The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-03-09
HOLD BIG STORES
FOR AIR SERVICE
Uncle Sam Has Immense Supply
OF Material for AirpIanes
on Hand.
LARGEST DEPOT is IN TEXAS
Supplies Worth s50,Ooo,o0o Stored
There, While Machinery and Equip
ment of Plant Represent
Another 500, 100000.

San Antonio, Tex.-Not much has
that the United States government
air intermediate depot, situated on the
outskirts of San Antonio, contains
army aviation materials valued at
$500O0,000, While the machinery and
other equipment that go to make up
the plant has an additional value Of
$1OO,OOOOO0
1t is one of the largest aviation and
repair centers in the United States
The buildings which comprise the
government property are Of lefnla-
nent character The special purpose
of. maintaining the depot is 70 keep
constantly on hand a complete and
large stock Of ailplanes and their
parts for supplying the army aviation
service The warehouses are filled
with hundreds of airplane wings and
motors. Thee are thousands of mo-
tors Every three months these mo
TORS must he taken ont of their boxes
thoroughly SPRAYED with a form Of
grease to pre- ent rust and then treat
ed to a similar coat of oil on the in
side of the finders and otl.er in
ternaI parts. They are SO delicate
that they must be carefully handled.
Hundreds on Hand.
Several hundred complete airplanes
are kept on hand in the boxes in
which they come from the factory,
and these must also be opened at
regular intervals, taken out and gone
over completely
In another part of the warehouse
is IAN assortment of tools that prob
ably surpasses in size and value any
in the Southwest. It's value runs into
millions of dollars. Every tool that
will ever be needed in the air service
is in the supply section. Spare parts
stored in another part of the ware
house represent another huge fortune.
This material goes to supply all the
army air service in the United States
and, in addition Panama, Philippine
Islands, Hawaii and formerly the air
forces in the army of occupation In
Germany.
The engineering branch is charged
with the repair of airplanes used by !
the air service in the Eighth corps
area an@ in flying fields as far east
as Florida. 1t is divided into several |
There is the machine |
shop, one of the most complete in the {
country. Then comes the motor re-
pair, fuselage construction, rigging,
fabric and upholstery, paint shop,
1nal assembly hangar and the test
hangar Airplanes are built from the
ground up at the engineering
branch, but for the most part they
AXE the old ones that are turned in
~ the various fields and rebuild
hem.
Expert civilian mechanics are en-
,loyed to do this work. Raw mate
ials are kept on hand tor wing and
,ody construction, and whenever
pare part is needed that is not on
land it can be turned out in the shop.
Wings, rudders and elevators are con-
tructed in the shops. After the
is completed it is taken to
he fabric shop, where linen cloth is
tretched over and nailed down, and
hen it is painted.
The engineering branch was moved
o San Antonio several months ago
rom Dallas, and took the buildings
eft by the air service mechanics
chool Maj. William H. Garrison is
4 command of both branches of the
epot.
The monthly pay roll at the depot
$4,000, and, there are
bout 400 civilians employed as me-
hanics in addition to the - officers.
he supply branch is in charge of
lieut. Myron r. Wood and the en-
Ineering branch is in charge of Capt
dward Laughlin. :