Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-09-02
Structural Weakness Apparent
Cause Of Tragedy Of the
Giant Airship zR-2.
FAULTS KNOWN IN ENGLAND
Congress Takes Thirty-Day Recess
After Dscardlng Ant-Beer Bill
Panama Yields coto to Costa
RIGA at Uncle Sans Com
mand, and Goes Into
Mourning.
BY EDWARD W. PlckARD.

"The hull structure Is, In general
principles, Of standard type such as
used in Zeppelin airships and In
earlier British types, but very con-
siderable saving Of structural weight
has been effected by large number Of
Improvements In details"
This excerpt from the official British
description OF the ZR-2 seems TO ex-
plain the disaster which hefell the
giant dirigibe while on It's trial trip
last Wednesday. The saving OF struc-
tural weight was effected at the ex-
pense of the entire airship and the
lives Of 46 Of the men who manned
her. According to survivors, an alb
rupt change Of direction when the ves-
sci was above Hull strained the frame
work beyond It's strength. II broke In
two in the middle and fell into the
lumber river with terrific explosions.
Included In the dead were Commander
Louis II. Maxfleld and Is more of the
hui'iNuh NitW NHiNH was W DllIk tue
aIrshlp to the United States, and
British Air Commodore l. NJ. Maitland
and 90 OF the English crew. Only one
American, a rigger, was among the
survivors.
ZR-2 was the largest airship ever
constructed and was built by the Brit
ish government for the United States
navy. The price was to be S2,OO0.OOO.
or course, as she had not yet been
turned over to the Americans the.
financial loss does not fall on the Amer
ican government. The catastrophe was
not a great surprise to those In Eng
land who had watched the building
and tests Of the alrshlp. On several
preliminary trials defects and weak
nesseS We're uncovered, and the final
trial flight which ended so dlsastrously
had been postponed repeatedly though
the weather seemed entirely favorable.
II Is said that enlisted men Of the
British air service stationed at How
den had offered to bet ten to one that
the dlrlgihle never would get across
the Atlantic; that they declared II was
structurally weak. and impossibly
large, with unreliable engines and a
framework Incapable Of standing the
strain Of It's own 80 tons Of dead
weight while In the air.
News Of the disaster reached Wash
lngton while congressional commit
tee was listening 10 arguments in
favor OF an appropriation for the COM
pletlon Of ZR-1, an American-bulit
companion ship NJ the ZR-2, on which
more than million dollars already
has been expended. officers of the
naval bureau Of aeronautics are conf
dent that the navy will be permitted
to continue Its rigid alrship building
program Notwithstanding the loss Of
ZR-o.
Plans for the FRI call for an air
ship of slightly smaller size than the
ZR-2, length Of go feet, diameter
about 80 feet, and gas capacity of APP
proximately 2,200OOO cubic feet. The
total cost Is estimated at s2,500O00.
Her designers have adhered more
closely than the British to the struc-
tural plans of the Germans, who were
the original builders of rigid airships.
The naval gas extracting plant at Fort
Worth already has stored enough
helium gas to MI the envelope Of
Fri. Hellum Is far less dangerous
than hydrogen gas, being noninfamma-
BILE.