The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-10-11
VIOLENT STORMS PERIL ZEPPELIN:
ROUGH WEATHER SLOWS UP VOYAGE
FROM BERLIN TO UNITED STATES
Great Craft Ready to Strike
Out From France to
Span Atlantic.
GALES ACROSS OCEAN
Arrival at New York Is
Not Expected Before
Sunday.
By United Press

By Unttcd Press
PARIS, Oct. 1.-THE Graf
Zeppelin, lodging adverse
areas, but continuing determ-
lnedly toward the sea, traversed
southern France today on her
way from Friedrichshafen,
Germany, to the United States.
The 77O-foot dirigible, with a crew
OF forty and about twenty passen-
gers and guests. left Friedrichshafen
at 1852 a. m. Q:52 a. m.. E. S. IT,
on the maiden voyage of any COM
mercial air liner across the ocean.
Her course, at first clearly defined.
oecemeomcertain as wireless reports
informed DR., Hugo Eckener, in COM
mand, of bad weather ahead.
His original intention APPARENTLY
had been to strike southwestward
across France to the Bay of Biscay.
and thence to the Azores. the
course taken by the Los Angeles
when she started her voyage to the
United States from Friedrichshafen.
four years ago tomorrow.
Storms Near Azores
Then storms we're reported in the
region of the Azores. The weather
Of the Bay of Biscay was threaten
ing and the storm ares apparently
extended northward along the At
lantic.
The Graf Zeppelin turned SOUTH
ward along the valley of the Rhone.
Two alternatives presented them
selves. The dirigible could cross the
southwestern end of the Mediter-
ranean and reach the sea through
the Straits of Gibraltar, or, if the
weather in the Bay of Biscay
cleared up, skirt the Pyrenees be-
tween France and Spain to the BAY
OF Biscay and continue on her oriei-
nal course.
A message from the dirigible.
picked up by French wireless sta
tion this afternoon, indicated Ecke-
ner had decided to take the more
direct route across Spain rather
than the southern Mediterranean
course.
Fly Across Spain
The message said the Graf Zep-
pelin intended to fly from Barcelona
across Spain via Madrid and Lis
bon, Portugal, to the Azores. Such
a course would avoid the Bay of
BiScay entirely. The change of route
was otherwise unconfirmed.
The Graf Zeppelin was losing
much mileage by her detours and
the length Of her voyage became
problematical.
After leaving Friedrichshafen on
the shores Of Lake Constance, be-
tween Germany and Switzerland,
the Zeppelin turned westward along
the valley of the Rhine, bordering
Switzerland, toward France. At
2:15 a. m, CE. S. t., she passed
Constance, on the lake. At $3.50
a, m. she passed Basle, Switzerland,
and at 3:45 a. m. crossed the French
border into Alsace.
Her course was southwest. She
passed Belfort, France, near the
border, at 4:30 a. m. Then she
passed Montbeliard and Beaume
Les Danes and at 7:30 a. M, Lyons.
The weather, While not stormy, was
cloudy with occasional rain.
Changes Her Course
AT Lyons the Graf Zeppelin alb
ruptly changed her course and con-
tinued due south along the Rhone
valley. At 9 a. m. she passed Mon
telimar, eighty three miles down the
Rhone. At 1890 a. m. she had
reached the Mediterranean, passing
over the wireless station at Ste.
Maries De La Mer, on the Gulf Of
Lyons.
The Mediterranean course, it was
estimated, would add 496 miles to
the zeppelin's original course, as
plotted across the Bay of Biscay. The
original course, provided the Graf
zepplein followed the southern ship
lanes from the Azores to New York,
was estimated at ATS miles in all.
Reach New York Sunday
That would make a total Of 5,272
miles from Friedrichshafen to New
York. At her best estimated cruis-
ing speed Of sixty-eight miles an
hour, without allowing for head
winds or other delays, it would take
the Zeppelin about seventy-seven
hours to complete the trip. She
would reach New York at about
Z a. m. Sunday.
The Los Angeles, on her 1924
flight. took a northerly route after
leaving the Azores and circled down
the American coast via Newfound-
land, much shorter route. Her
airline distance was only 4,010 miles
and the fight took eighty-one
hours. The Graf Zeppelin is much
larger and faster than her pre-
decessor. 1t was not considered
likely the Graf Zeppelin would =
tempt the Newfoundland route be-
cause Of the weather.