Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-29
GRAF COMPLETES
ROUND WORLDH HOP
Craft Reaches Lakehurst at
1913 0'CIock-Trip Ends
in % Days.
Continued From First Pagel

Angeles absence AT Jne HIT races III
Cleveland. but for two baby blimps
pushed over against the north wall of
the great arched structure.
The passengers were kept in the
cabin Of the ship until after 1t was
taken into the hangar and were then
removed for customs and immigration
inspection supplementary to that made
at Los Angeles. A special train was
waiting on a siding to take them to
New York as soon as this formality had
been completed.
The Graf left Lakehurst on its great
adventure at ll:40 pm. August 7. max
ing the 1900 miles to Friedrichshafen
in SIS hours and "a minutes. After
four-day layoVer for refueling 1t few to
Toxic. $3.50 miles. in 10l hours and so
minutes. being held there five days by
the necessity of refueling and damage
done to the rear motor gondola in TAX
ing the ship from the hangar.
Time Over Pacific.
The $500 miles from Toxic to Los
Angeles was covered in IS hours and So
minutes. and the last leg, which was
completed today, was begun with less
than a full day spent in refueling.
In getting away from Los Angeles
the Graf had difficulty in gaining alti-
tude, and even after dumping out can
ned goods to tighten its load it dragged
its tail over some hgh-tension wires.
which luckily did not ignite the mil
lions of cubic feet Of explosive hydro
gen gas in the great bag.
After the ship was beIthed today 1t
could be seen that the wires had
crumpled the under edge of the rudder,
but there were no signs OF any burns
It vas this sort of same accident some
years ago that caused the explosion OF
the dirigible Roma.
aftpr the shin was DeTVneQ
DR. Eckener went to the preSSroom In
the hangar, where he was cheered by
the more than 100 reporters assigned
to the final act Of the world flight
As he was talking to them rumors new
thick and fast about the hangar.
One was that the rudder was SO
badly damaged that it would take two
weeks to repair even though the nee
essary duraluminum was at hand mere
with which to do the work. Another
was that two Of the Ave engines hao
shown signs Of firing" and would nave
to be replaced. Still another had 1t
that the weather OF the Siberian wastes
on the dirigible that it would nave 10
he recoated before beginning its. jour
new homeward. which will mark It's nltn
crossing Of the Atlantic.
Condr. Eckener denied report. salo
Nv be current in Friedrichshafen, tnat
he IL aOOllG 10 ToJlIc dIlO ia NAc
the-world fight was his last trip IN
command of the Graf Zeppelin.
mo, no." he said. Il have no lnten-
Although the Graf Zeppelin came in
with the lower edge of her rudder crum-
pied. the stern old commander olo not
90 into details about how it happened
There were only two slight mis-
haps-very slight miShapS-on the en-
tire trip" he said In Toxic the dam
age was repaired in about eight hours
end over Los Angeles 1 got loose from
those hish-tension wires without any
trouble or serious damage"
MacCracken Meets Graf.
Beside DR.. Eckener as he talked was
William p MacCracken. Assistant Sec
retary of Commerce for Aviation. who
few here TO deliver a message to the
dirisible commander from President
Hoover. The plane in which the As
sistant Secretary was coming mere
crashed at Bridgeton. N. j., last night:
but MacCracken suffered only cut OF
the knee and was able to proceed by
automobile.
During his interview DR.. Eckener re-
vealed that he would not go back TO
Germany on the Graf which he said
would take off Saturday night. but
would stay in this country about II
days. visiting Washington and Akron:
Ohio. This will be the first flight CT
any extent the Graf will have made
without the commander on board. Capt.
Ernst lehman, second in command
will take the dirigible back to its home
port.
The Hoover message to Eckener said:
ION nv own behalf as well as my fell
low countrymen it gives me great salts
faction to welcome you and the men,
har~ ~ ~ RI the cOmnlPtlOn
of your memorable flight around the
world. It has been great adventure.
which again stirs the spirit and interest
of all men and women.
CongratuIates Germans.
"It marks another step in the prog
ress OF aviation. The German people
are to be congratulated upon this evil
dence Of their great contributions to
the art and you arc to be congratulated
upon your courage and skill. Mr.. Hearst.
who I understand has Importantly aid
ed the trip financially, is also to be
conerat uated upon its outcome"
Lieut.. J. c. Richardson. U. 8. Navy
observer on the world fight, talked
to the reporters after DR.. Eckener He
said that the damage to the rudder
was done in humping the ground in
leaving Los Angeles. Asked about strik-
ing wires there. he said. I'VE didn't
quite hit them. thank God" All pre-
vious reports including wireless from
the ship had indicated that the tail
dragged over the wires.
Lieut. Richardson said that the Graf
would be given a new "overcoat" when
1t got back to Friedrichshafen, thus
disposing Of the rumor that 1t would
have to be recoated here, just as DR..
Eckener's announcement of the depar-
ture date blasted the report that two
engines would have to be replaced.
Leeds told reporters that the Graf
planned to make another visit to Amer
lea in October. but this could not be
confirmed either from officers of the
Dirigible or from representatives Of the
Goodyear-Zeppelin Co., American repre-
sentatives Of the German Airship Co.
Rough Over Rockies.
Lieut.. Richardson said that although
in the Pacific the Graf skirted the edge
OF typhoon, the toughest going OF
American Rockies.
DR.. Eckener did not leave on the
special train with the passengers, TAX
ing an automobile with several COM
panions and only saying that he was
not going to New York.
BY the time the special train had
taken the passengers away sailors were
already at work connecting great fabric
pipes to the Graf Zeppelin to replenish
her hydrogen and fuel supplies.
Some time after DR.. Eckener wa.
believed to have left the field he was
found to have secluded himself in the
hangar flight office.
MOVIE PROGRAM PLANNED