The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-10-11

EIleQTlSnSua1euS 1SIIuduys OCI.
|11.-R-A Graf Zeppelin, Ger
many's huge new dirigible, flew
westward today at an average speed
Of IS miles an hour with passen-
gers and mail for America.
Sixty persons were aboard
crew of 40 and 20 passengers.
among them Lady Grace DrummonJ
Hay of England.
DR.. Hugo Eckener, builder and
commander Of the airship, hoped to
bring the airship down at Lakehurst,
N. J., some 5,10O miles away, Sum
day morning.
The airship taking off from
Friedrichshafen at s a. m. headed
toward the Atlantic where heavy
storms were reported to be preva-
lent and because of this it was like
ly to follow a route by way Of the
Azores. Two hours after her de-
parture, she was passing over
northern France.
Despite feverish excitement which
had prevailed around the hangers in
the last few days, the dirigible got
away with clocklike precision and
with less fuss at the start than it
takes to get a transatlantic liner
away from her pier.
Ship Is Cleared
Shortly before q. m. the doors
Of the huge hangar swung open and
preparations were begun to clear
the ship. All the members Of the
crew took their posts and then the
passengers were taken on board.
At q shouted order, the airship's
hawsers were attached by pulleys to
running blocks on either side. The
huge craft was dragged slowly and
steadily off the hangar.
Within two minutes after it was
free Of the hangar the hawsers were
detached and 200 stalwart workmen
who had been hanging to the lower
gunwales let 60. The Graf Zeppelin
Immediately ascended almost per-
pendicularly to an elevation Of about
$50 feet. The nose was pointed up
ward and the airship rose higher as
it circled low over Friedrichshafen.
Finally it headed westward over
Lake Constance and in three min
utes the craft had disappeared from
view on what was hoped to be the
third east and west flight acros the
Atlantic in . lighter than air craft.
This ship is named from the late
Count Won Zeppelin, German airship
builder and inventor, Graf being
the German word for Count.
Will Avoid Storms
Before climbing into the ship, Dr..
Eckener said:
Il expect to reach New York Sum
day morning. The last weather re-
ports, dated 2 .. m. speak Of heavy
storms. Under these circumstances
Of course it il impossible to deter
mine the exact route in advance. In
general, however, / can say we will
stick to the southern course flying
over France and then heading south
ward to avoid . depression which is
moving 70 and fro between New
Foundland and ireland. The north
ern route il out Of the question"
Captain =. A. Lehman, navigation
officer, said that It was quite pos
sible that the airship would 70 q
far south - the coast Of Africa and
then head for the Azores. He said
that the most interesting thing
about the trip n visw Of the wealth
or situation was that her navigation
would offer opportunities to experts
on board for interesting meteorolog-
ical studies.
Two stewards were aboard to
look after the needs Of the inner
man on the trip. Thsre was plenty
Of provisions, Including minsral NJ.
ters, beer, wine and achnapps. Whsr
the American prohibition zone d
reached, forbadden liquors. viii ~
! lGa1tinn01 e peea Me)