Bisbee daily review., 1921-10-02
HUGE ZR-1 WILL BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION FOR U. s. IN SPITE
 OF LOSS BRITISH BUILT ZR-2

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1. - Loss of the giant British built airship ZR-2 with many lives on her trial trip in 'kng gland has not thus far caused any changes in plans for the ZR-1 now building fer the navy. The two de- signs were so dissimilar, it is said by navy officials, that the wrecking uf the Zk-2 carried with it no les sons 50 far as now known to be woven into construction of the ZR-1 as d safeguard against similar disaster to that vessel.
 l he Zh-l, it is explained, is the Ame. ican navys pioneer project Tn alrship construction of the lIgld type and the vessel follows very closely design of the German Zeppelin L-4J, captured intact in France during the war. Notifications to permit install lation of American made propelling engines and a few other changes were necessary, but navy officials re- gard the ZR-1 as practically repro uucIion of the L-49 which was proven by the Germans as safe and reliable craft with all stresses and strains | demonstrated in actual flight under varying conditions
 ZR-1 Plans Noi Jew
 t was the purpose of the navy ex- perts to make the LAB, which was all most the last word in German war experience construction, the starting ] point for American development of | iigh, ,er than air rigid war craft. On | the experience gained in operation of the ZR-1 operation 1t is planned to base future improvements or in- rreases in size
 The ZR-2 on the other hand, repre- I sen.ei the last word in British engi- leeriny progress over German origi- | nals and the disaster to the British | built vessel, officers here feel, only l tends to confirm the decision to at tempt no unexplored field of construc- tion in turning cut American Zerpe- lin's but to proceed from one well es- 1 tablished model tc the next improve | ment slowly and so on step by step to what ever the ultimate lighter than | uir cruiser of the future is to be. Plans for purchase of the ZR-2 in | England cane after the war, while designs for the FRI were well in hand at the navy department before l tie war ended. When hostilities ceas- ed, the British were left with a mum, Der of giant craft under construction ! in addition to the R-34 which made the l flight tc New York and back It was | decided to stop work on these and | salvage all that had been done, and the United States then stepped in to 1 obtain by purchase the ship most ad- vanced in construction. British R-3S,
 which was to become the ZR-2 De l signation of the vessels in numerical | order, in what appeared to be the re- verse of the order of construction, is accounted for that fact
 Construction Goes Ahead The chief reason for purchase of
 the British ship, it was explained. was ! on the old engineering axiom that bet
 ,er prcgi ess is to <Y made if two of i any new type of any mechanical de-
 vice are worked up for test simul taneouSly than if only one pilot de- | sign is completed Had all the eggs l been placed in the ZR-2 basket in this case, it was pointed out the
 navy would have ro began agaIn at ! the grass roots in development of this
 urn of the aerial fleets of the future | As 1t is, construction of the FRI ! is proceeding unaffected by the ZR-2
 disaster, although it was said to be | going slowly by reason of reduced ap-
 propriations for the navy this year. 1 Practically all of the dura-iu1rinum 1 for girders of the ships frame work
 has been produced and is now in pro- l Gress of fabrication into the lattice work f. ame members at the Philadel. 1 phia aircraft plant of the navy; con. | tracts have been let for the eighteen
 gas bags which will furnish the lift
 ing power and the keel of the ship
 will be laid within a few months at
 the Lakehurst, N. J., hangar built to
 house both the FRI and ZR-2. The i frame members are being cut and as-
 sembled at Philadelphia to be knocked down when complete and shipped to
 Lakehurst where they will be reas-
 sembled and placed in the ship.
 Can Use Two kins of Gas
 The gas bags are designed for eith-
 CT hydrogen or the new, non-explosive cut highly expensive helium gas dis
 covered during the war. At present i plans call for the use of hydrogen be-
 cause Cf the excessive cost of produc-
 ;ng sufficient helium to flil the cays
 to their full 2,00o,000 cubic feet ca
 pacity.
 The ZR-1's 645 feet in length and IS
 feet in diameter practically duplicate
 At Topeka, Kan. - Kansas Uniyer-
 siIy %, washDurn '.
 s