New Britain herald., 1924-10-25
SHENANDOAH DUE
 BACK HOME TODAY Great Airship Scheduled to Reach LakehurSt Before Night MAKING GREAT RECORD

MAAlNU GhEAl hEUUhD Exact Time 1t Will Get Into Hangar
 Depends on Winds-Trip West
 and Back Has Been Spectacular
 and Has Made New Aerial History
 Newark, O.. Oct. 25.-The shen- andoah passed over here at 1850 ?. m. ~
 Springfield, Ohio.. Oct. 25.--The Shenandoah passed over at 11:17 8. m, central time.
 Aboard the U. s. Shenandoah, via Columbus, O., Oct. 25.--New records In new aera of air navigation will have been made by the navy dirigir ble Shenandoah, the only American built rigid airship when 1t completes its spectacular 9,000-mile cruise and is led into it's hangar at Lakehurst, N. J., late today.
 Great Enthusiasm
 Few if any national undertakings have aroused the enthusiasm of the American people as the Shenandoah did among the thousands who saw it pass, silver tube in the sky, or travelled from their homes to see 1t at one of the three mooring masts in the west, in it's cruise of about eighteen and half days.
 skirting three sides of the United States and returning by almost the same route, the Shenandoah has had one of the severest tests ever given 10 an airship. The cruise is the longest in time and distance ever made by an airship of any type.
 No other rigid airship has ever navigated over mountain peaks and through passes as the Shenandoah did in it's two crossings of the Rockies.
 It is the first airship to complete westbound voyage across the United States and the first rigid ship ever west of the Mississippi river.
 It is the first rigid airship to sail over the Pacific ocean at any point. The buffeting received by the Shenandoah as it fought the whirl- ing gales in the high attitudes over the mountains demonstrated the air. worthiness of the American built ship. Few dirigibles could have withstood the storms and strain without breaking up. 1t is declared, and 1t is pointed out that what the Shenandoah lacks in speed conpen- satod for in strength of structure and reliability of navigation.
 Makes Good Average
 Although the great ship battled headwinds on four out of six legs Of the cruise, she averaged between SS and 40 miles an hour, including the hours sailing at low speed awaiting an opportunity to moor.
 The cruise also demonstrated the practicability of the mooring mast for breaking long voyages and re- fueling and making minor repairs. The Shenandoah tried out three new masts whose winches, water and fuel pipes of strength to hold the ship had never been tested before. The great bag also made five land- ings. two of them on the ground be- fore coming to the mast. The dan gers of accidents in the air are slight compared to the risk during the tense minutes of making a land ing.
 The six jumps in the cruise of the were each much short CT than the straightaway 5.OOO-mile flight of the ZR-3. The German built Zeppelin is a faster ship than it's American sky champion, but 1t did not meet the difficulties over come by the Shenandoah in a single crossing of the Rockies.
 The two voyages in July of the RIA from East Fortune, Scotland to Mineola. N. r., and back to Pull ham, England. were respectively 3,15o and $500 miles and took eleven days
 4 Severe Test
 For officers and crew of the Shen- andoah the cruise has been as severe a test for the ship. Through the nights and days, many of them fraught with perils which were avoided only by hours of sleepless duty ment stood watch or caught a brief rest on hunks in the cramped keel tunnel,
 Only one man was severely in- jured and despite the irregular hours, uncertain food and rapid var iations in temperature as altitude changed, no sickness, even to cold was reported aboard. In addition to coffse, beans and other warm and near warm navy rations, approM- mately 4,l75 sandwiches were con- sumed by the crew.
 As the Shenandoah crossed the Ohio River into Illinois from Pa ducah at 3:30 a. m., today, she was making better than fifty miles an hour. Whether she is led into the big hangar at Lakehurst late this after noon or early this evening, will de- pend upon the winds through the day.