Evening star., 1925-09-04
DISASTER PER|LS
NAVY AIR POLICY
Lakehurst Station May Be
CIoSed-PB-1 Flight
Probably Cancelled.
BY the Associated Prese.

BY the Associated Press.
The disastrous loss of the dirigible
Shenandoah apparently has thrown
the Navy's whole future policy with
respect to lighter than-air craft de-
veiopment into a state of uncertainty.
Out of this may come a decision to
close down the Navy's air station at
Lakehurst. n. J. Secretary Wilbur is
now considering the best course to
pursue and has a definite plan In
mind. but will discuss the matter
widely with naval experts before an
nouncing any decision.
The collapse of the Shenandoah, oc-
curing in the shadow of the failure
TO find trace so far of the missing
PN-9 No. L plane in the attempted
nonstop flight to Hawaii, has not
broken the Navy's determination to
carry forward aircraft development
TO the utmost, but Secretary Wilbur
has decreed that the rewards must be
equal to the risk.
He thus has ordered the plane Phi,
which was planning to hop off from
San Francisco for Hawaii today in
the wake of, the missing plane, TO
abandon the effort. Unless very posi-
tive reasons develop to warrant 1t, he
said, the flight will not be made.
Enough Trouble for Awhile.
1--WE have had enough trouble for
a. while" the Secretary said, ''and we
don't want to hazard the lives of 9TH
er men until we have some definite
reason for doing so.''
AS its II / reverse In recent weeks,
the Navy $50 is contemplating now
the failure of its planes to achieve
their jor mission with the Mac
MILAN expedition in the Arctic. From
all yof these, however, Secretary Will
bur draws the reassuring conviction
that in. the eXpanse Of the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans the United States
has a ,bulwark of defense of which
there need be little fear of penetration
by present-day enemy aircraft operat-
ing from an overseas base.
The Navy. Department already had
under consideration a future program
with respect to dirigibles, and the Los
Angeles and Shenandoah in particu-
lar, before the disaster to the latter
ship yesterday. How far this will af-
feet the program. not only in its bear
ing on the problems of engineering
science involved, but the attitude of
Congress as well, remains to be de-
veloped. Mr.. Wilbur said, however,
that he plans to confer widely on the
matter and might have an early an
AAV04A1OLACAlL " A4lcaC " q 0SIASlOIl.
No Denial Made.
The Secretary declined to say
whether or not the Lakehurst station
would be closed, but no other official
denied that this step was in prospect.
AS to the Los Angeles, now left as
the Navy's only dirigible, Mr.. Wilbur
said the plan in mind for her would
not be affected by the loss of the
Shenandoah. Since the proposal to
lease her for commercial operation no
definite offer has been received, even
If one would be considered now after
loss of the Shenandoah, which leaves
the possibility that she may be fur
ther employed by the Navy. although
not a military craft, in such ways as
are permissible in further determin-
ing the Navy's future program as to
dirigibles.
Whatever decision is reached as to
the Lakehurst station and the Los
Angeles, there will be a period of en-
forced inactivity for both of several
months at least. The loss of helium in
the wreck of the Shenandoah leaves
on hand only about half of the vol
ume of gas necessary to initiate the
Los Angeles.
Had Successful Career.
The Shenandoah had one of the
most successful careers of any lighter
than-air craft in any country. In it's
life of one day short of two years
from its trial flight on September 4,
1923, It covered nearly 80 900 miles, a
distance uneQualed by any other
dirigible, officials said, although they
did not have available comparative
statistics on the subject.
Expected to be serviceable for at
least five years, it did not complete
half that span, yet it made number
Of flights into the interior and one
across the continent and along the
west coast. Unlike the Los Angeles,
1t had never made a voyage for any
considerable distance over the ocean.
Regarded as an excellent ship, it
was in some respects an old model,
for 1t was designed from the basic
plan of the German dirigible I.-49,
which fell in France later in the war
after it had been built in 1916. The
Shenandoah. however, was made
much stronger than the Lac. The
Los Angeles is much later type and
is regarded as the better craft. For
one thing. it is said by c. P. Burgess,
civilian aeronautical engineer who
assisted in designing it, the Los An
geles is shorter and fatter," and the
tendency now is TO build dirigibles
SHOTL anu Lat. "A greater volume
and strength is held to result from
this design.
Not Surprised at Result.
Mr.. Burgess said there was neces-
Sarily point of maximum strain in
any craft and it was not surprising,
therefore, that the Shenandoah, when
she did buckle, broke up. Its point
of greatest strain, he said, was about
two-thirds back from the bow.
With the possible exception of the
Los Angeles, Mr.. Burgess regarded
the Shenandoah as the strongest
rigid. airship ever built. She had
gone through more severe weather
than any other dirigible, he pointed
out, but yesterday encountered the
storm too severe to Withstand.
Mr., Burgess was aboard the Shen-
andoah when she tore loose from the
n1ooring mast at Lakehurst in Janu-
ary, 1924, and again he was aboard
her in the fight to Albany and Nj
agara Falls last year, when she en-
countered thunderstorms for the first
time. His instruments at that time,
he said, revealed no strain in the
craft.
The chief designer of the Shenan-
doah was Commander J. G. Hunsa-
ker, now naval attache at London.
Tho nIan WAS pnDrovad NV poro.