The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-09-25

which extended along the bottom center lima.
Meals will be prepared on especially built
stove, weighing but ITO pounds. The stove has
eight cooking spaces and is sufficient to pre-
pare warm meals for the entire crew. The first
breakfast prepared a test Of the stove and
cooking equipment was served while the ship
was still in the dock at Akron, and consisted
Of fapjacks with butter and honey, and coffee
The control surfaces. which directly re-
spOnsble for maneuvering the Akron, 10
Gated near the stern, and consist of four fins
and movable surfaces, one pair extending hOr-
izontally. and the other pair vertically. from
the hull The fixed surfaces. or fins, give sta
bility to the craft and each is about the size
of an average city lot. 1t has been estimated
that four ordinary bungalows, together with
two one-car garages, could be placed each
horizontal fin, with still enough room left over
for few flower beds.
Attached to the fixed surfaces are the NOV
able surfaces. The rudders, which govern the
lateral direction of the ship, are attached TO
the rear of the two vertical fins. while the
elevators, governing the up and down move
ments, are attached to the horizontal fms
In the lower vertical fin is located an emer-
gency control room, feet wide and Is feet
long. Here two men will be stationed at all
times to assume control of the ship should
the cables leading from the forward cabin to
the fins become shot away in war time, or
disabled for any cause whatever.
i Immediately after the christening ceremony,
the ship was placed on it's mobile mooring mast
for the first time The mast. patterned after
the giant Iron horse" at Lakehurst naval air
station is in reality a motorized hitching post
for airships.
In olden days giant airships were walked i'm
and out of their docks by hundreds of men.
Several years ago, however the navy began
experiments with mechanical means for ham
ding the ships. From this experimentation came
the mobile mast used in handling the Los An
geles at Lakehurst, and the Akron mast was
also result of this work the part Of the
navy.
The mast, 76 feet in height, and weighing
40 tons, is an open pyramid in shape and has
at its top cup into which cone on the nose
of the airship will fit. When the ship is ready
to be taken out of the dock. the mast is brought
in, the nose cone locked in place and the
mast started out. pulling the ship after IT.
The mast is provided with 240 horsepower
motor which generates the power to move the
huge structure. In order that the ship does not
swing into the side of the dock her 7s5 feet
of length are being towed out on the field prior
to taking off, lines are run from the side OF the
ship to 13-ton cars running on tracks from the
dock out into the airport. When the ship is
completely out of the dock, these lines are cast
off. and the tail of the craft allowed to swing
into the wind similar procedure is fol-
lowed when the ship lands, and is walked back
into the dock.
1t is necessary that the field be COMPLETELY
cleared of spectators when the ship is walked
out, in order that commands NAV be heard
and executed. For this purpose, a fence 5000
feet long has been erected around Akron air
port for use on those days when the ship is
flying.
Following trial flights of the Akron and her
formal acceptance by the navy, it is planned
to base the ship at Lakehurst naval air station
for some time.
The Akron is primarily a navy ship. and was
not built for passenger work. She will be as
signed to missions with the fleet and will act
as scout Ship
Ships of the same general design may easily
be built for commercial work, however and
looking to this end the International Zeppelin
Transport company and the Pacific Zeppelin
Transport company were organized nearly two
years ago to study routes and terminal sites
for Atlantic and Pacific passenger lines
The International Zeppelin Transport COM
pany with offices in New York, has had corps
of engineers studying routes over the Atlantic
for the past year, and hundreds of theoretical
flights have been made under varying weather
conditions, in an effort to determine lust wha,
schedules could be maintained
AS result Of these studies, il is believed that
a business man could leave his desk in New
York on Saturday morning, arrive in London
on Monday morning, transact business in En-
rope until Friday morning, and be back at his
desk in New York the following Monday I.
only few days more time than it would take
to make one-way crossing on a surface craft
Terminal site locations have been studied
for sometime. but no announcement as to where
the American terminal Of the Atlantic line win
be located has been made
iS cd xx-;rr
operate from the west coast Of the UnIred
States tn the Orient. through Hawaii and the
Philippine Islands.
~ Newspap., rf,i,-