that the manner 0
:" "docking' them presented seriou
problems in engineering, but it is be
lieved that the Lakehurst hangar wi
go far toward solving many Of thes
81 problems.
10 First in importance came the ques
63 ton of doors to the hangar. Fac
~ leaf Of the two doors, there being tw
0o leaves to a door, is made up of so
tons Of steel and corrugated asbesto
= These leaves are supported on COZ
II crete trucks which in turn rest Q
wheels the size Of those on freigl
car The leaves are rolled apart b
a 25horse power electric motor. ]
man power were needed to open Il
doors, it is estimated that 1,5OO me
O. would be called on. Naval exper
len calculate that the giant doors cann
Ter be rolled open within 13 minutes an
are the entire process Of housing one
Tvs the dirigibles will consume approx
lie mately 40 minutes.
ian Running lengthwise through the ha
nd gar is railroad and three trollt
per slots technically described as dock1l
to rails. The dirigible about to ent
A the hangar will be cable fastened
lgi those rails, which extend on l, 90
ore foot runway at either end, and guild
raj to its berth.
ma Under the roof among netwol
ect of steel rafters, five mOnoraH Gran
be support movable platforms which en-
It's BILE workmen to repair an airchaft a
ow. ter it has docked These rafters a
nee so far above the floor of the hang
9th that the workmen resolve themselV
on into mere specks.
ect. So large are thee glass windows
in the sides and the roof that individu