The Cordova daily times., 1923-01-12

IN. d., Jdll 1G. h great rigid dirigible airship designed to regain public confidence in it's type in the face Of the ZR-2 and Roma dis asters, which is nearing completion of its skeleton outlines at the Naval air station here in the interior of a giant hangar, is as long as an ocean liner and twice as broad.
 The new ship, to be known as ZR-1 (the letters mean Zeppelin Rigid") is described as safety" airship, ac- cording to Commander R. D. Weyer- bacher, who is supervising its con- struction, for lightness and even speed will be sacrificed to make the gigantic craft accident-proof.
 It is to Germany and the Zeppe- lin airship that the navy is turning for the creation of it's future fleet Of aerial dreadnoughts. Even as the sound of riveters at work on the frame of ZR-1 is heard at Lakehurst work men of the great Zeppelin works at Friederichshafen, on Lake Constance thousands of miles away, are laying the "keel" of similar craft for the United States Navy, to be known as ZR-3. When completed both ships Will be based on Lakehurst and will nave range of action of 400O miles.
 Like Zep L-4e
 ZR-1 is practically reproduction or the, successful Zeppelin L-49. View ing the 6SO feet of blue-tinted dural- umin framework in the hangar at Lakehurst, one is struck with the thickness of the center of the body of the ship contrasted with the R-34 and other ships of British construc- tion.
 The new naval aircraft is approXl- mately the shape of giant mlnnoW' with rounded "nose" and substan- tial section aimidships, tapering off to 8 pointed conical tail"
 It's framework represents triumph of American engineering in solving the mystery of producing duralumin' the curious metal lighter than alu- minum yet with almost the tensile strength of steel, which was long a secret of the German metallurglsts. Experiments conducted by the Navy Department in conjunction with a large American aluminium plant nave nroduced a duralumin that is of more uniform composition than that Of the Germans.
 Liaht, Strong Frame
 Structurally, ZR-1 is composed ot a mass of small grders, made up or duralumin stampings almost similar +o certain types of structural toys for ship. Then, too there are box glro- CTS for the great cicular ribs Of the shin and for the "longitudinals' that connect them forming the sides ot the shin. Then, too, there are box glrd CTS of square section, one which IS nsed most of the length of the very ton of the big hull. When the snip is completed it will support walk for the officers and crew communi eating with the observation post TOT ward and the tail rudders aft.
 The ship is divided into twenty sec lions along it's length, each of when will house one of the gas balloons which give the ship it's lifting power These balloons, already made, are o' finest goldbeaters skin, this material heinz used to avoid possibility ol static electricity causing an explosion if they are torn.
 Guard Against Fire
 Tn the past, where rubber coVereo Inv fabric on each side has been used Commander Weyerbacher explains the theory has been advanced thai disa strous explosions of that type ol bag were due to opposite charges o' static electricity in the cloth on elthei eide suddenly uniting to produce snark when the bag was torn rms however, has never been proven, ne adds.
 Along the bottom of the hull of the airship, and inside it, runs long trl angular passageway extending iron the nose" to a point near the tail