New-York tribune., 1921-09-01
Loss
AS 3 Balloons.
Hangar Burn
Dirigible Do, Kite A-P and
Blimp Destroyed as the
Result of Gasoline Explo-
sion at Rockaway Point
Navy Men Uninjured
Henry Woodhouse Lays
Destruction to Faulty Con-
struction: demands Probe

Three balloons, one of them a non
rigid dirigible 200 feet long, and
hangar of steel and wood construction
were destroyed by fire yesterday morn
ing at the Rockaway Point naval air
station. The station is to be. aban-
doned this week by order of the Navy
Department and the big dirigible which
was burned was inflated for its trip to
the hangar built at Lakehurst, n. j.,
for the ill-fated ZR-2
Five men were slightly burned fight
ing the flames and for hours there was
danger that the heat might cause the
explosion of huge tanks of hydrogen
gas close by. The Gamage is estimated
at $500 900
The biggest of Che craft destroyed
was the D-6, the 200-foot non4rigid
dirigible. It had car thirty feet long
in which were two engines, each of
which drove propeller. 1t had made
cnly ebout half g dozen fights and was
va ued at anout 100000.
Pony Blimp HI Destroyed
The pony blimp HI, smallest OF navy
sirships. which took the bit in its teeth
few weeks ago, dumped its crew on
Tuckahoe also was destroyed. 1t was
valued at about $50, 900. The third bal
loon that was burned was the A-P,
kite balloon, valued at about $25 GOO.
The kite balloon was on the floor of
the hangar, debated. The other two
had been pumped full of hydrogen and
the Dc was tuned up for its departure
for Lakehurst, where it was to be
housed in the quarters built for the
ZR-2
Mechanicians were busy about the
hangar at tasks incidental to the
abandonment of the station and the
preparation of TIE balloons for flight
to new Quarters. One of them saw a
puff of smoke burst from the car of
the De- By the time his shout Of
alarm had brought others on the run
fame was tinging the biilowing smoke
and licking close to the envelope, bulg
ing with inhammable gag.
Gasoline Explosion Blamed
1t was announced by the NaFal Com
munications Service in New York that
the explosion of tank Of gasoline on
the De was the cause of The fire. No
information was given out ct the naval
air station, where court of inquiry
will sit to determine the cause of the
accident.
The black smoke and the speed with
which the flames shot up from the
dirigibles cabin substantiate the theory
that the fire started in or near gaso-
line tank. Hand extinguishers were
close at hand and the & e brigade OF
the air station was quick to respond to
the alarm, but the fire WAS beyond con-
troll within a few seconds after it's dis
covery.
Before fire engine companies of the
city Fire Department reached the sta
ton. about fifteen minutes after the
first alarm, the thousands of cubic feet
of hydrogen in the dirigible's envelope
were gushing forth in roaring jets
through score of apertures and the
brilliant flames were cutting through
the walls and roof Of the hangar.
Water Saves Gas Tanks
Within one hundred feet of the
blazinr hangar were several tanks
filled with hydrogen, and an officer who
placed his hand on one of them dis
covered that it was almost unbearably
hot. 'He realized that further rise
Of only few degrees in temperature
might expand the gas to such an ex-
tent as to cause a disastrous explo-
sion.
Streams of water were directed at
the tanks at ones. and kept playing
upon them until all danger was over.
Henry Woodhouse, PRESIDENT OF tn
Aerlai League OF America, telegraphel