Evening star. [volume], May 07, 1937, Page A-7, Image 7

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
HYDROGEN ME
Use of Helium Would Have
Averted Disaster, Ex
perts Think.
Had the Hindenburg been inflated
with helium, now being produced
only in the United States, last night's
disaster probably would not have oc
curred or would have been confined
to minur damage without loss of life,
in the opinion of aviation officials
here.
Even while fire raged through the
Hindenburg's gas cells, inflated with
explosive, terribly inflammable hy
drogen, there was pending before Con
gress a bill which would have sim
plified arrangements for the exporta
tion and sale of non-inflammable
helium gas to Germany.
This bill, introduced by Repre
sentative Hill of Alabama at the re
quest of officials of the Interior De
partment, which is charged with the
production of helium gas, now is pend
ing before a subcommittee of the
House Military Affairs Committee,
which held hearings recently and
probably will take further testimony
from officials of the Bureau of Mines
before taking final action.
Xo Foreign Sale Since 1925.
Since March 3. 1925. when the pres
ent Federal helium law was enacted,
there has been virtually no foreign
sale of the gas. Although the law
does not absolutely prohibit such
foreign sale, it established such rigid
restrictions about exportation that so
far no country has sought to buy it.
The Hindenburg, it is understood,
originally was to have used a com
bination of helium and hydrogen.
The plan never went through, how
ever. and all of her 16 lifting cells
contained hydrogen last night.
In a report issued at the Lakehurst I
Naval Air Station last year at the j
time the Hindenburg made her first
trip to the United States, appear a j
significant paragraph:
"It is planned to use helium as the
Inflation medium of this ship when it
becomes available to operators outside
the United States. Consequently the
Germans have planned a set of gas
cells for the Hindenburg which in
clude smaller interior cells to contain
hydrogen, which may be valved freely
to reduce the buoyancy if operating
factors require it. Completely sur
rounded by helium, this use of hydro
gen should be entirely safe. The buoy
ant gas from which the ship obtains
its lifting capacity is contained in 16
Individual cells placed end to end
having a total volume of 7.060.000
cubic feet. The gas ceil material is
a specially developed cotton cloth im
pregnated with a gas-tight sealing
material."
Helium Output Reserved.
While the United States Navy was
engaged in the operation of its giant
dirigibles, the Shenandoah, Los An
geles. Akron and Macon, the entire
output of the Government helium
plant, operated by the Bureau of
Mines, was reserved for these ships,
except for small amounts sold to the
Goodyear Zeppelin Corp., for its small
non-rigid airships of the type oper
ated over Washington. The Army also
obtained relatively small amounts for ,
balloons and non-rigid airships.
The Government plant during this
period increased its output to a maxi- j
mum of 15.000,000 cubic feet a year.
Since the loss of the Akron and Ma- ;
con. output has dropped to 5.000.000. '
This is used in the veteran Los j
Angeles, former German airship, now
in non-flying status, but being used j
by the Navy for mooring and ground ■
handling tests, and in smaller Army
and Navy ships and the blimps of the
Goodyear fleet.
The Government plant has a maxi
mum capacity of 24,000.000 cubic feet
a year in case of necessity. The helium
is found in deposits of natur gas and
is refined by freezing out all the other
gasses, helium being the last to liquefy.
The Government has a helium-bear
ing field of natural gas covering 50.000
acres "bottled up" for future use, it
teas explained.
The Hindenburg disaster should not
Interrupt the construction of helium
airships, in the opinion of Charles P.
Burgess, principal engineer in the
Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, who is
attached to the airship design group -
and has followed the development of
that type of aircraft since the begin
ning. He was a passenger on the Graf
Zeppelin in 1929 as an official observer
for the Navy.
Impure Hydrogen Blamed.
"Undoubtedly, impure hydrogen gas
In one of the cells caused the ex- j
plosion." Burgess declared. "There
was only one explosion; after that
the craft burned. Apparently the
whole ship did not explode at once.
Pure hydrogen itself does not ex
plode—it has to be mixed with air
first.
“The tragedy shows that the Navy
Department is entirely correct in using
helium exclusively in lighter-than-air
craft. There is no reason why de
velopment of thus type of craft should
not continue. This disaster was due
entirely to hydrogen and it is not an j
indictment against helium-filled air- 1
ships."
Burgess characterized as “bunk"
statements that the Hindenburg dis
aster proves that airships are no good;
It only proves that use of hydrogen
Is inadvisable, he said.
Burgess, who has been in the Navy
Bureau of Aeronautics for the past
20 years, was planning to return to
Germany aboard the Hindenburg on ;
her scheduled June 5 trip.
MOTHER’S DAY
IS SUNDAY, MAY 9
Gift Suggestions
Roleigh Hosiery_83c to $1.35
Archer Hosiery_85e to $1.65
One Hundred Grond Hosiery, $1.55
Linen Handkerchiefs_25c to $1
Gift 8ags__$3 to $5
Linen Blouses_$3
Gift Scarfs_$1 to $3
Costume Jewelry_$2 to $5
Silk Gowns_$3 to $7.95
Silk Slips _ $1.95 to $3.50
Negligees, Housecoats,
$4.50 to $10.95
Raleigh Haberdasher
-w
Dazed Survivors
Of Crash Mumble
Stories of Escape
“/ Jumped—and I’m
Alive,” Stunned Ger
man Keeps Repeating,
By ihe Associated Press.
LAKEHURST. N. J., May 7.—
Alfred Groeinzer. 20-year-old chef on
the Hindenburg, shut his eyes and
leaped just before the great ship sank
to earth, a blazing wreck.
"I jumped,” he kept repeating dazed
ly, in German, when he was placed on
a hospital bed. ”1 jumped—and I'm
alive!”
He was only slightly injured, but
was suffering from shock. The man in
the next bed, George Grant, 63, of
London, badly bruised and his leg
broken, managed to grin, ‘‘I'm alive,
too. Thank God!”
Most of the passengers and crew
who escaped death in the disaster were
too stunned to talk. Some lay silent
for hours.
“It was a terrible sight," said E. C.
Hazard of Pinewald, N. J., son of a
physician who rushed with nurses to
the scene of the wreck.
"It looked as if a lot of them burned
right up. I don’t know how anybody
got out.
"It was good fortune that some
were blown right out the windows.
”1 saw one passenger walking around
the field afterward in a trance.
"Their clothes were torn and burned
so much that what was left had to bo
cut off.”
The first concern of those who
escaped was the worry of their fami
lies.
Hans Hugo Veit, a member of the
crew, dispatched from his hospital
bed a jubilant cable, “I'm well," to his
wife and child in Prussia.
Philip Mangone of New York, who
was not seriously injured, received
telegrams from his friends, "Congratu
lations on your miraculous escape."
A crowd milled all night in the Lake
hurst hangar as the names of dead
and survivors went up on a bulletin
board.
Lights from a revolving beam over
the hangar swung at intervals over
dusters of grave-faced men and State
troopers.
Occasionally there was the wail of
an ambulance siren and the stars
shone down in the mild Spring night
Save After Seven
The CHESAPEAKE end POTOMAC TELEPHONE Co.
21 STYLES IN RALEIGH "8" SHOES
Black-ond white, tan-and white in wing tips, Crt
All white in wing tips, half brogues and plain 'f' -w/w
toe styles. Ventilated models and golf shoes in
eluded. Sixes 5 to 12, AA to E. Others f0 $6 85
Exclusive at Raleigh Haberdasher
IHANAN TOUCHSTONE MODELS
Fine, easily cleoned buckskin. Block ond white, £ 7 C
ton ond white, all white; in wing tip, plain ond ^M ./ J
holt brogue styles. Values far beyond their price.
AA to E, 5'i to 12.
Exclusive at Raleigh Haberdasher
j
HANAN Customized SPORT SHOES
Summer shoes in back-and-white, tan-ond- <% TC
white or all. white. Wing tip or plain foes. All A I fl m
with the famous featherweight soles. AAA to E ' • “ **
... 5 to 12. Others to $12.75
Exclusive at Raleigh Haberdasher
f
over the wreck of the ill-fated sky
queen.
—-•--—
COL DODGE REMAINS
IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Mount Vernon Superintendent
Suffered Cerebral Hemor
rhage Saturday.
Col. Harrison H. Dodge, 85-year-old
superintendent of Mount Vernon, who
was stricken with a cerebral hemor
rhage at his desk in the national
shrine Saturday, remained In a crit
ical condition in Garfield Hospital
today. Hospital attaches said "his
condition is about the same.”
The superintendent, who hsus been
in charge of the patriotic mecca for
52 years, will miss the first meeting
of the Mount Vernon Ladles' Asso
ciation, owners of the estate, May 13.
It will be the first meeting he has
missed since his appointment In
1885.
■ • •
Northern Ireland has taken all male
teachers from schools at Derry.
mnu& &*ZanWvrL
HOT FRESH ROASTED
peanuts
g 2 ::;33?
I / il aiNoua pound apt
m
PjtamuPi.
OAJL
ajhMlcL
UrtfroVL
U/OUA*
15th St. N.W.
Between Peoples Drur and Postal.
Open Lveninrs and Sundays
Exclusive at Raleigh Haberdasher
Lightweight Champ
of the World
It tips the beam at just ZVi
ounces . . . ZVz ounces of cool
comfort for the hot summer
ahead. The weather man won't
need to pull his punches, the
Vagabond can take it! Roll it up
and put it in your pocket ... it
will come up grinning, bounce
right back into shape to meet the
grueling requirements of the man
who insists on being well dressed
despite the knock-out punch Old
Sol serves Washington all summer.
VAGABOND PRINCE_$7.50
VAGABOND KING-._$10
IT PACKS
I IN YOUR,
, POCKET,
STORE HOURS:
9:30 AM. to S:45 PM.
PARKING SERVICE
AT OUR CURB
MAY SALES bring you a marvelous opportunity
to clothe yourself in KNOIVN quality at great savings!
HART SCHAFFNER & MARX and RALEIGH
1 & 2-TROUSER SUITS
MAY SALE OF MEN'S 75c
Shirts or Shorts
59c
Shorts of combed yarn broadcloths and
madrases. The shirts: Swiss ribbed and j
flat supercombed yarn.
$2 & S2.50 Imported Neckwear
Sup.rlor uroup of ftncr ini- ^ ^ _ _ )
pnrtrd Swlit rroprs. illh ■ T C \
silk j»rqu»rd linin. Ihrnuth- J I J
out Also 7-fold CO-ounrc ^ w )
foultrds ■ \
Si Handmade Neckwear
Foulard*. Crepe*. Twill*. Faille*. )
and woven material*. Hand eon- V
strurted f
GROUP of PLAID WASHABLE ROBES
Washable robe* in smartly ^ ^ (
.styled plaid effect*. Long- C ^ R V Q (
wearing fabric. You ran cer- M ,QQ )
tainly use one during the ^ \
summer__ f
Group of $2.50 and $3 Pajamas i
Fine quality mercerized fab- ^ ^ ^ ^ )
rlcs. sateens and broadcloth*. CT | Q U )
Piped, contrasting collar and I , 7Q \
cuff trim* or conservatively ■ (
tailored styles - ... m )
Clearance of 35c and 50c Hose
Lisle. Rayon and Silk Mixture* )
included. Smart, colorfully de- )
*lgned patterns . . . Buy a quan- \
tity at this price (
Clearance! $3.50 & $4 Pajamas |
High quality sateen* ... in )
regular and lounge styles. )
Plain or trimmed effect* ... \
tailored to suit a man’s taste (
Men's Manhattan Union Suits
Made by Robert Reis. Made
of sturdy quality checked
nainsook. Stock up for hot 1
weather_ _ _ . _
Men's Zipper Bathing Suits
Bur your bathing suit now at 1
savings. Included are two
tone zipper styles in a new
smart weave. Adjustable tops
Clearance of 35c and 50c Hose
Lisle, rayon and silk mixtures i
included. Smart, colorfully 1
designed pattern* . . . Buy a
quantity at this price __ 1
Annual May Sale of 1
RALEIGH "8"
SHOES
$5.15
Fine calfskins and feather-weights In
black and tan. Plain, wing tip; broad,
medium, narrow toes. Sires 5 to 12, /
AA to E.
WERE f30 Am *35
Thousands of men buy thousands of garments by
these famous makers every year at regular
prices and get exceptional value for their money
... at these generous reductions they present
a rare opportunity to save! But that's not the
whole story . . . rapidly rising woolen markets
and labor costs add a significance to the savings
not indicated by the comparative prices! It's
smart to buy now!
$35 to $40 $40 to $45 $50 to $60
1 qnd 2 Trouser 1 and 2 Trouser 1 and 2Trousers
Suits & Topcoats Suits & Topcoats Suits & Topcoats
$31 $36$43
• NO CHARGE FOR ALTERATIONS •
Open a Charge Account... Take Advantage of
%
OUR EXTENDED PAYMENT PLAN I
Regular 30-Day Charge Account
. . . bills rendered at the end af
the month during which purchase it
made. Any sales person will taka
your application for an account.
Four monthi to poy on tho Extended
Payment Plan . . . one-third each
month boginning 30 days after pur
chate. No interest charge and no
down payment.
RALEIGH HABERDASHER,
fyynu uiijlcti c-=~hneA s~}/\)cax <~>lcxe 1310 F STREET