The Washington times., 1923-08-25
| 7 ANDERSON
WILL PILOT.
B|GZR-1
HyattsviIIe Man, Well Known
in D. c., to Direct Worlds
Biggest DirigibIe.

The honor of plotting the first
American-built rigid dirigible. the
giant Fri, the worlds largest air
craft, which is to be launched
September / at Lakehurst, ". j..
has been awarded to Lieut.. Joseph
Bruce Anderson, son of the Rev,
and Mrs. J. M. Anderson, Of Hy-
attsville, Prince George county,
Md. He is well-known in Wash
The young officer will be the air
director and chief pilot or the huge
craft, of which Commander Franz
r. McCrary will be captain. :
Lieutenant Anderson served as
aerologist for Commander Albert n.
Read, of Washington, in his epochal
transatlantic flight in the NC-4,
and took part in the subsequent re-
cruiting cruise Of the NC-4 from
Maine to the Gulf Of Mexico and
up the Mississippi river.
He was aerologist of the Inflated
R-3S, the English built dirigible
which was to have been turned
over to the United States as the
ZR-2, but which broke and crashed
on its trial flight, killing two-score
members of its crew.
Saved By Assignment.
q
Lieutenant Anderson expected to
be aboard the huge ship on that
flight but was prevented by his as
signment to the duty of gathering
meteorological data preparatory to
the anticipated transatlantic flight
of the big ship.
Lieutenant Anderson was born in
Cincinnati and is graduate OF
Wooster College. Ohio. At the be-
ginning of the world war he en-
listed in the naval aviation service,
was assigned to the nghter-than-air
division and received training at
the balloon school at Akron. Ohio.
During the war Lieutenant An
derson was in command OF navy
air stations in Ireland and France,
entrusted with the work of clear
ing the English channel Of enemy
submarines.
At the close of the war he was
appointed a member of the faculty
Of the Navy Aviation School at
Pensacola, Fla, where he remained
until his transfer to the crew of
Fri at Lakehurst last February.
The ZR-1, which is largely pat
termed after the German type OF
Zeppelin. with certain n1odifica-
tions, is the greatest aircraft in
existence. It is nearly 1000 feet
long and will carry a crew OF thirty
men.
Helium Gas Used.
The big ship has already been
given her flotation tests within The
confines of the enormous navy
hangar at Lakehurst. in which It
was built. 1t will be moved out
into the open AIR for the first
time soon.
The Fri is the first rigid air
ship in which helium gas, the new
non.inflammable balloon gas, has
been used. The great cigar-shaped
outer envelope is merely a cover
for a score of balconies within;
in which the gas is contained.
These balloonets are made Of a
rubberized fabric covered with
''gold-beaters' skim" made of the
intestines OF cattle. The intestines
of 100000 cattle were used in build
ing the Fri.
. The hangar in which the Fri is
now located is one Of the largest
tire United States Capitol building,
including both wings, with the
sole exception OF about eighty feet
Of the top Of the. dome, could be
placed within the hangar and the
doors closed. Two United States
Treasury buildings could be placed
within the great structure. The
cubic air contents of the hangar
are five times the contents of the
immense concourse at Union Sta
ton.
A beautiful model Of the hangar
and the Fri, nearly six feet long
snd built to scale, have been placed
on exhibit in the Navy Department
building at Nineteenth and B streets
northwest