The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-10-29
CRAFT. HEADS
FOR GERMANY
EARLY TODAY
Dying Wind and Brilliant Moon
Bring Feverish Rush to
Leave u. s.
ONE WOMAN PASSENGER
:All's Well Radioed from Out
at Sea a. Ship Follows
Great Circle


at Sea a. Ship Follows
Great Circle
Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, N.
J., Oct. 29.-(R-The German dir
igible Graf Zeppelin, imprisoned for
days by contrary winds, heaved oft
its bonds early today and. headed
back through the moonlight skies for
its homo port At Friedrichshafen.
Germany, whence It came October
Is. It left 1T lisa .. m.
With three score men and one
woman aboard, the greatest airship
that ever flew the skies was dragEed
tail-first from the hangar not long
after midnight and then, seeming
suddenly to acquire . life Of its own.
it lifted proudly against the moon
and strobe away on its journey
across the seas.
All day yesterday departure Of
the Zeppelin on its return flight had
remained in doubt. Zero hour for
the ground crew Of sailors who have
been in constant attendance on the
great ship since its arrival from Eu-
rope two weeks ago today was first
set for-5 o'clock in the afternoon, and
then advanced to midnight. But
even then no one seemed really to
believe that the ship would leave.
But midnight came, and action
followed with breathless swiftness.
The passengers were bundled aboard,
chatting feverishly and grinning
with something Of desperation in
their smiles.
800 Sailors Work Il
The ground crew. more than 100
sailors trained to such events BY
frequent handling Of the Los An
geles, marched to their posts and
gfAsped the mir monster - uncefe-
moniously as ; mother pushso :
baby carriage.
The great east doors Of the han
gar ground open on their tracks
and the night waited into the hangar
. with it's invitation Of limitless space
to be traversed by those who dare.
An officer barked . terse COM
mand. The great ship stirred through
its whole length Of 778' feet;' it
Ill tons Of weight seemed to heave
and rise. It was like Z giant sigh
ing 1t the thought Of activity ex-
pected Of him, activity that cannot
be postponed.
out Of the hangar the sailors
walked the Graf Zeppelin.
Braved Wind Gusts
At 1880 the Zeppelin was clear
of the hangar, and 50 had passed one
Of the most perilous moments Of any
flight. For one Of the greatest dam
gers is the possibility Of some er-
rant gust Of wind pushing the ship
against the hangar walls and rip
ping its silver. flanks against the
steel bulkheads.
Out in the night the Zeppelin was
4 great black monster with : fin Of
silver down its back where the moon
struck. It twisted toward the north
and moved ponderously, under the
sailors expert guidance, to hollow
far enough from the hangar 20 that
there would be no danger Of being
blown against the towering steel
structure.
And then: .-
"Weigh ship!" IN officer beloved.
The ground. crew released it,
many-handed hold. The Graf Yep
pelin, Z giant waking from . deep
sleep, lifted its head slowly o.
though shifting the reliGh: Of ths
morning air, and then . roar of five
great engines split the night.
Heads Toward Mooa
Propelled by those. engines, the
Graf Zeppelin shot upward toward
the moon and circled majestically
overhead. Once in the air al ito
sluggishness seemed to have fan
ished. From IN ungainly brute. such
~ burrowed in mud and wallowed
across the wastes in time. before
man was known, it had suddenly be-
come fair thing, light and graceful
and utterly scornfpl Of the human
help which had bsen % needful to
It on the ground. =:
In . large circle Il swung about
the air station that had been tt tenn
porary home since it, arrival from,
Germany and then headed eastward
toward tho ocean Il must cross 10
return to it's home statien, L. start
ed into the air at 1854 this morning,
and at 2 it was nothing more than
. gray blot against the moon. And
then Il was nothing st all The Graf
Zeppelin, come to Amsriea from
across the ssas. had gons hack
whence it came.