The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-04-15

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 Army quartermaster' corps and civilian engineers in charge of con- struction at the depot, five miles northeast of Sacramento toward the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, report work is weeks ahead of schedule.
 Air corps officers and enlisted men, with large detail of civilian mechanics, will be working at the depot soon after the first of next year as some of the units of the repair base are placed in operation.
 As officers and mechanics are transferred to the Sacramento depot, Rockwell Field at Coronado, Calif., near San Diego, gradually will be turned over to the navy.
 Used During World War
 Rockwell Field has served as a repair base for the army corps since World war days but has been antiquated by rapid strides of army aviation.
 The Sacramento depot will serv- ice all military planes on the Pacific coast. Until completion Of a similar but smaller depot at Hickam Field near Schofield Barracks in the Hawaiian Islands, the California base wall act as repair headquar- ters for army planes for the entire Pacific area.
 Sacramento was selected for the new depot because of it's location. Near a large navigable river and adjacent to two tranScontinental marine railroad tracks, it is con- sidered far enough from the coast to be comparatively safe from pos sible raids by enemy planes if the United States should be invaded.
 Living quarters for 20 officers and their families, as well as about 120 enlisted men, are virtually con- plete. In final stages are a hos pital fire and guard house and post exchange, all located in one corner of the 12,0OO acres of former farm land, purchased by the army and set aside as a military reservation.
 Hangars Are Rising
 fJteel truSses for three-unit hangar whose roof covers 7k acres are in place. Workmen are now fastening asbestos protected corru- gated metal covering on the bare supports.
 The hangars are 200 feet deep. Rectangular doors that slide back into special pockets in the side of tho structure close an opening 250 feet wide and 38 feet high.
 Largest bombers in regular army service at present have a wing spread of only 128 feet and height of 8 feet, but, engineers explained, the depot is designed for future de- velopment in aircraft.
 Authorities estimated six of the largest bombers now used could be stored in each hangar section by ca-eful parking. Innumerable small CT fighting and observation ships can remain under the protective covering of the hangar while under going repairs.
 An engineering shop and repair dock behind the hangars has roof area of 1872 acres. Completely new machinery of the latest design is to be installed.
 Large Warehouse Built
 Another large, concrete-steel structure has been built for gen. eral warehouse purposes, while smaller buildings, apart from the main plant, will contain paint, oil and wing dope" supplies.
 A half-mile from the hangars are buildings containing utility machinery and disposal plant. Miles of storm drainage, gas and water pipes, and radio, electricity and telephone wires have been laid underground, eliminating all over head hazards except large water tank which has been vividly marked and lighted.
 Apart from the general plant group is a small munitions build ing, where small bore ammunition and some powder for bomber test ing purposes will be stored.
 Two miles away in another part of Sacramento valley near Mather Field, former army base now used only as a bombing target range, will be a powerful radio sending station. It will be connected by cables to an operations tower atop the hangars, where dispatcher will control all planes using the depot.
 R. D. Swift, civilian construction engineer, and Col. Hugo E. Pitz, constructing quartermaster, esti- mated that 95 per cent of the air. planes repaired at the Sacramento depot will be flown in.
 To take care of ships that crash, a railroad siding runs directly into the repair dock. For bombers too large to be transported on flat cars, a barge dock will be built on the Sacramento river, four miles distant. Sacramento county is to build 8 wide, hard surfaced road to the depot from the river for use by trailers hauling the crippled bombers.
 Three criss-cross asphalt run- ways, each 5000 feet long, are to be constructed this summer.
 Ground for the Sacramento air depot was broken in August, 1886 Some grading for railroads started that fall, but major work did not get under way until March, 1887 when the first buildings began to rise.