Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-08-29
GERMAN ship
SKATERS ALL
FLIGHT MARKS
World Air Liner Set
ties At Lakehurst,
Adding Chapter To
Aviation's History
By w. w. CHAPLIN
Associated Press Staff Writer

NAVAL AIR STATION. Lake
HURST. N. j., Aug. 29.-R-Loop-
ing the loop around the world in
Of the greatest exploits Of fly
ing history, the German dirigible
Graf Zeppelin settled to earth at
7:l3 o'clock &c. S. To this morn
ing just q days. seven hours and 80
minutes after leaving on her 10000
mile journey.
Actual flying time. deducting the
time spent on the ground at Fried
richshafen, Tokyo and Los An
gels, the only three stops that were
made, was IL days. % hours and IL
minutes, both flying and ELAPSED
times breaking all previous records.
The last leg Of the flight from
Los Angeles, was completed In 81
hours and 50 minutes.
Records Shattered
The previous record for elapsed
time around the world vas made
last year by John Henry Mears and
G. B. d. Collyer. who used planes
over land and ships cross the At
lantic and Pacific. Their time was
% days, Is hours and Fl minutes.
The only previous flight arouno
the world in any sort Of air craft
vas made in 1924 by the United
States army filters. They took ITS
days to get around, Of which Is
days and six hours was spent ac-
tually In the air.
The weather was perfect as the
Graf reached the end Of the first
flight around the world Of q light
er-than-air ship. A warm morning
sun shone on the great bags silver
sides as It floated in from the north
after q visit to Manhattan. Lazily
It circled over the field, a crowd "
some 5000 persons racing along the
ground 70 be close at the landing.
and pointed its nose downward.
Casual Landing
The ship overshot the landing
crew Of 45G sailors and marines.
and they had to scamper across the
field after the dragging ropes which
were lowered TO the ground at 1907.
Once they had hold Of them the
operation of lowering the dirigible
to the ground was performed with
expert precision.
As the Graf was being hauled
down Commander Hugo Eckene-,
its veteran commander, waved from
a cabin window, and Lieutenant
Commander Charles z. RoSendGh!,
u. S. N, who made the world trip.
leaned out beside him to wave q
scarf TO the crowd below.
Th0 HWnvvd Uroc hanA1od
any trouble by well drilled sailors
and marines, and the whole scene
was one OF complete lack Of excite
ment. Several dogs romped about
the field as the ship was coming
down, AID there was an air Of cas-
uainess about the entire procedure
Of landing.
Customs Inspection
As the ship touched the ground
William B. Leeds. one Of the Amer
leans to make the world journey.
appeared at the open cabin door
and beckoned with a bill to q news
boy. After several futile attempts
the boy managed to duck through
the marines, delivered his paper ana
came ginning back with the bill.
The landing was made at 7:13.
and at 7:40 1t was safely berthed IL
the hangar. empty because Of the
navy Los Angeles absence at the
air races at Cleveland but for two
baby blimps pushed owe against the
north wall Of the great arched
structure.
The passengers were kept in the
cabin OF the ship until after it was
taken into the hangar and were
then removed for customs and i'm
migration inspection supplementary
70 that made at Los Angeles. A
special train was waiting or a sid
ing to take them to New York as
soon as this formality had been
completed.
Almost Had Accident
The Graf left Lakehurst on its
great adventure at 11:40 p. m. Au-
gust 2. making the 400 miles TO
Friedrichshafen in SIS hours and
"A minutes. After a four-day lay
over for refuelling it flew to Tokyo.
$3.50 miles, in 101 hours and 40
minutes, being held there five days
by the necessity Of ~refuelling and
damage done to the rear motor gon-
dola in taking the ship from the
hangar.
The $500 miles from Tokyo to
Los Angeles was covered in 70 hours
and So minutes. and the last leg,
which was completed today was be-
gun with less than a full day spent
In refuelling.
In getting away from Los Ange-
les the Graf had difficulty in gain
ing altitude and even after Dump
ing out canned : Ids to tighten its
load 1t dragged It's tail over some
high tension wires which luckily
nd not ignite the millions of cubic
feet Of explosive hydrogen gas in
the great bag. Today 1t could be
seen the wires had crumpied the
under edge Of the rudder. but there
were no signs Of any burns.
Myriad Run rs
Shortly after the ship was berth
I'd DR.. -ckener went to the press
room in the ha agar where he was
cheered by the mere than 100 re-
porters assigned to the final act Of
the world flighs. AS he was talk
ing TO them -umorS flew 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 necessary duraluminum WI at
hand here with which to do the
work. Another was that two Of the
five engines had shown signs of
"tiring" and would have to be re-
placed. Still another had 1t that
the weather Of he Siberian wastes
had so eaten away the silver coat
ing on the dirigible 1t would have
to be recoated before beginning its