New Britain herald., 1929-08-29
|. S. Weather Toughest

|. s. Weather Toughest
 Naval Air Station, Iakehurst N Y, Aug. 29 tP-Although while riding the tail of 6 typhoon as sht approached Japan the Graf Zeppe- lin sometimes dropped 500 feet, tht toughest going she encountered or her entire flight around the eartf was over "our own Rocky Noun. tains." Lieut. Jack Richardson American naval observer, said to- day.
 Lieutenant Richardson, who with Commander Charles F. Rosendahl represented the United States gov crnmcnt on the cruise, gave no de- tails as to the roughness of the air over the Rockies. but he left room for conjecture by describing the experiences the Graf had while rid ing out the tail of the typhoon.
 "Sometimcs wed drop 500 feet, and sometimes wed go up 500 feet" he said with d grin, "and she rolled and pitched a lot, but those 500 foot drops were nothing like so fast as you'd take them in an airplaro, and we never were really in any grave danger"
 Commander Hugo Eckenor, grim ly humorous old hero. preceded Lieut.. Richardson up into the han gar press room to meet the re- porters and announced th@t Cap tain Ernst Lchmann would be in commend of the Graf when she starts back 10 l'riedrichshafen Sat urday night.
 Tc Sec New DiTig:hlcs
 pr. Eckener will go to Washington and then to Akron Ohio, to visit the Goodvcar-Zeppelin plant, where the two dirigihles twice as large as his ship are being built for the Amori- can navy.
 Both Dr. Ecl;encr and Lieut Rich ardson were piled with questions about the Graf's damaged rudder. As she was pulled down this mOrn- ing almost the first thing everybody noticed was that the lower edge of her ruddcr was crumnled, the fabric torn and wrinklod. The universal comment from laymen was Look what those high tension wires out in Los Angeles did to her"
 "Oh We had a couple of mis- haDs," said Commander Eckdner- 'Very slight mishaps. But the dam age done in Tokyo was repaired in eight hours, and I got loose from those wires all right out over Los Angeles"
 Didn't Know of Accident
 Licut Richardson explained that the Graf hit her rudder on the ground while taking off from Los Angeles. we didn't hit those high tension wires, thank goodness he said. We all fclt a slight bump as we took off from the Los Angeles field but we didn't know any dam age had been done until somebody radioed us about it while We were still over Los Angeles.
 As Commander Eckener stepped out of his ship in the hangar here today. the crowd made dash for him. Four big marines were about him. trying to protect him from the too enthusiastic lunges as he came into the press room. He was breath ing hard and perspiring profusely, and he looked a little anxious. But his brown, wcathcr-linod face wrinkled in a grin as the reporters involuntarily began to clap their hands-a somewhat rare tribute from a group of newspaper men to a celebrity,
 How long were you in the air?" was the first question.
 "I1l have to figure" he said, as he sat down at desk and reached for a pencil.
 !n Air 2SS Hours
 TWO hundred and Lightweight hours actually in the air" he an- nounced a moment later. Then he lapsed into German and through an interpreter. proceeded to tell what he thought of the way the American people had greeted the Graf Zeppe- lin in her flight across the con- tinent.
 "Tha crowds and the enthusiasm in Chicago last night" he sad, his face Tightening mp, they were some thing the like of which I had nevcI seen before"
 And San Francisco-that WIS most impressive. The bay, the hills the crowds. MarvcllCus, And yet that crowd in Los Angeles, and the warmth of their welcome-T was deeply moved. and I'm grateful"
 Lieut., Richardson enthusiastically praised the performance of the Ga Zeppelin and her crew.
 "Thc Graf is going to get T n"H overcoat when she gets home" h. said. "The commander isn't quite satisfied with her present covering
 Pleased at Performance
 But she vas marvellous on thi: trip-perfcct. She went througi almost every cOECclNdDlc kiNQ JI weather and atmospheric conditions and her performance was wonderful Not one bit of engine trouble on tho entire trip. Shes a grand old ship
 And the way they handled hel was great For instance. it took !, something like S9 hours 10 cross tho Pacific, didn't it? Well, anyway, 6. of those hours we were flyin. through fog-fog so thick that wC seldom saw sky or water. And w hit the old Farralone Island off th, Golden Gate right on the nosc That's navigation for you. They're wonders. those Germans"
 Americans Took Turns
 Lieut.. Richardson and Command. or EOscndahl took turns as5istin- the Graf Zcppclin's navigators G bringing her across the United States.
 We saw the Los Angeles as wt passed over Cleveland last night, Lieut.. Richardson said. "But we Jl- most missed her. I just happened to