Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-19
EXPERTS TO STUDY
D. c. LANDING SITES
Ciiy's Claims in Competition
for DirigibIe Terminal
Strongly Urged.

Zeppelins will advise with local bust
ness interests in connection with their
movement urging selection of Washing
. Ton as the American terminus Of the
projected transatlantic airship lines
Starr Truscott. designer of the Shen-
! andoah. ard Comdr. Garland Fulton,
chief of the Lighter han-air Division
Of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. will
| confer with members of the aviation
committee of the Washington Board of
| Trade Monday afternoon at 4:30 O'Clock
! at the invitation of Laurence E. Will
liams. committee chairman.
Comdr. Fulton has spent some time
in Germany, where he witnessed con-
| struction of zeppelins. He and Trus-
! cott will explain facilities needed by
! Zeppelin in landing in relation to the
! facilities available in Washington.
GraveIly Point Considered.
Gravelly Point. the water-covered
area on the Virginia bank of the Po-
| tomac River channel, near its Junction
! with the Anacostia River, received
added impetus as an airport following
the suggestion of DR.. Eckener.
| While officials agree on the point OF
Astrological availability and sultaplllly
as a place for the handling OF aero
| SLdIS,
ion as to whether the proposed site
could be made large enough in all di-
rections to permit the successful
handling of these great lighter-than-
air craft.
| Comdr Fulton while saying that he
knew nothing of the Gravelly Point
site here, said that successful land
ing field for these ships should be one
mile square This would permit OF the
placing of the hangers in the center.
so that the great ships could be walked
in from either end. These hangers are
about ! 900 feet long and there should
be, he said. 1000 feet on either end Of
eatI hangar.
He said, however, that the weather
conditions in this area are suitable for
the successful handling of the ships.
In fact, he said. any place south of
Philadelphia is in an area where the
prevailing winds are such that these
craft could be handled successfully at
all times. Lakehurst, the Nays sta
ton in New Jersey. is just about on the
line of Philadelphia. which marks the
change from the turn to the good, and
it is known that Lakehurst is not the
ideal place for such craft, and its selec-
ton was made because it was the only
place available at the time.
When a selection was being made for
the aerostat station of the Navy. efforts
were made to have it located in the
vicinity of Camp Meade, but 1t was i'm
possible to have the Army give the land.
and so the old Army post at Lakchurst
was accepted.
There is much fiat land between this
city and Baltimore which would make
ideal landing fields for lighter -than-ail
Giv4o - ,ON-
the question of cost entered into the
acquisition of it. While location of 8
dirigible station close to a city woulc
be fine project, he pointed out thai
the high value of lands near cite:
would make the provision of such @
site out of the question.
1t was disclosed that representatives
of the Goodyear Zeppelin Co. of Ohio
which has the Navy contract for the
construction of two large aerostats
now are looking over the territory be-
tween Baltimore and Richmond. in an
effort to find a suitable place for the
location of the hangers which will
house the two new ships. The contract
calls for the provision of the landing
field site and the hangers. 1t was said
that they have been discussing the mat
ter with persons in Baltimore, and nov
are comforting with persons in Rich
mond regarding sites in the vicinity OF
that city.
Must Create Site.
It Is not known whether the con-
tractors have given any attention tc
the proposed field at Gravelly Point
which, of course, does not now exist
as the plan proposes its provision by
the raising OF the bed of the river by
pumping dredged material over the
fat lands.
Mai Brehon Somervell, United States
Army engineer, in charge of the Wash
ington, D. c.. engineering district, said
that If the money is provided the work
could be completed in a space of two
years. The first of the Nays dirigibles
is to be completed in 80 months, and
the second one Is months later
1t was explained by Mai Somervell
that the preliminary project. as plan
ned. calls for ground space of 5000
feet square. and the ultimate length
ening of one distance by 5000 feet,
making a field 5000 by 5000 feet, or
a tota. of 2l2 acres. The Navy ex-
perts say it would require a square
field of $40 acres. He believes that
the provision of such field would
make one of the finest air stations in
the world. and expressed the belief
that the large aircraft could be landed
there, pointing out that the hangers
could be placed the long way of the
field thus giving ample space for put
tine the ships in the buildings.
While the ultimate project as now
planned calls for field 5000 feet in
length. Maj Somervell said that it
eventually could be carried down the
river as far as Alexandria, for a dis
lance OF $4,000 feet more. In order to
complete the original project in two
years, 1t would mean that Congress
must provide a total of $2,50O. 900
within that period. as that is the esti-
mate of the ultimate cost of the work.
for the 6.000foot project.
John B. Larner, president OF the
Washington Loan & Trust Co. and &C.
tive in enterprises for civic develop
ment, when interviewed with regard to
the proposed airport, said as follows:
Il have read with much interest the
statement appearing in the news COL
umns OF morning paper to the effect
that DR.. Hugo Eckener contemplates
the establishment in the neighborhood
OF Washington of an airport for the use
OF the great dirigibles which will be in
regular service across the Atlantic. II
is indeed to be hoped that this plan will
be consummated.
Washington. the Capital of the
United States, has, for many years been
dependent for its physical contact with
other Nations upon those of the colln-
try's seaports having facilities adequate
to the accommodation of the great
/ transatlantic liners, which long ago
outgrew the port of Georgetown.
City as Traffic Center.
II hope that the development of in
ternational airways will bring with i.
the establishment of Washington as
a center of international traffic, and so
relieve our city of the anomalous posi-
ton Of being the seat Of government
and yet without commercial contact
with other countries"