ZEPPELIN LANDS

Southland Times, Issue 20618, 17 October 1928, Page 5

ZEPPELIN LANDS

Atlantic Crossed FOUR. DAYS FROM GERMANY FLIGHT OVER WASHINGTON DAMAGE CLEARLY VISIBLE The German airship, which left Friedri eshaven last Thursday morning, has landed at Lake Hurst (New Jersey) after an uncertain passage across the Atlantic. Sixty persons were carried on board, including the British journalist Lady Drummond Hay. (United Press Assn. —By Telegraph—Copyright.) Washington, October 15. The Zeppelin was overhead at 12.21 p.m. Having wirelessed for and received permission, the Zeppelin flew over the city shortly after noon. Clouds tended partially to obscure the gas bag, but the airship was clearly visible from trees and roofs. Huge crowds gathered in the streets, while whistles and sirens blew a welcome. President Coolidge and his wife, accompanied. by Mr C. D. Wilbur, Secretary of the Navy, naval officers and others took up a position on the roof of the Navy Department, over which Dr. Eckener piloted his craft, after which it flew over the White House. Observers were able clearly to perceive the damaged fin, of which three-fourths on the left side of the craft at the tail had been shattered, but the damage appeared not to affect its manouevring. The officers earlier wirelessed a greeting to President Coolidge, to which the latter replied. President Coolidge also cabled his felicitations to President Hindenburg. A message from Lake Hurst states: “After flying over New York the Zeppelin landed here at 5.38 p.m. to-day in 4 days 15hr. 46min. from Germany.”—Australian Press Association. 5600 MILES COVERED. GREETING BY LARGE CROWD. SOME UNPLEASANT INCIDENTS. (Rec. 7.5 p.m.) New York, October 15. News from Lake Hurst states that the Graf Zeppelin covered 5,600 miles. Upon its arrival it called for a large quantity of fabric to repair the torn fin. The ship was greeted by Rear-Admiral Moffett and high German and American officials and leaders of the Government. Thousands of people thronged the field and broke through the police lines to swarm about the dirigible. The police and marines finally cleared the field. Dr. Eckener was the first to appear and greeted the crowd with: “We’re delighted to be here.” He received a tremendous ovation. Customs, immigration and health officers boarded the Zeppelin and performed their duties as they would on a liner. The dirigible’s owners feel that the flight has proved the feasibility of using gasbags for commercial transportation despite the fact that the Zeppelin took nearly as long to cross the ocean as do fast steamships. The Zeppelin proved most difficult to place in the hangar. Soldiers are still attempting to move it in 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 opposite groups were most discourteous, although unfamiliarity with the languages probably caused this. A passenger, Mr Theo Matiko, stated that he was struck on the face by an official when alighting and added that thus was his first visit to the United States, but he had found more courtesy among the natives of Albania and Bulgaria. Dr Eckener described the accident to the fin as “a little bust which had never happened before and such as will never happen again.” He stated that his son Knute was the hero of the occasion when he climbed on to the fin to effect repairs. The passengers, grouped together in an indignation meeting, stated that they would boycott the receptions planned for them if the Customs failed to allow them to leave quickly. However, Herr Karl Von Lewinski, the Consul-General, advised the passengers’ delay was due to Dr. Eckener’s command that nobody should approach the airship and stated that he had been struck on the face by a guard and that the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mr Warner, had been threatened with arrest by one of his own men.—Australian Press Association. GERMAN EXPERTS GUARDED. AWAITING BRITISH TRIALS. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Berlin, October 16. German aviation experts, despite popular jubilations, are awaiting the tests of the two British airships now nearing com,pletion before giving a final verdict on the practicability of airships for regular passenger work. They consider the Graf Zeppelin’s flight a fine feat, but it demonstrates that the risks are over great and thfat airships are still over-susceptible to weather conditions which have little or no effect on heavier than air machines. The flights of the two British airships next year will therefore be awaited with great interest and will settle controversies as to the usefulness of dirigible machines compared with a flying boat like the huge Dornierwal now being built to carry 50 passengers 3000 miles on a non-etop flight. —Australian Press Association.—United Service. COMMANDER BURNEY’S OPINION. REGULAR SERVICE IMPRACTICABLE. CRUISING SPEED INSUFFICIENT. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) London, October 16. Commander Burney reviewing the flight considers that neither the Graf Zeppelin nor RlOO, which is now nearing completion, posseses sufficient speed to carry out a regular trans-Atlantic service. He states that the cruising speed of the Zeppelin is 65 miles hourly and RlOO will be about 75, but for a passage against prevailing westerly winds there must be a cruising speed of 100 miles hourly to complete the voyage in from two to 2| days before it can become a practical commercial proposition. The Airship Guarantee Company considered this problem and it was hoped, after RlOO had successfully passed the trials, to construct a slip capable of cruising at 100 miles hourly and cross to New York in the heaviest weather without refuelling. RlOO is 1,250,000 cubic feet larger than the Graf Zeppelin and she will carry 100 passengers instead of 20. These are the chief differences to American eye-witnesses. A description of the landing of the Zeppelin .was broadcast throughout England. The increasing roar of the engines as it approached the aerodrome was an impressive feature.—Australian Press Association— United Service. ZEPPELIN LEASED TO SPAIN. (Rec. 8.20 p.m.) New York, October 16. A Lake Hurst message states that Colonel Emilio Errera, of the Royal Spanish

Navigation Department who was a passenger on the Graf Zeppelin, announced tonight that Spanish interests had leased it for a period of two years with the option of buying it.—Australian Press Association -—United Service.