The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-29

NAVAL AIR STATION,
LAKEHURST, N. j., Aug. 20.
"A crippled air bird, the
Graf Zeppelin, made it's way
back to her starting base to-
day to establish a new around
the world passage time of 21
days, Z hours and 80 minutes.
Trailing a damaged rudder through
the chill morning breeze, the rudder
having been ripped when the Yep
scraped wires near Mines field at Los
Angeles, the Graf Zeppelin came
into port with its nineteen paSsen-
gers and "a crewlnen more jubilant
than ever about long distant travel
in a lighter than air vessel.
It was as a wounded hoIning
pigeon might come back to its base
that the Graf Zeppelin noSed over
New York, passed the Jersey fiat
land, and came back to Lakehurst
Passengers explained that this great
new air voyager already had estab-
liShed a reputation as some new
kind of air monster; over some OF
the more out of way reaches of ST.
IBERIA, inhabitants looked skyward
and saw the glittering gray shadow
nosing through the air and then
broke into run, afraid because
never before had they seen lighter
than air craft.
Cuts Straight Course
Though slightly crippled, the Graf
Zeppelin cut precise course over
the more than 5000 miles from Los
Angeles to ARRIVE here after 81
hours and 81 minutes of flying over
the United States.
This brought the dirigible back to
Lakehurst, just 81 days z hours and
80 minutes from the time she started
on her around-the-world fight, on
Aug. Z.
That broke the existing around
the-world record of % days Is hours
and 81 $40 minutes, established by
John Henry Mears and Charles B.
D. Colyer in 1927. The zep's actual
flying time was 288 hours and 81
minutes.
There was little rest for the great
vessel. Once she was in the hangar,
workmen started ripping of the torn
fabric of the rudder, started repairs
so that the dirigible might leave for
Germany Saturday night in COM
mand of Captain Ernest H, Leh-
mann, little German, who bombed
London from a Zeppelin during the
war.
Comes in Low
The Yep came In low from the
northwest, circled the western end
of the hangar and swung around to
the other end of the field, to be
hauled down, made fast and walked
into shelter preparatory to the re-
turned to Frtedrichshafen scheduled
midnight Saturday.
The Zeppelin dropped her ropes
at 7:07 a. m.
At 1909 she dumped water ballast,
drenching a score of the ground
crew, and at 7:12 the craft touched
the ground.
She was walked into the hangar
and came to rest beneath the shell
ter at 7:42 a. m.
Throngs tried to press in upon the
ship as it came to earth and as GUS
toms men started aboard, but state
police and marines firmly kept them
back, to permit naneuvering the
ship into the hangar.
Rosendahl First OFF
Lieutenant-C Commando Charles
E. Rosendahl, former commander
of the navy's dirigible Los Angeles,
and Lieutenant Jack Richardson,
the Los Angeles navigator, both
guests on the trip, were the first
20 T3ppelin.
Fully 10000 persons were assem-
bled at the station to see the COM
pletion Of the epochal fight. The
momentous scene being enacted
stilled the crowd. Awed and almost
silent they gazed upon the last act
Of a typical modern drama. Fewer
than twenty years ago the world
was applauding the bravery Of Louis
Bleriot, who had dared death in a
rickety monoplane to fly across the
English channel.
Thousands Of those assembled
here today were old enough to have
scoffed at the modest claims Of
Wilbur and Orville Wright that they
had accomplished momentarily
fight at Kitty Hawk, N. c., in a
winged contraption powered with a
wheezy motor.
Astern Of the Yep lies 20000-rnile
trail every inch Of which made
history
Eckener Is Happy
When DR.. Eckener appeared at the
control room the crowd cheered-a
tribute to the daring carefulness the
Germaq skipper had shown in guid-