Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-27
Food Dumped Overheard
When Big Ship Has Diff.
Guilty Gaining Altitude to
Clear Charged Conductor.
WIRELESS SAYS DAMAGE
TO CRAFT ONLY SLIGHT
Dirigible May Fly Over Washing
ton, but DR.. Eckener Will De-
termine Route Over Continent as
He Encounters Weather Condi-
tions.
BY the Associated Press.


LOS ANGELES, August u (P).-
Advices to the Southern Pacific Co.,
whose railroad route through Ari-
zona the Graf Zeppelin is following,
said the ship passed over Benson,
Ariz. at 1927 am, Mountain
standard time. The Zeppelin was
reported bucking heavy westerly
wind
LOS NIGEL E S, August 27.-
The globe -circling dirigible Graf
Zeppelin came within few feet
of encountering potentially serious
trouble, but escaped with only
slight damage here early today as
it's tail scraped high tension
electric line shortly after the take
off for Lakehurst, N. j., on the
last lap of its round-the-world
flight.
The big ship, containing thou
sands of cubic feet of hydrogen,
a highly inf1ammable gas, scraped
the electric line as it fought to
gain altitude Immediately after
the take-off at Municipal Air
port at 1914 a. M, Pacific Coast
time.
First word of the accident
reached here about two hours
later when the Radio Corporation
of America intercepted a message
from the air liner saying the dam
age had been slight and that it
would not interfere with the trip.
This was the second accident of the
Graf zeppelin's world fight. While be-
ing taken out of hangar at Kasumi-
gaura, Japan, for the transpacific
flight downward movement of the
stern caused a rear gondola to strike
the ground. Two gondola struts were
broken, causing delay of several hours.
Field workers here realized almost
Immediately that the dirigible was hav-
ing trouble in gaining altitude. AS the
ship scared over the edge of the field
a large quantity of canned food was
hastily dumped overheard to tighten
the load.
DR.. Hugo Eckener, commander of the
airship. anticipated the problem of
i,nd took only So persons aboard for the
transcontinental trip. On the flight
across the Pacific the liner carried so
Difficulty in gaining altitude was be-
]ieved to have led DR.. Eckener to alter
the first part of his course to Lake
hurst. Instead of heading southeast
ward to go through the Southern Cali
fornia mountains at San Gorgonio Pass,
he directed his ship straight toward the
south. To have gone through San Cor
gonio Pass the air liner would have to
attain a height of some 5000 feet.
100 Miles an Hour.
The necessity of climbing to such an
altitude was obviated by taking course
along the Mexican border. Two hours
after the take-off the ship reached a
point near the international line at San
Diego and headed East When sighted
at Yuma, AriZ., at 4:43 am, Pacific
time, it apparently had increased its
speed to 100 miles an hour.
Dr. Eckener planned to plot the re-
mainder of his course upon his arrival
at Ell Paso. Tex.
"A nOTCNedSIeIly TOuUc 4lOHl Ioco
through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas,
thence to Kansas City. st. Louis. Chi
cago and Cleveland. was indicated as
the preferred course should weather
conditions permit. Should that line OF
flight be followed, the Zeppelin was ex-
pected to reach New York State over
the Mohawk Valley and then head for
New York City and Lakehurst.
AS an alternative, 1t was indicated
- .o,,fa fI,rOiIOl1 Nnw Orleans Blf-
mingham,F Atlanta, washington, -. u,
and Baltimore might be chosen.
The dirigible left here 10 hours and
2 minutes after its arrival from Toxic
and DIR. Eckener hoped to complete the
world flight within 48 hours OF the
take-off here.
The elapsed time OF the Zeppelin's
world fight stood at 19 days. 4 hours
as minutes when it left here. Total
Hyire time for the 1880 miles from
Lakehurst eastward to Los Angeles was
233 hours 35 minutes
There were 81 men and woman
aboard the ship. The woman, Lady Grace
Dr1In1mond Hay of London. and Is men
were passengers, and the crew consisted
Of SO. ..,.
IN the national air races IN Cleveland.
ohio, tomorrow, hinged upon the
meteorological situation. It was the in
tention of DR.. Eckener to circle Cleve-
land if weather conditions permitted:
1t was believed the dirigible would
reach its goal some time, tomorrow
night.
The average speed of the. Zeppelin
across the American continent was ex-
pected to be 80 miles an hour.