New Britain herald., 1930-10-06
U. s. Dirigibles Safe From Fate.
 Which Overlook Britain's R-l0l

Akron, O., Oct. 6.-The fate that betook the R-101 over Beauvais, France, on it's first long distance flight, will never strike the Los Angeles or the $500, ,OOo-cubic foot super -airship, Akron, which is being built here for the United States navy.
 With positive certainty, Lieuten- ant Thomas G. W. Settle, inspector of naval aircraft, who is represent ing the navy here during the nSw airship's contraction, and a recog- nized authority on lighter craft, dispels any fears for the American airships that might arise from what happened in France Sunday morning.
 The Safety of Helium
 The reason for Lieutenant Settles certainty lies in the fact that the American airship now afloat and that being built, as well as the ZRS-5 which is planned for future construction. have helium as their lifting gas. Helium is a non- inf1am- mable gas extracted from certain natural gas fields, particularly in Texas and Oklahoma. Its resultant surety against fire or explosion, such as caused the R-101 disaster, gives any ship in which it is a part factor of safety of primary inn portance.
 "The Los Angeles can't possibly burn up or explode" says Lieuten- ant Settle. Neither will the Akron, when it is completed. The United States has been fortunate in having large sources of this gas. while it is extremely rare and costly elsewhere. Germany, England and the other countries, therefore, have had to use hydrogen, a highly inflammable and therefore dangerous gas to lift their ships"
 Hydrogen is more buoyant than helium, so that less is needed to carry a specified weight. But the in creased safety of the helium ship is worth the extra cost of building it larger for the same load capacity as Rhydrogen ship.
 Shows Hydrogen's Dangers
 The real cause of the R-101's destruction will not be known for some time, until an official investi- gation is made. But the fact that the ship burned up, or exploded, is enough to show the dangers of q hydrogen airship.
 The British had believed they had a good safety feature in the use of heavy-oil burning Diesel engines, which avoided the use of highly in f1ammable gasoline" Lieutenant Settle says. That is an important factor in airship safety, but no ship is wholly safe unless it has non- inflammable helium as its lifting gas.
 There Is hardly probability that the hydrogen gas in the R-101 blew up of it's own accord, because the cells in the ship are constantly in- Hating and deflating. II the gas fill ed the cells to capacity and threaten ed to infate beyond it's limit, the automatic ''overpresure" valves would release enough hydrogen tc prevent the explosion of a cell"
 There are leaks, however, in the gas cells of airships, Lieutenant Settle admits, that can't be stopped up altoether, and such leak might have been ignited from some cause or other
 Doubts Storm Caused It | If the ship struck a storm, Lieu | tenant Settle cant believe 1t was shattered, as was the Shenandoah 1T southern Ohio, in 1925, because the R-101 is supposed to have been the most sturdily built ship in existence Lightning might have played a part in the calamity, however.
 The fate of the Shenandoah is remarkable example of the safet, l assured by the use of helium a! lifting gas. Although this ship Wal | broken asunder by the storm, i did not catch fire. Only the men 1T the control cars, which were slunG down apart from the airship proper lost their lives by falling with the heavy masses in which they were caught. Those who happened to bt within the airship itself maneuvere6 the fore and aft sections as two free balloons and landed safely. Io N ,oIo I, burning or explosion of such a he