Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-25
NAVY YARD EXPERTS:
LAUD CREW OF zR-2.
British Officers Here Deny Dis.
aster viii Affect Building
Lighter-Than-Air Craft
SAY U. S. MEN GAVE LIVES

British experts assigned to the navy
yard here to supervise the construction
Of the ZR-1. sister ship to the HR- 2,
today expressed the opinion that the
disaster would In no way affect the
prestige OF the lighter than air craft.
They declared the accident 10 be one
OF those mlsfortunes that invariably at
tend progress and research In dangerous
fields Of activity.
A high compliment was paid to the
American personnel aboard the IR-2
by one Of the officers who said "Un-
doubtedly more Americans could have
saved their lives II they had chosen to
abandon the stations to which they were
detailed In the navigation Of the ZR. 2.
Instead they elected to stand BY In an
effort to save her and 30 lost their
lives.
Call It "Splendid Example"
''It Is a splendid example of the
caliber Of the men who are pioneering
in this important field. To say we will
go ahead with construction and re-
search, that we are not discouraged. is
the least epitaph Of appreciation that
we can lay on their graves"
The British officials, with the little
detailed information at hand, inclined
to the theory that the dirigible's mis-
hap was caused primarily by a struc-
tural failure Of one Of the main frnmes
due to a sudden turning evolution the
ZR-2 was seen to make just before her
collapse.
1T appears entirely probable" one
OF them said, that when the ZR .
made the sharp turn that Ia mentioned
in the dispn tches. the big envelope and
the duraliminum framework that sup
ported 1t. were subjected on one side to
high compression strains and on the
other to remove tension that caused the
framework to buckle. This IL because
OF the envelopes tendency to bend on
quick change Of course.
May Never Know Cause
THE cause Of the fracture is con =
jectural and may never be determined
With the collapse Of one Of the main
members, it is probable others were
Immediately involved. one as il tore
loose, ripping one of the fourteen bal
loonettes that released the hydrogen gas
that subsequently, exploded"
THE balloonettes are constructed of
goldbeaters' skin, an animal intestinal
tissue. 1t Is round in the transverse
gitudinal: in word, like bass drum.
The gasoline engine and storage tanks
are placed within the outer envelope
and are slung OH special framing built
into the main structure and are 30 de-
signed that they can be dropped free
OF the ship In case Of fire or accident.
1T is possible that in the collapse
OF the main frame, one or more Of
these tank ks were thrown from their
slings and were ignited by the engine
exhausts. flaming up and exploding
the escaping hydrogen. That from the
details available seems the most reason
able assumption on which to base the
accident"
All Features Tested
The ZR-2, the British airman ex.
plained. marked an advance in the
construction Of rigid-t airships, but
they emphasized that no features that
had not been thoroughly tested and
found to have advantages were incor-
porated In the big ship. The ZR-2 en-
bodies many features Of design from
the Ri, the latest and most success
full Zeppelin built by Germany and
which was taken over by England after
the armistice. The method Of girder
construction. it was said. was an I'M
provement and elaboration of the Or
iginal Zeppelin designs.
The ZR.2 principally differed from
the R-34, which twire successfully
crossed the Atlantic, in the construction
Of the girder units. In the R-34 the
girder design was based on the triangu-
lar unit, whereas in the XR-2 the
diamond" unit OF construction was
employed. which is said to be much
stronger for given weight.
The individual balloonettes in the
RIA were placed one between each
main frame, with an intermediate frame