Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-28
.ECKENIER RECEIVES
GEOGRAPHIC MEDAL.
Sound Film of Globe Trip Is
Shown at Ceremonies
Attended by 5000.

The first man to circumnavigate the
earth in q dirigible, DR.. Hugo Eckener,
was presented last night with the Ma
tional Geographic Society's special gold
medal, the highest award the society
can bestow.
More than 5000 persons were present
in the Washington Auditorium to ac-
claim DR.. Eckener as he received the
medal which has been awarded to but
10 other men.
The brilliant uniforms Of diplomatic
representatives from 26 nations and the
presence Of members Of the cabinet,
Senators, Representatives and other
high Government officials lent color
full aspect to the throng
DR.. Gilbert GrosVenor, president or
the society, presented the medal 70 DR..
Eckener.
Picture Of Flight Shown.
DR.. Eckener was accompanied by
Frau Eckener and his son, Hugo Eek
ener, who watched the presentation
The highlights Of the Graf's world
circling fight were shown In a sound
picture, which was taken for the most
part aboard the Zeppelin. It showed
every detail of life aboard the big air.
ship.
In presenting the medal, DR.. Grosve-
nor said, in part:
Society from every State in the Union
and distinguished guests from IS other;
nations are assembled tonight to honor
DR.. Hugo Eckener of FriedrichShafen,
Germany, first man to ny dirigible
around our globe.
"Dr. Eckener few across three CONT
nents. Geographic members from seven
continents acclaim his achievement
seven continents, that is, by including
Antarctic.
Other Great Names on Roll.
cit is in. the name Of this world man.
bership that your board Of trustees have
authorized me to beStow upon DR..
Eckener the Natinal Geographic So
ciety'S special gold medal to COM
memorate the great contributions to
geographic knowledge made By his air
cruise aTound the world.
THUS we inscribe DR.. Eckener's
name on memorable roll Of modern
| immortals In geography and explora-
ton, roll Illuminated by the names
Of Pearl, Amundsen, Shackleton, Bart
lett, Goethals, StefansSon, Gilbert, Ben
nett, Lindbergh and Byrd. 1t Is inter-
eSttng to recall that Of the IL medal
lists OF the society are associated with.
aeronautics."
In reply DR.. Eckener said the CO.
| operation Of the United States Navy
Department was the most important
factor contributing to the success Of his
trip.
In describing details Of the journey,
he said:
| D. H. ASaI
| Siberia along q So-called greatest CIR
| cle-route, thus avoiding the mountain
Gus parts Of Southern Siberia. This
| greatest circle-route would have led US
| further to the north.
1 "Of course, such o flight would have
been extraordinarily interesting in geo.
/ graphical respect because entirely re-
mote and only httle-explored districts
| would have been touched. But on the
way, when our ship was over the
Center Russia, received weather re.
ports announcing q widespread area
Of bad weather in the northeast cor
ner of Russia, which made it appear
likely that the Ural in its northern
parts would be covered with rain
clouds.
/ Passed Interesting Areas.
I'VE would then have been compelled
to cross the mountains at a consider
4 able height, so as to avoid standing
on the high mountains. To ny at such
an altitude would not have been FEAST
bic In the beginning Of our trip with
the heavily loaded ship. Thus was
forced to pass over the Middle Ural
and to run q more southerly course
between the 60th and 65th parallels.
Perhaps this change in course, from
q geographical point Of view, was no
disadvantage because we thus passed
districts which were highly interesting.
Immediately after having passed the
Oral range we got over the swamp dis
trtct Of the so-called Taiga, which
stretches widely along both banks of
the River oh. In this terrible district
1t Is impossible for human beings to
1--we. Wherever the eye looks it meets
with wastes OF green and gray swamps."
VIII Visit Weather Bureau.
DR.. Eckener spent this morning max
ing arrangements for obtaining the CO.
| operation of the Federal Government
in the next flight Of the Graf Zeppelin
| to the United States next May. He
went first to the Navy Department,
where he was In conference with Capt,
Stanford @. Hooper. director Of naval
communications. n
This afternoon DR.. Eckener is to visit
the Weather Bureau to arrange for q
| special weather information service for
the flight, including frequent reports to
be broadcast to the dirigible in flight.
| DR.. Eckener has been given the aSsur-
ance Of Postmaster General Walter F.
Brown that the Post ONCE Department
will cooperate In every reasonable way.
Mr.. Brown pointed out that the great
problem confronting the operators of
| lghter-than-air craft was to obtain
adequate supplies Of non-inflammable
| lighter-than-ai gas in order to elirnt-
nate the fire hazard incident to the use
Of hydrogen. Dr. Eckener said that Ger
man chemists now are at work on a
process for making hydrogen gas nom
1 indammable and he was confident the
experiments would prove satisfactory. !.
Dr. Eckener and his son viii leave
by automobile tomorrow morning for
Baltimore. On the way they will stop
briefly at Laurel, Nd, to inspect site
which has been suggested as terminal.
field for the projected German Amer
lean transatlantic dirigible line.
Monday morning DR.. Eckener'S party
win leave by automobile to inspect sew
eral suggested terminal sites in Virginia,
| including the Washington Air Terminals
1,300-acre field at Hybla Valley near
| Alexandria.
| CHERRY BLOSSOMS DUE
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