The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-10-16

CICy HAIL.
Before departing for New
York, Eckener instructed the
officers and men left here to
push repairs on the damaged
fin, to look after ballast and
fuel tanks and to attend to
other details necessary before
the vast aircraft can sart a pro-
posed western flight as far as
Chicago prior to the return
journey.
The Graf Zeppelin leaders have
been considering one or two more
round trip flights this year, but Dr.
Eckener indicated shortly before
leaving that he was not entirely cer-
tain these plans would materialize.
The story of the Graf Zeppelin's
voyage over more than 5000 miles
of land and water, the maiden COM
mercial voyage of a trans Atlantic
air liner, had been told only frag-
mentarily today by the tired pas
sengers. 1t had all the interest OF
a pioneer venture, with dash OF
danger averted to heighten the in
terest.
Thrill in Broken Fin
THE first reaction of the pasSen-
gers was relief to be on land again,
desire for a drink of water and for
a smoke.
The chief thrill of the voyage
came Friday night in mid-Atlaptic
southwest of the Azores, when the
Graf Zeppelin encountered a small
gale. The covering of the port
stabilizer, which helps keep the ship
on a stead keel, was ripped open
by the wind.
One passenger said the ship took
a fearsome dip, bucking in the wind,
and there was fear among the pas
SengerS that she was going to
plunge into the Atlantic.
The ship was held to an even
keel, however, and the speed cut
down. Then Knut Eckener, "a, son
of the commander, climbed out on
the stabilizer with three others of
the crew and, clinging to their
precarious perch, made fast what
remained of the covering to avert
further damage and possible dis
aSter.
DR.. Eckener dismissed the ripping
of the fin cover as unimportant,
and admitted only under pressure
that his son played a leading part
in making the repairs.
Worked on Exposed Perch
Those who examined the Stabilizer,
however, realized what it must have
meant to work on that exposed
perch, extending horizontally into
the air near the rear of the dirigible,
1000 feet or more above the tossing
waves.
The repair work took five hours,
from 8 p. m. Friday to a. m. Satur-
day.
I'VE had to slow down, as it was
impossible to make the repairs 60
ing at full speed" Eckener said.
I'VE were in the very center of
the Atlantic when we burst the fin
cover. Like an ocean ship, we were
compelled to slow up for repairs. 1t
was burst such as we never had
before, and never in the future will
it happen again"
Eckener said he saw no signs Of
excitement among the passengers at
the time of the accident, and that
when they learned what occurred,
"they raised their glasses and drank
to the health of everybody"
Eckner said he had not slept more
than eight hours during the trip.
Commander Charles E. Rosen-
dahl, United States navy, who is
master of the Los Angeles, joined
with Eckener in minimizing the re-
ports of alarm among the passengers
when the fin cover burst. Rosen~
dahl was a guest aboard the
dirigible.
I'm a general way, may say that
the ship proved to be good air.
ship" Rosendahl said. "It took
hard beating and came out in good
shape.
No Time in Danger
N'This is not the ultimate size in
dirigibles. They must be bigger and
bigger. But we can't leap INTO the
big sizes all at once"
Rosendahl said the Graf Zeppelin
at no time was in danger.
He explained that when the in
cover burst, he sent 4 radiogram to
the navy asking for vessels to stand
by, at the request of Eckener, pure
ly as a precautionary measure.
They were not certain Of the ex-