The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-23
GRAF GROOMED
FOR PERILOUS
DASH TO POLE
Huge Zeppelin to Gather
Data to Aid Weather
Observations.
START SET FOR FRIDAY
Dramatic TrySt in Arctic
With wilkins Sub Is
Abandoned.
BY H. A. PETERS
United Press stan Correspondent

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, July %
For three hours today the Graf
Zeppelin droned lazily over the
placid waters of Lake Constance
preparatory to undertaking a haz-
ardous flight over the north pole
DR.. Hugo Eckener, in his familiar
role Of pilot of the Graf, pronounced
the ship satisfactory. He appeared
pleased as the great bag settled
down before her hangar. Then he
hurried to his offices to make final
plans for the Arctic adventure,
which starts Friday.
The dramatic meeting planned at
the top Of the world between the
Zeppelin and Sir Hubert wilkins
polar submarine Nautilus will not
take place due to obstacles of navi-
cation. But as the Graf pushes
through treacherous air currents to
the unknown Arctic inland" it
may be possible for Eckener to pick
up Professor Urwanzeff, head of the
Soviet observatory on Kamanew is
land, and carry him over the terri
tory which no man has been able to
penetrate.
Circle North Pole
The Zeppelin will proceed north
from Franz Joseph Land, circle the
north pole, and return over Cane
Tscheljskin and Nowapa Semja to
Archangel and Leningrad. She will
fly over q Soviet observatory at;
Hooker island. If it is impossible
to pick up Professor UnWanzeff at
Kamenew island, Eckener hopes to
ny back over Urwanzeff's station
and drop charts and data gathered
over the Arctic inland.
The Graf expedition is to gather
data which will make the flight part
OF an Arctic year" even greater
than 1928, when eleven nations
sent thirteen expeditions to the Arc
tic and two to the Antarctic. There
are some fifty observation stations
in the Arctic regions which will
benefit by the Zeppelin's hazardous
explorations.
The Graf will carry a new type
induction compass" in addition to
her regular instruments. Her prob
lens will be easier if she reaches
the polar regions at the full of the
moon. The ship also will carry a
Boykow compass periscope," made
for Amundsen in 1924, which fol-
lows exactly the circle of the sun.
At Same Height
The sun remains almost at the
same height in the arctic. The
periscope compass projects a smaller
picture Of the sun on an OPAQUE
glass, and the pilot has only to hold
this picture to the line Of his course.
If the Graf is able to fly inland
in good weather, she is expected to
bring out data making possible more
accurate weather reports and con-
frmlng existing theories regarding
the connection Of the arctic with
tropical meteorological conditions.
Professor Wiese of Leningrad after
twenty-one years experiment estab-
Hshed a direct connection between
the ice surfaces of arctic seas and
the waters Of Lake Victoria, in
Africa
The Graf will be equipped with
flying radio stations" which may
be dispatched to desired attitudes
If the ship is forced to rise or des-
cend to seek favorable currents for
navigation. The flying stations con-
Sist of a series of small balloons.
each equipped with weather instru-
ments. They will tell wind pres
sure, temperature, moisture, and
other data which may be picked up
abroad the Graf without changing
direction or slackening speed.