Evening star., 1924-10-16
BY HANS Won SCHILLER.

BY HANS Won SCHILLER.
Special Correspondent nf The Star and the
North American Newspaper Alliance.
ABOARD THE ZR-3 Sunday. Oc-
tober 1--we did not leave Saturday,
because shortly before o'clock. aft
er everything was happily finished
the temperature rose to such an eN-
tent that we could not take off with
out throwing off heavy ballast of wa
ter and gasoline. DIR. Eckener, with a
| heavy heart, decided to postpone the
trip to this morning, and the ship was
cleared at 5 o'clock.
/ leave my house in a warm fog. 1t
is no better than yesterday, but the
ship has been prepared for any emer-
gency. We are hopeful
In the office are the first kilograms.
| Herr Prus and /, designated to make
weather observations, mark the
weather cards at once. During the
| morning the weather improved. A
| fair day is coming at last. The indi-
| cations are that we can avoid the
| long 5OO-kilometer trip around Glib
| raItar and head directly for Bordeaux
and the Bay of Biscay.
Shortly after 6 o'clock everything
| is clear. We are ordered aboard. The
Americans have already made them
| selves cOfn1OTldDie. All are oil
| eXcept Machinst Babst. who is i'll. A
| celebration has been planned, but We
must start without it. So the rising
temperature of the morning will not
affect our gas again.
ship stripped for Run.
As a matter of fact, the ZR-3 was
designed for trips of "a hours dura-
| ton. and on such trip could carry at
least 40 passengers. But this trip is
to be for 100 hours. She has been
stripped for the race. We could not
of course, take any passengers. We
are also careful to watch for stow
aways
Now there is plenty of space and
buoyancy to store the gasoline neces-
sary for the long flight. We look for
| ward to the trip with no misglVlnss
6:25 am.-Roared away, everything
| g perfectly quiet. The people, heads
massed in thousands, like black dots
cheer Us. We head against the wind
and have to turn about in the tield
SEe swings quickly, her nose tips
toward the sky. At the last instan'
q guy rope stuck in an eyelet' we
| were halted for a moment.
With a pole we freed the rope and
now the motors hum. Very suddenly
| she jumps from the ground, like a
cork released at the bottom or q
| bucket of water. The thousands be-
low yell their hurrahs. We hear
| family the band playing "Deutsch-
land Cber Allies"
In a few seconds the land is shut
out by the fog and we hear only our
| motors and faint murmur from tn,
/ earth In the pilot cabin the faces
are cheerful and bright. The rather
| somber joking that had been heard
before. our take-off has ceased
Everybody is full of spirit. We are
happy to be at last in the air of
| for America.
Break Through Fog.
About 400 meters above the grount
| we break through the fog and see
| the top of the mountains against q
lear morning horizon.
1t is almost full dawn and every
| hing gliStenS in the first glow OF
| the sunrise. We have taken oui
course and will hold constantly
eastward.
The door of the passenger cabin
opens and Capt. Steele and Capt
Klein appear to keep us company.
They seem to be having a happy time
of it. They say they are glad to be
aboard and on the way, and they are
interested in everything that hap
pens. We are following the course
of the Rhine, which comes to view
clearly through the background of
fog. Shortly after leaving German
soil and passing over Lorrach, the
air clears. Once more we can call
one more auf WiederSehen.
We are over France. 1t is the first
watch. Herr DR.. Eckener is commo-
dore and does not have to stand
watch. Herr Lehman is at the con-
trolls. / am assisting in navigation
and weather observation. Herr Prus
is at the starboard wheel and Herr
Marx is at the port. There are three
wireless men and they split the day
in fashion to leave two men always
on duty.
Crew Posts Changed.
12 noon-The watch is changing
Herr Flemming takes over command
Herr Wittenan takes my position anc
Herr Sammt is at the steering con-
trolls.
Dinner was excellent. We had OK
tail soup, baked beef ribs, fresh peas
and carrots. apple sauce and caramel
pudding. For a concert the graphic
phone played admiral Der Luft'
(-Admiral of the AirD.
After dinner 1 have marked up my
weather charts, and then, for time,
we had quiet and rest. At O'Clock
the watch changes again. 1t is watch
and watch for every four hours. Dur
ing my four hours off 1 do not have
| to monkey with the weather charts
| or worry about anything.
The anxiety natural during the
| first hour or two of this flight has
worn off completely.
Every One at Ease.
Everybody is quite at home aboard
| the ship now, and, of course, a good
number of kilometers are behind us
| We are making $50 kiIometerS ar
hour, and if it keeps up like this
we will be over there in a hurry.
/ At meals we sit together, gemutlicf
| (jolly and companionable). Originally
| we sat apart special place for the
Americans. But there was plenty OF
| room, and Maj. Kennedy and Capt
| Klein sat down beside Herr Lehman
| and me.
| 2:45 p.m.-I have made an inspec
ton of the ship. Regretfully, / tossed
loverboard a large case of fresh fooC
given us by the home folks. 1t weighs
| too much. There is plenty to ca
| without it.
| The canary bird enjoys the clicking
Of my typewriter, and as l peck ava,
he is singing with all his heart TIL,
| degrees in the cabin last night, ant
continued warm today. Early in tn,
| afternoon fog was encountered, ant
| for several hours the shin ran clos,