Evening star., 1924-10-26
NEW NAVIGATION ERA.
Great Dirigible, Built in US, Shat.
ters Records Over It's Own Land.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ABOARD L. S. S. SHENANDOAH.
VIA RADIO TO FORT HAYES, Co
LUMBUS, Ohio, October 25.-A new
era in the history of lighter than air
navigation was written tonight when
the big Navy airship Shenandoah hoy
cred gracefully over it's home hangar
at Lakehurst. n. j., completing its
remarkable and record breaking nine
thousand miles cruise.
Not only were the worlds records
OF achievement broken. but a greater
thrill came to the country from that
fact that the first American built
rigid airship had made the first voy-
age across the United States and re-
turned. 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 at Lakehurst and started Its
long cruise at 10 am. Octoper
Al II O'Clock tonight 445 houis ral
passed since the start. In thRx eIE.fe
the Shenandoah had been flying with
its engines running for 257 hours and
3S minutes, and noofed to a mast for
1877 hours and % minutes. The latter
includes five days or 120 hours that
the ship was being repaired p.
None of the precious helium was
lost by difficulties during the voyage
All that escaped was Waived to permit
landing or. set free by automatic
safety valves. under the expansion OF
the high attitudes.
Communication Perfect.
For every minute through the en-
tire cruise the ship was able to mann
tain constant radio communication
with the land. frequently with sta
tions several thousand miles distant
Weather reports. official messages,
instructions as to mooring hours and
thousands of words of press messages
were sent and received. New discov-
cries in the possibilities of radio COM
munication from high attitudes were
made. All of the radio equipment
carried on board was manufactured
at the Bellevue experimental labora-
tory, Washington. many of the tech
nicalitieS of which never had been
tried out before, and their success
was evident.
AS remarkable as the effectiveness
of the radio apparatus was the
promptness with which communica-
tion 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 destina tions. One of these
amateurs was bedridden. and not
few retired telegraph or radio oper-
ators keeping their wrists Timber and
nightly talking through space with
acquaintances they had never seen
and knew only by call in San Diego
Exceeds Express Speed.
The actual flying time between
cities deducting the time taken in
locating the mooring masts through
the TO. was 235 hours and IL minutes
The fastest express trains between
o;t lrn he in
hours and 80 minutes, also deducting
the time for connections. The five
300 horse power. motors of the ship
ran without a stop during sailing
hours The shortest voyage between
cities was 36-hour period. For
most of the cruise the motors were
turning over at 1900 revolutions per
minute.
During the few critical hours when
the big heavily loaded slip was cross
ing the crest of the Rockies at
he light of 1900 feet, the engines were
roaring at 1,400 revolutions per min
ute. Had q single one hesitated, the
Navy's pride of the air probably
would be. resting today ruined
wreck in mountain chasm.
Gallon of Fuel to Mile.
Fuel consumption, including
small amount for the radio generator
and the cooking range, averaged
gallon per mile. The 20 immense
gas cells. each from $1,000 to 10000
cubic feet capacity inside of the long
silyered tube of the ship, stood up
equally well.
Yesterdays voyage was bumpy, the
ship rising and falling in long giides
1000 feet between crest and trough.
An average speed of 55 miles an hour
was maintained. Enginemen in their
cramped cabin gave an extra turr
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 a:
Lakehurst as our soldiers did wheh
passing the Statue of Liberty on their
return from FraRce. - s.