GRAF ZEPPELIN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 October 1928, Page 7

GRAF ZEPPELIN

LONG JOURNEY OVER. RECEPTION ON LANDING. UNPLEASANTNESS ALLEGED. Unit-il Press As*ociat.K>»>— By Electric Teieirrapl. Copyright.) (Australian Press Association ; NEW YORK, Oct. 15. The Graf Zeppelin, reached Lakehurst at 5.38 pan. to-day, 111 hours 46 minutes after leaving Friedriehsliaven, Germany. It covered 5000 miles. Upon arrival at 'Lakehurst, the Zeppelin called for ft large quantity of fabric to repair the torn fin. The airship was greeted by 'ReaT- Admiral Moffett, high German and American officers and Government leaders, and thousands of people thronged the field and broke through the police lines to swarm about the dirigible. Police and marines finally cleared the field. 'The dirigible’s owners feel the flight has proved the feasibility of using “gas-bags” for commercial .transport, despite the fact that the Zeppelin took nearly as long to cross the ocean as do fast steamers. The Zeppelin proved most difficult to place in the hangar. ‘Soldiers aTe still attempting to move it therein, to. avoid stormy •weather, but they will probably have to moor it to a mast and load water'ballast aboard as the passengers leave. Considerable unpleasantness has been aroused by statements from German and American officials that members of the opposite groups were most discourteous, although unfamiliaritj' with the languages probably caused this. A passenger, Then Matilco, stated that he was .struck in the face by an official when alighting. Ho added this was his first visit to the United States, and that he had found more courtesy among the natives of Albania and Bulgaria. Herr Bekener described the accident tq, the fin as a “little bust which never happened before and such as will never happen again.” He stated that his son Knute was the hero of 'the occasion. He climbed on to the fin to effect- repairs. The passengers by the airship, grouped together in an indignation meeting, stated they would boycott the receptions planned for them if the Customs .failed to allow them to leave quickly. However, Herr* Karl von Lcwinski, Consul-General, advised the- passengers that, the delay was due to Herr .Eckcner *s command that nobody should approach the airship, and stated lie had been struck in the face by a guard and that the Assistant-Secretary .of the Navy, Mr Warner, had been threatened with arrset by one of bis own men. Colonel Emilio Herrera, of the Royal Spanish Navigation Department, who was a passenger on the" Zeppelin, announced to-night that Spanish interests had leased the airship for a period of ’ two years, with an option to buy it.

ENTERTAINMENT OF T!HE CREW. INCIDENTS ON THE VOYAGE. Received 10.25 a.m. to-day. NEW YORK, Oct. 16. The Zeppelin crew is scheduled to receive an official welcome in the city to-dav, commencing with a visit to the City Hall, a parade up Broadway, after which they will be entertained at a private dinner and then at a theatre, at which they will be given a further reception on the stage during an intermission. i Herr Eckcner said to-day that, he saw no signs of excitement among the passengers at the time of the accident to the fin. He stated that when they had learned what had occurred, “they raised their glasses and drank to the health of everybody.” Herr Eckener seemed very tired and said that he had not slept for more than eight hours during the whole of the trip. He denied’ that there was a shortage of food aboard, but several passengers agreed that the water supply almost gave out. There was plenty of beer, wine and liquors put aboard, all of which was consumed with the exception of one bottle when the airship had landed.

REPAIRS IN MID-AIR. FOUR HEROIC MEN. INTENTION TO BUILD BIGGER ‘SHIPS. VANCOUVER, Oct. 16. Herr Eckcner, in course of an intcrview, said: “We wore forced to cut the speed flown to half 'because the rear of the ship dipped after the loAvcr cover had been torn aAvav and there was a danger of tearing aAvay the upper cover. The fact that avc repaired the damage in mid-Atlantic and came happily to America is a sign of the great stability of these ships. The Aveather Avas extremely bad, but four men climbed out in terrible wind and rain and rode the girders Avit'h the Atlantic under them, Avhile they secured the loose ends of the fin fabric. The Graf is not the ultimate size for transAtlantic Avork. We shall build them bigger and bigger until the most efficient size has been achieved.”

OHA'R TERED FOR ARCTIC TRIP. Received 0.25 a.m. to-day. BERLIN, Oct. 16. It is reported that the Graf Zeppelin has been chartered for an Arctic trip in 1929.