The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-21
KHIllGTON'S GK. OF BLIMP PLEASES CREW
Feared Polar Flight Might Be JeOpardized By
 Runaway :
By MARLIN s. MILLER n2aa<d Wfre To ARe.Heralfll


 IsAKEHURST. \. J.. Jan. 2O.- Tefty ssr fifty young Christopher Co. fumbuses, with their eyes turned to. yard san uncharted continent in the Arctic regions, heaved sigh of relief Sunsfly and breathed a few prayers.
 1keS had just been informed that the Eerdinands and Isabellas in Congress at Wilmington had heard the story of the ShsRandoah's polar cruise and had not thumbed- the trip down-at least not. iminetiiately.
 sDespife a repetition of the report that Capt. Frank R. McCrary, now con1nnAndant of the Shenandoah would trip. McCrary declared Sunday that he will Eat the wheel when the airship flies oser 'farthest north''
 lave set my heart on going.' he saids sslhd. any stories to the contrary are a pack of lies"
 It3 3k for two months been common ly a<eepted as true at the naval flying st9tien here that McCrary was slated for retlirn to batlteship command be- fore long.
 He is an '.oid salt as naval officers eos and belongs to that section of the navy which believes that sea fighting must be done on the surface of the waters but he has been enthusiastic in his connection with the Shenandoah, and the. airship's successful battle against a heavy gale last Wednesday night convinced him still further of her airworthiness under heavy stress. 1,
 Just as Columbus trod the streets of Genoa and Madrid 435 years ago, anxio1sly hoping for ship on which to .saii to the eventful land of jazz and peanuts, so, too. are half hundred nasal flying men on the anxious seat
 Fear Congress- Action
 -WiHsC Congress block the plan to add . million square miles of territory to the. republic:' they ask themselves A1 tke talk of "risking valuable
 uhent airship' and ''endangering IpeS needlessly hRlt the expedition ? Orf.w the traditional American cour- age in. exploration and pioneer enter prise send Americans first to bring the Arctic acres into focus?
 An eegressive presentation of the hazards and objectives of the trip by Secretary of the War Denby Admiral w. A. lIoffett and Commander k. A. Peary to the pole. has virtuallf won the Senate naval affairs committee to approval, of the project. At least the opposition which has cropped up in Washington since the Dixmude disaster has noticeahly lessened.
 Since we who would take any risk think the Shenandoah can make the trip successfully. why should others ob- lect on, this score?' was the comment of one young officer.
 .NIt will be a sad time for America when ,osir government begins to hesi- tate on exploration trips of this sort, becauseN few men and q $2.000, 900 government asset must encounter few risks. te-~
 This country has grown gloriously only because of the hardzhcol of its ex- plorefx v
 At Lakehurst the pro-trip and anti trip factions at Washington are re- <arded is the Issbellas and the Ferdi- hands of the sreatest exploration of a modern day. s.-. =,
 As it was in 149O, there are Isa- beilas at Washington. men who would be willing to pawn their elk tooth watch chains to finance an America first flight across the pole. These are not blind to the possible wealth that may become American by the simple process of annexation and sur vey;; but most of all they want Amer ica's flag first in the arctics.
 0ppdsed to them, however, is a fac ton mole cautiOus-the Ferdinands of