GRAF ZEPPELIN.

Grey River Argus, 3 November 1928, Page 5

GRAF ZEPPELIN.

ACCOUNT OF TRIP. Nearly Down in Storms. (Australian & N.Z. Cable Assn). LONDON. Novrnilxi 1. The Graf Zeppelin has arrived at Friedrichshafen from the United State'- - . She arrived at 7.10 o’clock in he morning. She occupied 72] hours on the flight from Lakehurst. Tn the last stages there was considerable difficulty in keeping the hearings, and the Zeppelin repeatedly wirelt ssed Lebourgi t and Friedrichshafen for directions. Weather conditions forced it. to keep farther south han expected, making the journey across France by way of Nantes. I ours and Dojon. The fog was so thick that the Zeppelin could not be <een above Basle, though the engine - . wde clearly heard. Finally, it slowed down and hovered above Lake Constance for two hours in ord* r to allow the weather to clear, and have the benefit of daylight when above the landing ground. T'*.e silvery hull was a s riking spectacle in the glare of the searchlights. The passengers could be plainly seen at the cabin windows waving hats and handkerchiefs. The Zeppelin landed at 7.10 amid the firing of salutes, and the inging of German and American national hymns, including the “.Star Spangled Banner”. and “Deutschland Über Alles.” Passports and customs formalities were quickly settled. The passengers were greeted with thunderous cheers, and pelted with flow ers as they emerged from the Customs slud, as were also Commander Eckener and the crew. Even the stowaway, Clarence Tarhune was satisfactorily settled, he receiving a pro visional passport from the American Consul, at S uttgart. in th e cabin of the airship. Then he was spirited through a side door of the Customs shed in order to foil the efforts a~f Pressmen.

Eckener refuse dto talk through the microphone, as did the woman passenger, Mrs Adams, but the landing broadcast was heard by millions of listeners in Central Europe. Before going to lied, Eckener emphasised that dense fog in the last stages made navigation difficult. He added that the Zeppel i n st mid the test excellently. “You should have seen th e steamers we met rolling in heavy eas. We hadn’t :he slightest trouble with the Engines.” The airship brings 101.683 letters and postcards, weighing a ton. for which the German postal administration is in credit £15,142 by America. SPEED GO MILES HOURLY. STORM CAUSES STANDSTILL. BERLIN, No\ember J. lite Zeppelin’s average cruising sp-ed was just under sixty miles hourly, throughout th- four thousand miles. Commander Eckener clearly recognises this is inadequate to c unpvto with liners. He said: “The Graf Zeppelin is finished so far as regular passe ng ir service is concerned. We must build quicker ami stronger airships.” lie added that both trips were entirely luckless, encountering th© worst possible weather. Th storm, over Newfoundland was terribly and brought, the airship almost to a standstill for two hours, though the engines were running all out. The ship heaved, rocked, and trembled, and only with the greatest difficulty succeeded in manoeux ring tq less hos- ’ ilc r gions. President. Von Hindenburg telegraphed a welcome, inviting Command* ‘ r Eckener B rlin. it is believed that he will go "ext week.

Zeppelin Nearly Done For. COMMANDER'S CONFESSIONSTRONGER ENGINES NEEDED. FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, November 2. Commander Eckener, addressing the crowd during a torchlight procession, described the difficulties of the flight through the fog and the storm. He said that he had never under-estimated the trans-ocean journey. “Our experience coming home,” he said, “was so serious that 1 am convinced that we arc still far from conquering the ocean. The head wind attained a velocity of 150 feet per second. The Zeppelin was once driven to within 50 yards of the sea. Only Providence saved us! I had the feeling that the Zeppelin was breaking to pieces, but, finally, it mastered the storm. We saw the ice mountains of Newfoundland beneath, and we recognised the greatness of the malicious drift of the Atlantic. The Zeppelin only steadied herself after a broken-down engine had been mended. We must build stronger engines, that no longer will be a plaything in the grip of the elements. 1 i now realise why so many trans-Ocean fliers h-.ve found their graves near Newfoundland. We must build airships .-I rung enough to enable them to cro*i> the ocean not solely by avoiding the storm centres.” THE .STOWAWAY. BERLIN, November 1. Wile the other passengers descend'd the ladder from Graf Zepp Jin, Clarence Terhune squirmed through a pdrt-hoile, and. two police awaiting him took him tej the office of the directors. Meanwhile, the spectators had be .u shouting “Where is the stowaway?” From Mien on. ilmrertce le camo thebe ro of the occasion, ami was be siege! by autograph hunt rs. lie wa busy signing alb.ums in hundreds, while the others had breakfast and slept.

Terhuu ■ said he was refusing all jobs, and intended to return to “t Inti ear old United ‘‘‘‘i.n'S, ’ ’ within a we k‘ Truth About Stowaway. A HEARST NEWSPAPER STUNT. BERLIN, November 1. Th - unromantic truth regarding the stowaway was revca'ed to-night. lie was smuggled aboard the Zeppelin bj Hearst newspapcT reporters among the mail bags two hours before th ?i start to lend “human interest” to the flight. The press viewpoint towards the adventure has now considerably changed.