Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-13
LAKEHURST READY |
TO RECEIVE ZR-2.
Huge Hangar Prepared for Dir
igible About to Start
Across Atlantic
CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS
Bv a Stdg Correspondent

Lakehurst, y. j.. Aug. 13.-Out OF
the scrub pines here there is being built
one of the largest mir stations in the
world. Not only is ii triumph of
modern engineering, but it is monu-
ment to the faith that the Government
has in the kind of men that sails its
airships.
This air station is being built pri.
marily with one purpose IN view. and
that is to receive the newest addition to
the United State Navy, the giant
dirigible balloon ZR-2. The htg air.
ship is completed and going through
tests in England now, and will sta l0r
America on August % or ms soon n'er
ms conditions permit.
That the faith that has psompt"d
I .ne Sam 10 spend many millions of
dollars on the gamble that these men
can make the trip is not misplaced can
be believed when a person looks over
what has already been done on this side.
It can be appreciated even more whon
ono gets an opportunity I" meet and
talk with the men who are on this
side waiting for the same type to come
over on the hugs gas bag.
4 group of men has just come tu
Lakehurst from England, where they
have been training for year t0 be n
part Of the crew of the XR2. They
were sent here to train the 800 men
necessary to moor the flicr when She
comes to Lakehurst.
OF all the big structures on th" field
the most impressive, of COurSc. is Nh"
big hangar. the future hoEle OF the
ZR-2. 1t dominates a great cleared
space to an extent that makes it seem
impossible that the cleared place around
It is over a mile square. Perhaps the
best way to get an idea of its si2c--so
much better expressed in tn" accom-.
panying picture than in words-iS to
quote Lieutenant Commander II. NJ.
Eddy, the man who built it..
"You could take two fullsize city
squares. made up entirely of sixteen
story buildings, and put them in the
hangar and there would still be lots OF
room
Fighting Bob's" Son There
Captain Frank T. Evans, son of
Fighting Bob" Evans Cand just as
rough and ready, is commander Of the
post.
Under the direction of Commander
Eddy, who is engineer at the station.
the Bethlehem Steel Corporation put
up the hangar.
Its proportions are staggering II
is SOB feet long, 264 feet wide and 200
feet high. 1t is of steel and concrete
construction. II could hold the
Mauretanin and the Paris, giantesses
of the eca. and all the tugs necessary
to berth the big ships.
While he was at it, Uncle Sam de-
cided TO build for the future. too. The
hangar will hold the ZR-2 and a sis
ter ship, both of 1000 900 cubic feet
gas capacity. easily. 1t is built with
the dirigibe building program in mind
and designed to hold two 5000 900
cubic feet airships, If such craft we're
ever built.
Look on Hangar From Above
A reporter and a photographer got
a chance to get some idea how tiny the
big hangar is. A navy kite balloon had
lust arrived at the post, and through
the courtesy of Captain Evans they
were allowed TO go up in her and get
the same impression OF the post as will
come TO the ZR-2 crew when they ar
rive at Lakehurst.
From the air the hangar seemed
rather a man made thing at that. On
the ground it looks like just a little too
much of a job for humans. The mile
square field seemed rather a small spot
to try to hit The way the freight
cars. trucks and wagons crept along
like tiny insects, it seemed possible that
those little things had bitten off little
larger Job than they could chew,
\ mooring mast will be of a type
similar to those already in use in Eng
land There will be few Yankee i'm
provemcnts. like elevators and tec-
phones, but essentially it will be tic
same.