The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-05-31
GRAF ZEPPELIN SAFE
AT"LAKEHURST,N J.,
AFTER LONG flight
Comes Rolling Up From Rio to
Complete Next to Last
Leg Of Journey

Lakehurst. N. j., May 31.-R-
Rolling up from Rio to complete the
next-to-last leg of its four-continent
flight, the German dirigible Graf
Zeppelin arrived at the naval air sta
ton today under escort of the navy
dirigible Los Angeles, a commercial
blimp, and q half dozen planes.
The great dirigible appeared out of
the south at 8 a. NJ. eastern stand
ard time. Twenty minutes later 1t
was over the field and five minutes
after that 1t had settled on the
ground near the mooring mast.
Because Of the early arrival there
was only q scattering of visitors on
the field when the Graf Zeppelin. in
striking contrast with previous ar
rivals Of the German airship when
thousands had to be held In check
by sailors and marines.
The first person recognized as the
Graf settled toward the earth Mrs.
Laura Durston Of Syracuse, N. Y,
who leaned from q window with a
white scarf trailing in the breeze.
Beside her appeared William B.
Leeds, American millionaire. As the
ship dropped slowly down. the cabin
windows were crowded with the faces
Of passengers. three women and is
men.
Will Re-cross Atlantic
Dr.. Hugh Eckener. captain Of the
Graf. leaned from the control cabin
to shout terse orders to the ground
crew and then the dirigible was down.
Its 3.300-mile hop from Pernambuco
completed and nothing more remain
ing Of its present adventure but the
flight across the Atlantic to Fried
richshafen.
That flight. which will begin at 10
o'clock Monday night, will be the
dirigible's eighth ocean crossing. it
having already crossed the Atlantic
six times and the Pacific once during
its journey around the world last
year. On this flight it has come from
Germany to Spain. across Africa and
the South Atlantic to Pernambuco
and down to Rio Janeiro. and up to
Lakehurst.
AS the Graf was being attached to
the short mobile mast the tail lifted
about IS feet in the breeze and two
members Of the ground crew. who
holding on to the rear engine
gondola, were carried up into the air.
Apparently fearing that the ship va
going aloft again or that the tail
would flip down and crush them. the
sailors let go and one Of them was
slightly injured by the fall.
After the Graf was in the hangar
and the passengers were through with
customs examinations, DR.. Eckener
went to the press Don in the hangar.
Reporters were asked to make their
questions as brief as possible because
the air navigator was very tired.
Hits bad Squall
He said that last night. about $50
o'clock, the ship passed through the
worst squat he had ever experienced,
ever than the one which. on
the Crafts first ocean flight. ripped
the fabric from one Of the fins. The
dirigible pitched like a ship in a
rough sea, but none Of the passengers
became sick and no damage was done.
DR.. Eckener said he charted his
course directly to Lakehurst from
Pernambuco instead Of stopping at
Havana because otherwise he would
have had to fly against . strong
which he feared might use
up all his fuel before getting here.
AS It was. he had 80 hours Of fuel
left over.
The Graf will head for Seville.
Spain. when it leaves America Mon
day. and will proceed from there to
Friedrichshafen.
To date the ship has been in the
air 2O41a hours on its present flight
and has Travelled 13,400 sea miles. ac-
cording to DR.. Eckener's log.
The grizzled navigator of the skies
said that two minutes after they ran
into the squat he received wireless
warning from the weather bureau at
Washington that he might expect to