Imperial Valley press., 1928-03-03
D|R|C|bLE
RETURNS
TO PORT
Los Angeles Landed at
Lakehurst After Hard
Battle.
ENDS LONG T r | p
Big Ship Functions In
Perfect Fashion On V0y-
age to Cuba.
Dy United Press Leased Wire

LAKEHURST, n. j., March 5
The dirigiblc Los Angeles was
walkod' into her hangar here at
7:05 a. m. today after the crew had
fought virtually all night to bring
her to n landing in binding snow
storm.
Back from a flight to the Panama
Canal Zone, the big ship came over
her Lakchurst station shortly be-
fore midnight. A 40 mile wind was
blowing at that time but Command
er Charles +. Roscndahl ordered her
moorcd to her mast. The force of
the wind snapped the cable by
which the crew attempted to max @
the ship fast
Then for three hours the Los An
gelcs cruiscd over the field, finally
attcmpting to make n ground land
ing. The first attempt failed when
the blizzard which was increasing in
fury tore the big ship away from
the ground crew of $50 men.
As the Los Angeles rose into the
air she had carried four members
of the ground crew with her. The
men were clinging perilously to
handrails of the cabin, exposed to
the biting gale. A fifth man re
leased his hold before the ship had
risen 20 feet and was injured in the
fall.
The four men who were clinging
to the hand rail were saved when
members of the crew pulled them
inside the cabin.
The second landing attempt short
" after s n. m. was successful, the
wind and snow having subsidized CON
sidcrablv at that hour. Once on the
ground, the crew experienced no
difficulty walking" the ship in
to her hangar.
Although the flight to the Pan
rma Canal Zone had been the most
hazardous hat the Los Angeles had
Undertaken since being flown to
this country from Germany, the
only real difficulties came in the
last six hours Of the six day cruise.
Flight Is Record
The Cuban cruise embraced 1920
miles and carried the air giant to
two countries with but two stops.
one at Panama and the other at
Cuba. The average speed was 4212
miles an hour.
This feat was regarded by naval
officials as epoch making and thev
say demonstrated the feasibility of
such craft for commercial and de
fense purposes.
The dirigiblc's 80 hour flight to
France field, Panama Canal Zone, n
distance of 2250 miles from Lake
hurst, without stop, will 90 down
in naval records as one of the great
est achievements by an airship.
This achievement was almost
equallcd by the Los Angeles one
stop return flight to the hangar
from the Canal Zone, III miles from
France field to the Tender Patoka
at Guanacayabo bay, Cuba and 1900
miles from the Patoka to Lakchurst.
The Los Angeles has spent a to-
tai of approximately l02 hours in
the air since Sunday.
Commander Roscndahl said after
the ship was safely bcrthed that the
Los Angeles had behaved splcndidlv
during the entire trip. She holds
the record of being the only craft
of any kind that ever sailed from
New York to the Canal Zone in
two days.
"Thc purpose of the flight said
the commander, "was merely to
train the crew and for experiment.
1t was a success in every way.
"Thc five motors never missed n
beat and the water recovery system
functioncd perfectly in all kinds of
weather. We left New York when
it was six degrees above zero in
the air and when we got out over
the Bahamas it was Sc. The change
in temperature made no difference
to the Los Angeles. She continued
on her way unhampered. -
The commander pointed out that
it was a singular fact that the only
trouble encountered during the en-
tire trip-approximately 5000 miles
was at the take off and at the
landing.
Cross hangar winds gave the crew
n busy few moments when the Los
Angeles went out of its hangar on
the start on the flight to the Canal
Zone and intcrfered with her land