The New York herald., 1921-08-25
WORK ON new Fri
WILL Be CONTINUED
Accident Is Not to Halt
Building of Sister Ship Of
Lost Dirigible.
LOSS TO u. S. 81, 100000
Contract Provided America
Was to Share Half in
Case of Accident.
AIR PLANS UNCERTAIN
Hangar at Lakehurst, Built at
Big Outlay, Will Be Used
for Small Craft.
AIR PLANS UNCERTAIN
Special Despatch to THE NEW York HERALD.

ne LlN-1 ulSdSttI Cdos q piiA oNeh
Washington to-day. Not only the
Navy, but all other branches OF the
Government had q lively interest in
the giant airship.
Beyond question the disaster will be
a severe blow to the development of
lighter than air craft, but officers of
the Navy are undaunted tonight in
their belief that airships such as the
ZR-2 would be of inestimable value in
military operations.
At a late hour tonight the exact
cause of the explosion had not been
reported in the cablegrams, and upon
this feature hinges a great deal. Steps
are TO be taken Immediately for the
fullest inquiry possible to determine
what caused the accident. Instructions
for investigation already have gone
out from the Office of Secretary DENLY.
Determined to carry on their work. Of
Scers Of the newly created Bureau of
Aeronautics OF the Navy Department
arranged to go ahead on the work of
constructing the zR 1, which is to be the
Lakehurst, N. J. The zR l is about
half completed.
Congress Failed on Money.
Work on the zR l has been stopped
because Congress failed to appropriate
the s1,000,000 required to complete the
ship. The Navy has funds in hand to
complete the ZR /, but at a rate much
slower than it deemed compatible with
naval efficiency and national safety.
Secretary DENLY sat at his desk all
day to-day receiving cabegrams which
were fragmentary. coming mostly from
Hull and Howden. England. supple
mented by some messages from the Brit
ish Air Ministry at London. He sent
the following telegram of sympathy to
the British Air Ministry:
Navy Department of the United
States extends to the Air Ministry of the
British navy deepsst sympathy in APP
ralling disaster to the ZR 2. We hope
our earlier reports will prove exaggerated
as to the loss of life.
Neither Secretary DENLY nor Admiral
Moffett, chief of the Bureau OF Aero
nautics, was certain as to the financial
loss for the United States as a result Of
the disaster but it was assumed that 1t
would amount to between one million
and one million and half dollars.
The cost of the airshp, as set out in
the contract for her construction In Eng
land. was to be $4,000. 900, of which ap-
proximately 70 per cent. already has
been paid.
Provisions OF Contract.
The contract provided however. that
in the event of a total or partial loss
OF the airship before her delivery to the
United States the financial damage would
be borne equally between the builders
and the American Government. Upon
this basis the losssto the United States
would be S1.000,0 900. as far as the air
ship is concerned. There will be loss
also OF about 100000. due to the main
tenance OF the crew in England, trans
portation, experiments and the like.
The exact situation regarding the
financial loss will not be clear until the
contract Is studied further by the legal
officers of the Government and the exact
status or tho ship at the time OF the
explosion is reported to Washington.
The belief that the loss would be in the
neighoorhood OF s1500,000 is based on
a preliminary study of the situation.
There will be a loss also due to the
construction of the gigantic hangar at
Lakehurst. y. j., which the Navy De-
partment hoped to develop as a great
air station. The Lakehurst hangar cost
s2.O00.000 to build. 1t has been con-
structed TO hold the two great airships
that composed the Navy Department pro-
gramme. the ZR-1 and ZR-2.
So far as the loss there is concerned
It viii come through the fact that the
completion OF the hangar was rushed
SO that the ZR-2 would be acconnno-
dated when It arriy i in tho United
States. which was expected to be I'm the
latter part or this month There will be
no use for the hangar now until the
ZR-1 Is finished, which viii be a mat
ter of year. even If the work on her
now goes ahead at top speed.
The hangar at Lakehurst will. OF
course, be used for the housing OF
smaller airships. semi-rigids. 1t Is
hardly TO be expected that the Lalsehurst
station will be abandoned. Tho Navy
Department programme called for MAX
ing this the greatest lighter than air
station in the world.
Gucsses on Cause OF Accident.
whele there was no explanation as to
the possible cause of tho accident in Eng
lard, there was little doubt among fly
ing officers that the explosion which did
the fatal damage came about from the
use Of hydrogen gas which is highly In
haInmable. Had helium been used the
explosion might not have occurred. 1t
had been tho intention of the navy tc
use helium Eas in the ZR-2 as soon as
she arrived In the United States.
The fact that the United States pos
sesses bountiful supply Of helium gas
has been ono OF the governing factors
in the adherence to the lighter than air
policy. This gas. which is natural, has
come from oil wells. particularly In
Texas. There Is no other supply of this
gas anywhere else in quantity. For this
reason the United States has had an
especial advantage over other nations.
Whereas hydrogen gas Is inhammable.
ho1ium gas Is not During military
operations Il would be an easy matter
for an enemy TO set fire and destroy.
IN much the same way that the ZR-2
was destroyed to-day. an airship con-
tanning hydrogen. Helium. on the other
hand while having the same buoyancy.
could not be destroyed. The 2R-2 had
eighteen separate compartments to hold
this gas. SO that one or two, or even
more. Of the compartments holding