Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-28
BACK
At HER HOME PORT
AFTER RECORD TRIP

LAKEHURST, N. J., Oct. &c -
The navy dirigible, Shenandoah,
came to earth at its home station
here just at midnight Saturday. aft
er a journey of 5000 miles across
the country and back, which had
taken Is days and a half.
ABOARD U. S. SHENANDOAH,
Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 25.-(By Radio
to Fort Hayes.)-A new era in the
history of lighter-than-air navigation
was written tonight when the big
navy airship Shenandoah lowered
gracefully over it's home hangar at
Lakehurst, N. j., completing its re-
markable and record breaking nine
thOusand-mile cruise.
Not only were the worlds records
Of achievement broken, but a great
er thrill came to the country from
the fact that the first American
built rigid airship had made the first
voyage across the United States and
returned. The test of ship and of
men, a test as severe as any ship
ever faced, has been successfully
met.
The Shenandoah cast off from the
mooring mast at Lakehurst and
started its long cruise at 10 a. M,
October Z. At IL o'clock tonight,
AS hours had passed since the start.
In that time the Shenandoah had
been flying with it's engines running
for PSI hours and SO minutes, and
moored to masts for 1877 hours and
rs minutes. The latter includes
five days, or 120 hours, that the ship
was being repaired.
None of the precious helium was
lost by difficulties during the voy-
age. All that escaped was Waived
to permit landing or set free by au-
tomato safety valves under the eX.
pansion of the high attitudes.
For every minute through the en-
tire cruise the ship was able to main
tain constant radio communication
with the land, frequently with sta
lions several thousand miles distant.
Weather reports, official MESA ges,
instructions as to mooring hours and
thousands of words of press mes
sages were sent and received. New
discoveries IN the possibilities of radio
communication from high attitudes
were made. All of the radio equip
ment carried on board was manu-.
featured at the Bellevue experiment.
al laboratory, Washington, many of
the technicalities of which never had
been tried out before and their sue
cess was evident.
AS remarkable as the effectiveness
of the radio apparatus, was the
prOmptnesS with which communica.
ton was established in almost every
part of the United States. Thou
sands of radio amateurs picked up
the ships messages and relayed
them to their destination. One of
these amateurs was bed-ridden, and
not few were retired Telegram h or
radio operators keeping their wrists
timber and nightly talking through
space with acquaintance they had
never seen and knew only by call in
San Diego.
The actual flying time between
cities, deducting the time taken in
locating the moOring masts through
the fogs, were 235 hours and II min
utes. The fastest express trains be-
tween the same cities make the run
in 272 hours and 80 minutes, also de
Quoting the time for connections.
The five 800 horsepower motors of
the ship ran without stop during
sailing hours. The shortest voyage
between cities was a 36-hour period.
For most of the cruise the motors
were turning over at 1900 revolu-
tons per minute.
During the few critical hours
when the big heavily-loaded ship was
crossing the crest of the Rockies at
height of 1900 feet, the engines
were roaring at 1,400 revolutions per
minute. Had a single one hesitated,
the navy's pride of the air probably
would be resting today a ruined
wreck in mOutain chasm.
Fuel consumption, including a
small amount of the radio generator
and the cooking range, averag ed
gallon per mile. The twenty i'm
mense gas cells, each from $4,000 to
10000 cubic feet capacity inside of
the long silvered tube of the ship,
stood up equally well.
Yesterdays voyage was bumpy,
the ship rising and falling in long
glides, 1000 feet between crest and
trough. An average speed of So
miles an hour was maintained. En-.
ginemen ins their cramped cabin
gave an extra turn to their motors
for home when the mooring mast
came in sight. The men experienced
the same thrill at the sight of the
mooring mast at Lakehurst as our
soldiers did when passing the statue
of Liberty on their return from
France.