R100

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1930, Page 5

RIOO

' NEARING MONTREAL • 4:• 3 j.' - . ", -i "v

(United. Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright )

■;>; " - . MONTREAL, July 30. The dirigible RIOO was reported to be rapidly nearing Belle Isle, off the Labrador:‘Coast, to-night. The air'ship is'bxpected'to arrive at Saint Hubert field, near here, on Thursday afternoon. . " . :

1U : (‘Making good time! ■- Eyertyhing OK:” was the message received at St- . Hubert at 12.30 a.m:, it- being relayed: from Louisburg. Nova Scotia relates a laconic story of the dirigible encountering a fog off the Newfoundland Banks. The dirigible’s speed was cut' to. nearly .nothing, having at that jtima hardly moved beyond, the position radioed at; 7.16 p.m., which was then \_J7B miles from Belle Isle.

ARRIVAL DELAYED.

(Received thia day at 8.80. a.m.) < w ; vr, ; w OTTAWA, July 31. j . News from St. Hubert’s airport, Quebec, states fabric trouble aboard - R.lOOp necessitated "’ a. reduction of f 'spe4d. : "It fis possible she will not arrive. tiR Friday morning..

' ‘ According to a. wireless received on , Thursday afternoon, the ship was in ' the” vicinity of Quebec City at three .o’clock. .

THE FIRST CROSSING

The honour of the first trans-Atlan-tic flight by airship belongs to England and was obtained in July, 1919, when the R 34 commanded by Major Scott, made the journey to America and back. Her time for .the outward journey r w'as just over 108 hours paired.'with the 111 J hours taken by the Graf Zepplein in October, 1928. The German ship was twice as large as K 34. • . ■■ \ - ’V-; ' ' i"

■ ’ The. Zeppelin has crossed the; Atlaritic twice since then, once in 1929 and once this year. She has also made a circuit of the earth.' •s*;? THE MOOTING MAST.

The mooring mast, to, which RIOO will be tied up is the most modern in the world.

The tower was completed early in the year, under the direction of Canada’s Department of Defence, which corresponds in one of its branches, to the Air Ministry at "Westminister. j It is equipped with wireless and ) meteorological services, and is painted black and chrome orange ,to give the best'visibility for the approaching airship. . .

The extreme tip of the mooring cone from the ground is 205 feet. i 1 Full provision has been made, for filling the gas bags of , the 11100 in ap adequate hydrogen generating plant, capable of supplying up to 60,000 cubic, feet, of hydrogen per hour. It is an'tiicjipate.d Ithat one-tenth of the 5,000,000 cubic feet capacity of the ship will have to be replenished after a Transatlantic trip. This can be done in from eight to twelve hours. Although this mooring tower has been built after the Cardington model it is of slightly heavier steel. Its construction in England enabled the best engineering skill in that country ..to be put into its construction, and after being , shipped to Canada the most skilful experts of the Dominion Government were employed for its installation.

The design of the mast provides for a maximum ,pull at the tower head of forty tons. The factor of safety over

immediate working necessities is apparent when it is realised that the RIOO exerted a maximum pull of fifteen tons when riding a gale at the top pf -the Cardingtop mast not long ago.