New Britain herald., 1924-10-10
THRILLS GALORE {
 ON SHENANDOAH
First Passes Of Rockies Provide
 Much Excitement

A, s., $, Shenandoah. Oct. 1o.-- Few voyages in history have fur. nished more thrills in as short . time as the navigation of the first passes of the Rocy Mountains by the navy dirigible Shenandoah.
 Driving ahead at a speed of 74 miles an hour with wind that roar ed through the tunnel-like canyons, the giant craft at times rose gradu- ally until, between the highest peaks, 1t was at an altitude of $500 feet, following a new and unchart- cd course with only winding white ribbon of highway and glistening black railway track as uncertain guides. At other times 1t skinned the ground so closely that frequent ly jagged mountains almost walled in this leviathan of the skies.
 Before reaching the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the Shenan- doah passed over Fl Paso last night. Sailing over the mountains, twisting, turning. rising, falling like a great bird until the tortuous Rio Grande river glistened ahead, the giant craft turned her nose toward the city's lights, lowered while over the border metropolis and then crossed the Pacos river, leaving the Texas plains behind at 1850 p. m.
 Soon the Shenandoah was in the foothills of the Rockies and in few minutes mounted from an alti- tude of 2,400 feet to 6,200. The ears and eyes of those aboard reacted to the rarified atmosphere and the im- mense bags inside the tubes, which had been only partly full during the previous two days of the cruise, were contracted and strainirg against their network of cords. With every additional rise, the air pressure diminished and some expanding gas was released to prevent bursting the bags.
 The peaks, thrown into strange shapes by the moonlight, seemed to come forward to grasp the graceful intruder and then fell back. The motors were driving through the air with 1,5O0 horsepower and the winds were straining at the airship. but like an ocean liner she respond ed faithfully to her rudders, some- times quivering but always going swiftly and surely forward. The roar of the wind on taut eardrums was the only proof of the hurricane over the mountain tops.
 At Sierra Blanca at 10:15 p. m, the Shenandoah had an altitude Of 6,400 feet and her trailing shadow below was registering 60 miles an hour over the ground. Both roads swung into long curve and she followed with the wind whistling against her sides. The rocky walls stood away less than her length on either side, but the motors drove her forward and she obeyed her rud- ders and rose higher and higher from the jagged passes until she scared aver the next ridge away from, the railroad tracks which dis appeared through tunnel.
 Fort Handodk, on the Rio Grande, was reached at 10:45 o'clock and the most of the mountain passes had been negotiated.
 The welcome of the Shenandoah by Fl Paso was an enthusiastic one. The craft swung up the forth bank of the Rio Grande averting g., loop of the winding river. Soon the. roar of whistles the flash of waiting automobile lights and big seareh- light throwing her length into re- lief against the sky evidenced Fl Pasos welcome and that Texas had been crossed in 14 hours of sailing.
 Lieut.. Commander Zachary Lans- downe who navigated the Shenan- doah through the mountains ex- poets to anchor her in San Diego before dark tonight ending the sec- ond length of the 5000 mile cruise. Rear Admiral Moffett, chief of navy aeronautics. was on the bridge dur ing the exciting moments and 1e- clared the difficulties of navigation with complications of bouyancy and uncharted land were greater than those of piloting a warship at sea. She is scheduled to leave San Diego at 10 a. m. Saturday on the voy- age up the Pacific coast to Lakeview. near Tacoma, completing the out ward bound half of the cruise. .-