Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
ECKENER is CONGRATULATED.
Passengers Honor Doughty Skipper Of
Giant Air Liner on Birthday.

BY Gable to The Star.
FRIEDRIcHsHAFEN, August 10
It's sides literally ripping with pride
a gentle breeze causing an undulation
of the fabric In much the same manner
as a peacock preening hinSelf-the
Graf Zeppelin appeared over the field
here today before the vast crowd on
hand to welcome it, realized what was
happening.
Words are inadequate to describe the
warmth of welcome the Zeppelin re-
ceived. Pride. joy and the unspoken
satisfaction of national ambition once
again to share in the limelight of inter-
national achievement were mingled In
the deep-throated cheers, which must
have been heard by those in the zeppe-
lin even above the roar Of the five
engines.
Old Records Recalled.
From the time the German dirigible
left the American coast until 1t reached
the French coast at Oussant, in Brit
tany early this morning, only 423z
hours elapsed. Nor has any craft
steamship. airplane or airship-made
any record approaching that now set by
the Graf Zeppelin Of making the trip
from Europe to America and return In
10 days.
The present flight, in the opinion OF
aeronautical circles in FriedrichShafen
has established definitely the claim that
the dirigible can be regarded as the
logical means of tranSoceanic communi-
cation in the future.
In making this return voyage in So
hours. "a minutes, the Graf Zeppelin
slashed the previous time made by the
U. S. dirigible Los Angeles, then the
LZ-126 tmore Familiarity known as the
ZR-3, in 1924. when she was piloted
by DR.. Eckener to America in 81
hours to become the property of the
United States Government.
Graf Beat Own Time.
The second best time was made By
the British Royal Air Force dlrigible
R-34 in June, 1919, which made a re-
turn trip to America. The R-34 COW
cred the return flight from Roosevelt
Field to Pullman. Norfolk, in 108 hours
The best time previously made by the
Graf Zeppelin was in october last
when it few from Lakehurst to
Friedrichshafen in SO hours, IS min
uteS. Another record set by the Graf
Zeppelin on the flight just completed is
for the number Of human beings carried
there being on board the dirigible a
crew of AZ and % passengers.
DR.. Eckener Expresses Himself.
Despite the insistence Of the crowd
that he broadcast speech by radio,
DR.. Eckener excused himself on the
ground of physical fatigue and sud-
denly disappeared from the airships
hangar Immediately after the landing.
Passengers on board the dirigible,
however, before the ship landed pre-
scented him with the following message
of congratulation on his sixty-first
birthday anniversary. The message
said:
The undersigned passengers on the
German airship Graf Zeppelin on its
trip across the Atlantic Ocean and
around the world congratulate today
on his birthday their well tried COM
mRnder and leader, DR.. Hugo Eckener,
a Storm tested air and sea captain.
I'VE wish him. especially, fortunate
voyages and further successes, so that
the name Hugo Eckener will become
for all time the password for clever
planning and daring execution in the
interest. Impeachment and friendship
of continents and nations"
DR.. Eckener also received warm
birthday greetings from DR.. Wilhelm
Cuno, director general of the Ham
burg Amerika Steamship Line.
Copyright. 1927
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