NEW ZEPPELIN

Wairarapa Age, 10 August 1935, Page 7

NEW ZEPPELIN

FOR USE IN ATLANTIC SERVICE. NOTABLE IMPROVEMENTS. EXTENDED CRUISING RANGE. LONDON”, August 8. The Australian Press Association’s special representative at Friedrichshafen states that Dr. Eckener, interviewed concerning the Zeppelin LZ 129, which at his suggestion is being named Hindenburg, said he expected that the airship would be completed by the middle of November and commence transatlantic voyages early next year. It would have a range of 10,000 miles at cruising speed, without refuelling. Herr Eckener intends that the Hindenburg shall fly to Batavia, in which case opportunity might be found to continue the voyage to Sydney and return to Batavia without refuelling. The Zeppelin’s refinements include a smokeroom, a writing-room, a shower bath, the latter fitted with a gadget to prevent any one of the fifty passengers bathing for more than ten minutes. Herr Eckener stated that he does not expect in his lifetime to see aeroplanes carrying substantial loads of mails and passengers across the Atlantic. Meanwhile the old Graf Zeppelin continues her regular crossings. The veteran aeronaut will personally command the Hindenburg on her early flights. Ten days will be required to inflate the gas-bags, as the Friedrichshafen gas-holder contains only onetenth of her gas capacity. There is a constant stream of visitors at 6d per head, the charge helping to meet the construction costs.

(The new Zeppelin will not only be remarkable for the comfort of its cabins and the length of its promenade decks. Smoking will be allowed at table owing to a new patent construction of ashtrays, which will exclude all air from cigar and cigarette ends. A grand piano has been constructed for the saloon. —-Very light metal and leather are two of the principal materials from which it has been made. Engineers are interested in the fact that a new apparatus has been tried which will permit the airship to draw in water from the atmosphere should it be in need of further ballast, or, if carrying too much, to rid herself of superfluous humidity caused by atmospheric changes. One of the most important facts about the construction of the LZ 129 is the attempt made to overcome! the difficulties of importing certain materials. The chemical industry has perfected a process by means of which the expensive skin derived from the intestines of calves and oxen and used to exclude air from the gas carried in hermetically-sealed chambers may be dispensed with. This new film-like substance has been used to cover the 50,000 square metres surface of these conand is said to mark a new epoch in safe airship construction.)