South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-07-29
U. S. BLIMP, LOST
IN FOG, BATTLES
ELECTRICAL GALE
Escapes Crash with Skyscraper
in New York, Dirigible
Passenger Relates.
BY WEBSTER X. NOLAN.
I. n. S, STAFF Correspondent.

ABOARD THE CO ABERDEEN
PROVING GROUNDS. Md. July 2S
The giant army dirigible CO land
ed here at $50 o'clock this morn
ing after a Is hour battle through
out the night with an electrical
storm over New York City and aft
er being lost two hours in the dense
fog that wrapped the north Atlantic
coast.
New York City, for which the di-
rigible headed lay shothed in an
impenetrable fog. The city was in
no wise discernible. The mighty roar
of the big ships engines. as it blind
ly sailed over the tip of the battery,
brought into play a huge search
light. which, catching the dirigible
in its fierce light saved the c. from
an imminent crash into the White
Hall building at the foot Of Man
haitian.
The great shaft of light suddenly
swung from the dirigible 10 the
building and the commander OF the
dirigible sent his craft upward with
a cracking of gears and a jerk that
sent its seven passengers off their
feet
Rising TO a height OF $1,000 feet
the dirigible left the sky scrapers
of lower New York only to find itself
under a starless sky and enveloped
in fog. Hesitating to descend again
to determine his wherea bouts lest in
descending he might again come in
collision line with the tall structures
Of lower New York. Capt. William
Kepner sailed out over the fog-drop-
ped area for several miles.
Misses Stack by 20 Feet.
Descending again finally. the ship
came suddenly upon Coney Island.
Dropping still further in an effort
to discern the elevated tracks as a
possible guide line through the dark
ness. the dirigible managed 10 trail
speeding elevated train for a mile
or two.
A sharp command from Caps
Kepner and the dirigible made
fierce upward lunge at a steep bank
10 the left 1t had missed a tall
smokestack by barely 20 feet.
Refusing to be discouraged Capt.
Kepner drove the dirigible in what
he believed the direction of New
York city, the fog fooled him. After
sailing 20 minutes at great speed
the commander found he was far
out in the Atlantic ocean. Rocked
by the winds the djrigible plowed
on. A single glazing light gave the
crew courage. The light puzzled the
commander but he headed. for il.
When within 400 yards of the
-
Liberty. The drlgible circled the
statue in the dense fog The crew
gathered new spirit and determined
to locate Jersey City and call over
Boyles' arena where the Leonard
Tender championship bout was In
progress. But there was no way in
which the crew could determine Jer-
sey City in the insistent maze OF
lights below them.
The electrical storm increased ard
literally drove the bog ship before
it in the battle TO conquer" Jer-
sey City. The commander then head
ed the craft for Forty-second st. and
Broadway. Half way towards that
point. Broadway itself being indis-
cernable. the commander consulted
his watch and discovered that IL
was nearly l o'clock in the morn
ing He turned his ship hOmeward
IN the storm and the fog continued
is strip on the ship and sent IL 1t
orally wandering through airlanes
leading the Nommander out OF the
nowhere. His radio set failed him at
this period. With his compass the
commander guided the vessel south
by southwest and at day break had
finally negotiated Philadelphia. The
CO had left Boiling Field. d c..
AZ o'clock.
Yesterday afternoon. il stopped az
Aberdeen for refueling. reascended
Immediately and remained in the air
Is II hours The purr Ose Of the
fight was TO train pilots for night
flying. The CO is scheduled 70 make
the rans-continental dirigibie fight
IN September which was TO have
been made by the Inflated Roma.
The Grew that manned the CO was;
Capt. William F. Kepner. First
-rsieut Ernest s Moon and Sergt. A.
ID. Albrecht. In addition 20 the crew
the dirigible carried four other pas
sengers. representative OF three
press associations and a photog-