New Britain herald., 1929-05-18

night three of the hve engines wera .out of commission and one was near fly 70. Tbs ship was operating on tti sinsle perfect motor.
 And even that one motor was used lsparingly by the commander, Dr, Hugo Eckener. because its operation was such a strain on the metal work of the huge dirigible that it was feared the ships back might be broken.
 Crew Examine Craft
 AS soon as daylight came today the ships crew began to examine the structure to determine whether the 1 dirigible had been weakened by the severe buffeting. The motors. how ever, were left untouched pending arrival of the experts.
 l It was found that none of the es- sential parts of the structure was broken. although several minor metal parts were strained and warp- 1 cd. calling for temporary repairs <, which can be made without releas- ing the gas from the huge compatt- ments. The Zeppelin's envelope was practically intact. Two small tears in one of the fins, caused by the rough handling in landing, were the only damage to the body.
 The Graf Zeppelin was locked in i, its hangar during the night. with the Germans and French soldiers and , sailors standing guard. The comman- der refused to leave for hours after the ship had been safely slowed away, until his subordinates promis- ed to spend the night beside the craft. Then he went to small room- ing house in the vicinity. returning to the hangar as soon as day broke. After a quick examination of the ship, pr. Eckener commented:
 That should prove the airworthi- ness of Zeppelins. We rode through one of the worst storms I ever met in the air. If we had all the motors going we would have made Fried- richshafen easily, though slowly" On landing here Dr. Eckener ask cd permission of the French govern ment to allow Zeppelin officials to rush five motors from Germany to replace the broken machinery. The government immediately agreed. When the Zeppelin neared the coast, airplanes from Lyons and Avignon flew up, seeking scheme by which to land the ship. They looked like mosquitoes circlinE huge eagle,and were just as helpless.
 Dr. Eckener fought hard to slave off disaster. and his ability to get the Zeppelin to practically the only air port in the south of France able to handle it was regarded as a tri- umph of air navigation.
 In spite of winds and mistrals, the commander managed to get his ship to a point where a safe landing might be made. And officials of the French government did all within their power to make such a landing possible.
 Troops Rushed to Help
 Hundreds of troops were rushed from Toulon to the air port to as- sist in landing the giant. It took whole hour and the aid of 500 per- sons to get the stricken ship into it's hangar. The soldiers were helped by crowds of laborers from nearby factories. Dr. Eckener. leaning from his cabin, directed the movements of those tugging at the ropes on the ground.
 It was sickly, but happy crowd of passengers that disembarked. Some had to be carried down. they were 50 ill. The others managed to totter down by themselves. All had been ill from sea sickness" through out the day as the Zeppelin, trying to return to it's home base, was buffeted by gales.
 Ship Tossed by storm
 The ship, since entering the mistral. was rougher than any steamship in a storm. It rocked and swerved almost continually. Some members of the crew were hardly able to stand the ordeal, but for the most they stuck to their posts and brought the dirigible safely through.
 The passengers broke into a weak cheer when the ship was finally landed. Louder cheers came from those on the ground. who waved handkerchiefs, caps and sticks and made the passengers and crew gen. orally welcome.
 The passengers were comforted with coffee at the airdome and then were distributed among various nearby hotels for rest. Several said they intended to remain here until the Zeppelin was ready to resume it's flight. Whether the ship will resume its transatlantic flight will not be decided however, until the motors have been thoroughly examined by the engineers from Friedrichshafen.
 Doctors and ambulances were on hand to attend the passengers and crew members. Many of the IS pas sengers were injured slightly from the rough voyage; some were on the verge of fainting.
 The officials were most sympa- thellc. 1Hey paced tnelr automobiles at disposal of the arrivals. 4C Coffee. liquor. warm milk and sandwiches cheered the passengers who then were taken to hotels.
 Though all were too weak to make the trip to Toulon, only a couple of miles away, where better hotels were obtainable. no one complained. After their trying experience in the air the passengers were only too happy to sleep safely any place at all. Crew members were quartered at an empty barracks near the air field. after refusing offers by the citizens, including the mayor, of more honey accommodations.
 All the maritime and aviation authorities of this city and of Mar