Evening star., 1924-01-17


against a twenty-five mile wind and
flew TO Perth Amboy. From there we
Keyport. and then nosed the ship INTO
the wind again until! we reached
we rode with the wind"
Capt Heinen voiced enthusiastic
praise for tho work OF Lieut., Com
mander Mayer. who acted rs tnspec-
ton officer while the ship was In the
air. His duties called him to every
never faltered. although he was
forced to walk the narrow gangways
while the ship cnreened and swayed
with the wind.
Lakehurst In Jubilnnt.
Naval officors at the station were
too busy to comment this morning,
but all of them were visibly jubilant
at the safe return OF the Shenandoah.
About the only worse thing that
could have happened to her. one OF
them declared, would have been for
her to have broken in half and come
flying back in two pieces.
When tho craft broke loose last
night there was g. furore OF excite
ment at the station.
SAc nau peen moOTeu 10 tuc 4oo>
foot mast which was built In the
shape of the Eiffel Tower In Paris,
and was undergoing a ten-day test
Of her actions In such a position In
preparation for flight to the north
pole. Eight minutes more and she
would have been fast to the mast ex-
actly four days.
Capt f. r. McCrary, commandant
of the station. and Commander r. D.
Weyerbacher. who designed her, had
SNt1 ft..,y H1n N.1 t4A ,1t n
| scent being made by way Of the
mast. and gone into their quarters
for dinner. Suddenly there came a
| crash that doomed out over the
! Of pouring rain. officers and en-
| listed men rushed from barracks In
various degrees Of uniforms, just in
time to see the Shenandoah lurch
| from side to side, then gradually
| ascend. sending down upon them q
shower of fragments OF her torn out.
| rigging.
Help Was Impossible.
| Help was impossible, and all the awe
stricken sailors and marines could do
was to watch the airship drift into the
storm. AT that time the wind was
blowing from the southeast at about
/ sixty or sixty-five miles an hour. There
was some consolation for those left be- :
hind In the fact that the gale would
carry the craft inland instead Of east
ward to the sea.
! There was a hurried rush to the top
of the mast to determine il possible
what damage had been done. There It
was found that the metal nose cap,
into which converged the crafts
entire framework. had been torn away
and left dangling on the mast. Then
came speculation as to whether the
ship would be able TO weather the
storm with this hole in her PROV.
The radio set on the Shenandoah
had been out Of working order dur
ing the day and no word came for
wires about Lakshurst had been
blown down by the storm and officers
! could get no Information as to the
ships wherea bouts. Some were pessi-
mistic, although all were sure that
liz it was humanity possible. Capt.
Heinen would bring the ship home.
| First Message Received.
| Then, after an hours anxious wait
ling. there came through the air this
message:
Every thing o. X. We will ride out
the storm
The message was signed by Com
mander Pierce. who also was on board
the runaway ship.
Hope was renewed and after time
other reassuring messages were re-
ceived and when it was learned that
1.-The Shenandoah had won her battle
lover Staten Island the entire crew of
the station, consisting of about 400
sailors and marines, were ordered on
tduty to await her landing. sailor
was perched atop the mast. another
atnN NtnVa br nd N
fore the ship hove into view screech-
ing whistle pierced the air, bringing
tevery man to his post on the field
ready to land the ship.
For a time il was not certain
! whether the Shenandoah would be
taken into her hangar before noon, As
it was feared ground winds might
,cause another mishap that might spell
disaster. The storm had abated by
this time, however. and the ship
this morning.
Working cautiously, the ground
| crew grasped the lines and dragged
the Shenandoah slowly toward the
| hangar where yaWning doors awaited
/ the truant. Capt. Heinen and his
was slowed safely away and he di.
rected the work of hauling her to he,
| berth.
He was in a jovial mood and as the
| lHdl llOOueu inc HelC
played upon him broad grin spread
| over his face.
You rons of guns" he shouted from
the con rol car, you expected some.
thing to happen. didn't your
Great Holes In Envelope.
The truant ship showed the wear
and tear OF the nights experiences
Her battered nose, with tho metal
cap wrenched off. gave her dis
reputable appearance
A few feet back great holes ap.
peared In both the outer and inner
envelopes. and the gas was gone from
two forward cells These holes one
Of them is about twenty-eight feet BY
ten feet. were the result Of hallss,
and non-essentiai objects betne
| thrown overheard when the ship was
whisked from her mooring mast
A large section Of the outer cover
was stripped off the forward bow, and
a stabilizing fin had been dashed off
1t was this, with the hole in the bow
that made steering so difficult, Com,
mander McCrary said.
The commander gave orders thA,
no one was to board the Shenandoah
until he hAd inspected 1t him self. Ar