The Washington times., 1929-08-20

ehS WOIlu ana Lne world with
US. Suspended between earth
and sky, the Zeppelin hurtled
forward across q vast land
stretches which have no rail.
ways, no roads, no trails,
We could see and study every
detail of the landscape with
astounding clearness. The visi-
blllty was excellent.
We were more than thrilled at
the thought of our glorious
craft pioneering over land
closed in for centuries without
modern means of communica-
ton; a cnS whose mysteries
remained mySNtrious to this day.
Primitive People
The peasants live the simple
life of primitive people whose
imagination is limited by their
dreary, never-ending steppes
and trackless forests. And as
they ate the rawest things of
nature, we had caviar, pate de
foie gras, asparagus, rich meats,
and champagne.
Day begins early in these
northern. latitudes. At 2:30
o'clock Saturday, / already could
see the country round about US,
and ] shiyered, not from cold
alone, but also from the weird
hideousness of the wrinkled,
discolored swamps, furrowed in
thick fungus-hued folds like the
decaying, cast-off skin of some
evil, colossal snake-god of these
desolate regions.
Between 3 and 4 o'clock we
were in Central Siberia, SO lat
itude north, 78. longitude east.
Swamps, patterned fantastically,
with innumerable rivers, mean
dering exaggerately like so
many shining serpents basking
in the dawn, accentuate the
freakish land.
Alkali deposits suggested
mildew; areas Of fir trees, blown
out by the roots by the violent
winds, added to the destruction
and desolation Gf this monstrous
land. A little later, the swamps
gave way to forests - those
eternal rolling oceans of trees.
Sir Hubert wilkins, in his
gentle modulated voice so nn-
expected, somehow, in this ad-
venturer and rugged explorer of
the Antarctic, revealed to me a
wealth of knowledge. He pointed
out. even from our height, tracks
of animals through the forests.
His quick eyes glimpsed birds
on the wing and fur-bearing
beasts seeking the morning drink
at some waterhole.
We saw one solitary camp
a trapper's. The Imbatsch wire
less station, on the bend of the
great Yenissei River, gave birth
to the first organized habitaticns
we had seen since Vologda.
At breakfast, DR.. Eckener told
me we were entering q low
pressure area, one that he had
predicted. He said:
"But it is not so bad as ]
thought"
H~urs Stolen Away
Breakfast, always q pleasant
informal meal, begins about
seven and ends any time. Hours
are taken from US each day when
the clock is put forward by
leaps. and bounds.
Atk t1nch time black clouds
loomed and the Zeppelin dashed
through storm area, shaken a
little. and emerged in the sun
light again. No one took notice.
Even Captain Lehman, who
was playing an ACCORDION solo,
did not go to the windows.
Everyone was impressed at
the appearance of a halo and
three distinct rainbows encir-
clirC the airship in the storm
area.
About lunch time on Sunday
We had about the only thrill of
the whole wonderful and sue
cessful trip. The Stauow1
Mountains, charted 3,40O feet,
turned out to be really over
5000 feet, which was some
thing Commander Eckener did
not expect. Flying 600 or 700.
feet lower than the high peak
between the mountains the Graf
Zeppelin rocked and pumped
up and down until it seemed we
were almost certain to hit one
OF those rugged, barren cliffs.
The passengers seemed to be
getting anxious, and the strain
only left their faces when we
sighted the Oshkotsk Sea.