The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-10-01
Aviation
GIANT ZEPPELIN
Hotel OF sky
TO SPAN OCEAN
DirigibIe Built for Atlantic
Travel Is Last Word in
Luxury and Safety.
Bn NEA Service

BH NEA Service
BERLIN, Oct, When the
great new dirigible Graf Zeppelin
|. takes the air at Friedrichshafen for
her first trip to America, the world
will get its first inkling of the real
possibilities of comfort, safety and
luxury in aerial travel. 1t is named
-4oror of Count Zeppelin, Graf
& being German for Count"
Nothing like it ever has flown
through the air. The great Ameri-
can dirigibles Los Angeles and She
nandoah are far surpassed. The
floating liner of the air is at last
reality. Some idea of its possible
speed is given by the estimate of
DR.. Hugo Eckner, the designer, that
the big ship could fly from Berlin
to Toxic in four days.
The Count Zeppelin offers far
better passenger accommodations
than any airship yet built. Twenty
passengers can be carried, two to
a room, in commodious, Pullman
type staterooms. Their quarters are
electrically lighted and heated.
Electric ranges in the kitchen pro-
vide hot meals; roomy lavatories are
fitted for hot and cold water.
Ship Largest in World
The Graf Zeppelin is TIC feet
long by 100 feet in diameter-nearly
100 feet longer and nearly twenty
five feet wider than the Shenan-
doah, and 116 feet longer than the
Los Angeles.
Entering the cabin at the for
ward end, one enters first the con-
troll room, where captain, navigator
and helmsmen have their stations
Big windows give unobstructed Wis
ion straight ahead and on both
sides.
Back of this comes the naviga-
ton and chartroom, extending the
width of the cabin and filled with
the multitude of dials, gauges,
wheels, levers and SO on with which
dirigibles are guided.
Powerful Radio Installed
From the rear of the navigation
room opens a hallway leading to the
back. On one side is the radio room,
where there is installed a set pow
erful enough to keep the airship in
touch with land stations through
out transatlantic voyage.
On he other side is the kitchen,
with electric stove, coffee urn and
Icupboards. Beside the kitchen is
IA narrow thwart-shipS passageWay
beading to a door on the starboard
side through which passengers come
aboard.
\ The main passageway then opens
into the largest room on the ship
the main lounge, which also does
duty as a dining room. 1t is a
luxurious room, as little like COM
partment on an airship as one could
wish.
A soft carpet covers the floor.
wide windows in the walls provide
flor sightseeing; they are hung with
lrich curtains. There are cushioned
arm chairs and circular tables as il
the parlor of a fine hotel. At meal
times this becomes the dining salon
From the rear of this compart-
ment opens the passageway lead
ing to the staterooms. There are
ten of these, five on each side. Each
one has an upper and lower berth
Of the Pullman type.
Gaseous Fuel Used
It is not alone in size and luxury
that the Graf eppelin is new de-
parture in the world of aviation.
The German engineers have devised
a new gaseous fuel for its motors;
a fuel that weighs no more thar all.
and that consequently makes no
difference in the ships weight when
it is exhausted.
The present practice of valving
out hydrogen to make up for the
loss of weight as fuel is consumed
will be done away with.
Amazing as the Graf Zeppelin is,
however, it will not be long before
still another superairship comes to
surpass it. The British are now
building a veritable giant, the RICO,
which will go even farther along
the road of size and luxury.
The R-1O0 will carry 100 passen-
gers and have three decks, or floors,
in its living quarters, all built in
to the hull