The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-09-30
ECKENER GIVEN
new HOPE;BAN
ON zEPS LIFTED
Restrictions Taken Off by
Allies and Work Begins
on Great Ship.
CHAPTER XI

THE four years that followed the
A delivery Of the Los Angeles to
America were the longest in DR.
Hugo Eckener's life. The projected
disnantling of the great Zeppelin
works had been delayed, but the
allies restrictions on Zeppelin oper-
ations still held.
Lehman and Arnstein and a
dozen of the best engineers had
gone to America. Count Zeppelin
was dead. Won Gemmingen was
dead. Eckener had come into the
mastery of a once proud organiza-
ton, to find it only shell. He
felt manacled.
Sometimes he would start work
furiously on new projects, but what
was the use?
Plenty of time now for the gar
den, for sailing, for books-if one
felt like 1t.
Large Capital Needed
Restlessly he moved about
through the almost silent shops. 1t
too klarge capital, large vision, large
faith to build airships. America had
lost the Shenandoah, France the
Dixmude, Great Britain the zR-2.
While in Germany, where the air.
ships we're best understood, there
remained not only the political in
terdiction but grave financial diff
culties even If the ban were to be
lifted.
Presently a ray Of light came
through. A Polar fight had been
proposed. Perhaps the allies would
consent to a scientific ship being
built.
Count Zeppelin had successfully
appealed to the people Of Germany
for support and they had responded.
Hugo Eckener prepared a lecture,
outlining his hopes and plans, show
ing what the airship was capable
of doing. It was enthusiastically re-
ceivec.
Things began to brighten up else
where. The Spanish government be-
came interested in an airship line
between Seville and GuenoS Aires,
and made available a subsidy for a
commercial company. Lehman
was called back from America to
work on this project.
British and Americans Act
A labor government in England
had authorized construction of two
Zeppelin-type ships. each of $780,
900 cubic feet, twice the size of the
Los Angeles.
The American congress had
authorized one ship, then finally
two, to be even larger-6, 5000
cubic feet, though actual appropria-
ton Of money and letting of con-
tract was to be delayed for some
time.
Money was coming in surprisingly
from DR.. Eckener's lectures. In all
he gave more than 100 addresses
and raised 100000 marks.
Then finally came the electrify-
ing news that the allies, restriction
on Zeppelin ships finally and def
nitely were waived. The way was
clear to go ahead.
What a Juror this created In
Friedrichafen, both in shops and in
the village. The government be-
came interested, finally granted a
subvention of 100000 marks more.
The new ship would be the great
est one they had ever built. They
would call it the Graf Zeppelin, in
honor of the founder.
Concentrate on Ship
A pity they couldn't build a $780,
600 cubic foot ship, but the largest
hangar they had was still too small
to permit that. And there was no
money to build a larger hangar;
they must concentrate on the ship.
Fuel gas experiments had been
worked out successfully. A gas per-
fected by a DR.. Blau which had ex-
cellent heat properties and was just
enough heavier than the air to flow
easily into the motors, but still so
light that consumption of fuel did
not change the weight of the ship
as gasoline did and so compel the
waste of hydrogen to compensate
for il.
Maybach had already completed
a new carburetor which would take
either gasoline or fuel gas. Duerr
was working out the arrangement
of the various gas cells, the IL Blau
gas cells below, II hydrogen cells at
the top.
There was one other circumstance