The Washington times., 1928-11-14
ZEP VOYAGERS
HOME HAPPY
OVER TRIP
BY JOHN G. INGRAM
Tho OnIy American Newspaper Man
I'm Board the Graf Zeppelin on
Its Return Flight to Germany.

Its Return Flight to Germany.
NEW YORK, Nov. 14.-Seven o.
tho skv tourists who flew to Ger
many two weeks ago Monday aboard
the Graf Zeppelin returned to Ne"
York Yesterday aboard the lie oe
France. all plastered with glory
new hotel labels and enough NIFTY
information to qualify them al
grade A speakers at Kiwanis Clut
luncheon.
Included in the. party was Car
ence Terhune. 19.year-old goi1 caauy,
of Rye. n. Y, who made, something
of a name for himself by stoWins
away aboard the Zeppelin at Lake
hurst and thereby grabbing Tor MIN,
self free a trip which cost most OF
the dirigible's passengers $4,000 Ilat
Others Of the returning pilgrims
who debarked were Wlillam OiiHlaI O
and Joseph Jessel, of loca
firm: Paul M. Marko. OF Kew Gar
dens, Long Island: Don M. caste
of Columbus, Ohio; Hans Nolde, OF
Reading, Pa. and this reporter.
Sky Travel Superior
The travellers were certain OF one
thing as they again set foot on
Manhattan, and that was that
transatlantic crossing in Zeppelin
is to be preferred to that made on
the de luxiest of the de luxe ocean
liners which now ply between New
York city and points east. SKY
travel between New York and the
Old World, while 1t is still novel
and at odd moments a little terrify-
ing, has it's good points. For in.
stance, there is the element OF
speed. 1t took us three days to 90
from Lak:ehurst to the interior OF
Germany. and it has taken better
than six days for us to get from
France to New York via the liner.
And, as for seasickness--ab aboart
The Yep. there was none, but aboard
the lie de France this reporter tool
the long count soon after the vesse
mad cleared the breakwater a.
Havre and promptly went to bee
for most of the trip.
Zeppelin travel as 1t exists a.
the moment has its drawbacks, bui
even so it ought to mean a bis
thing for those who will have tt
travel between the two continents
during the next half decade or so
Lack Of Heat Felt
Our own crossing was rendered
highly uncomfortable by lack d
heating apparatus, but when this
oversight is remedied, sky trave
will have it over steamer traveI
like blanket. It's safety has already
been pretty thoroughly demonstrated
and now only the little refinements
and adequate financing remain &
be accomplished.
Sailing along above the storm
tossed North Atlantic Ocean at q
height OF 1000 feet, away from al
noise and sense of motion. gives
one a peculiar thrill which wipes
out any trace of fear which sucf
an unusual environment might ordi
narily engender. One OF our favor
ite pastimes during the initial day
of the trip was to toss champagne
bottles out of the windows. Sc
great was our height above the
water and so great was our speed
that the bottle would almost bt
left out of sight by the Yep before
we could finally see it's feeble
splash as it struck the water.
Occasionally heavy fog banks
drift by which obscure your view
from the windows, much the same
as cloud of steam or smoke from
a locomotive often blots out the view
of the passengers on one side of z
coach. Sometimes one sees 8
steamer wallowing along, and il
your course takes you far enough
north. you'll likewise probably SEE
an iceberg and a group OF ice floes
We saw many of these the after
noon our ship was caught in tht
grip of an S0.mile wind and lashs6
far north of its course in the direc
ton of Greenland. We were car
ried nearly 400 miles out Of path
Gale Scarcely Felt
Despite the hurricane, however,
there was little in the way of vic,
lent motion to warn the passengers
there might be trouble ahead, and we
all went blissfully ahead with our
dice shooting, our drinking and our
storytelling. Only once were the
passengers made suddenly aware
that things were happening which
weren't on the program. That was
late in the afternoon when the huge
balloon suddenly lunged upward al
an angle of 45 degrees or better
literally leaped off its even keel and
plunged into the clouds as though il
was trying to hurdle some gigantic
climatic obstacle.
Later they told us that in thai
fraction of moment there had beer
splendid chance that the shiE
might crack up" and go to pieces
just like the ill-fated Shenandoah
had done out in Ohio in 1925.
Fortunately for us, we hadn't
realized our hazard so we went
blythely on playing cards and tell
ing yarns.
Our flight on the night of Wednes.
day, October 80, across France and
Switzerland into Friedrichsha fen
Germany, on the shores of Lake Con
stance, was perhaps the most spec.
tacular leg of the entire trip.
Peaks Like Shark Teeth
DIR. Eckener showed the Zeppelin
up some 10000 feet to pass over
the peaks. Once we got into the
mountainous country we were en-
shrouded in strange, ghostlike
mist which shut out our vision on
all sides. Occasionally. however
the wrath mist would be momen.
tarily dissipated by stray gust
OF wind and we had glimpses OF
dark, ugly mountainous pokins
their sinister, Jagged lines uE
through the sea of fog. To my
shipmates and myself these dark
peaks resembled nothing so much
as thew did gigantic shark teeth