Evening star., 1932-05-24
Voyage is Declared
Unusual Test of Its Value

Meeting unsettled weather conditions
Throughout most of its coast-to-coast
voyage and conquering severe storms
over Texas. the United States Navy
dirigible Akron landed safely in Cali
fornia to prove its airworthineSs under
the most trying circumstances of wind
and weather. That there have been
tremendous improvements over the
earlier types of this form of aircraft
and that this performance proves that
its use IS being made safe and reliable
is recognized in press comments on the
Akron's trip, but doubt is expressed
that the huge airship has great value
as a weapon of war. The death of
two Of the ground crew trying to bring
the ship to earth, while credited to
unusual circumstances. is held to DEM
onstrate the unwieldiness of the great
craft
In addition to its place in the Navy,
the Oakland Tribune feels that the
Akron has brought much nearer the utll-
lZation Of the airship for commercial op-
erations." The San Francisco Chronicle
halls her superb defiance of lightning,
wind and rain" while the Milwaukee
Sentinel states that the trip is a dem
onstration that the lghter-than-a air craft
have been astonishingly developed, and
that this form of air navigation will
soon be about as safe and reliable as
any other kind, II, indeed, it is not
so already" The Cincinnati Times
Star holds that the Akron's triumph
over a long conspiracy of the elements
should be sufficient answer to her
critics" The Hazleton Standard-Sen-
tlnel calls the test "a victory for ship
and skipper" while the Lima News is
convinced that the craft has vindi-
Gated the faith of its builders"
D!scounting any formerly existing
anxiety over the stress of lightning
fog. sand storms and high weather" the
Akron Beacon Journal concludes: The
Graf Zeppelin is making steady trips
from its FriedrichShafen base to Brazil
and return and the world is never fed
with narrative of emergencies met along
the way. But when Navy ship crosses
our own continent every stage of its
progress is marked with awe and a
shade of apprehension. 1t is time for
'airninded' America to be of better
fortitude in this matter and acquire the
calm that marks the staff and crew OF
an airship when it sets forth on a trip
to a port which it is more than conf
dent of reaching in good order. The
fact that the Akron met this latest test
is all the more tribute to its airworthi-
ness"
A less favorable esti0Cte Is given by
the Charleston IS. C.S Evening Post,
with the statement tnat 1.-The United
States is the only nation which still
puts faith in the dirigible. with the eX-
ception of Germany, where the legend
of Count Zeppelin is still powerful. de-
spite the disappointing experience with
his invention during the World War"
The Evening Post also comments:
Running into heavy storm over
Texas, the Akron wore through with
some difficulty. but well enough, on the
whole, but was unable to make land
ing. Attempting to moor at its deStina-
tion in California, the big airship could
not be controlled by the ground crew Of
go men, darted upward, carrying OF
the crew dangling from the ropes, and
2 of these fell to their death. The ex-
perience reveals the instability OF these
enormous metal balloons and the hazard
into which they are so easily plunged
Especially, however, 1t demonstrates
again the mwieldiness of the dirigible
and its excessive requirements for max
ing a descent to a mooring. While
maneuvering over Texas to find a land
ing, the snip sent out call for 500 men
to make it fast and. when an attempt
was made in California to control it
with a crew of 60. it tore awav from
their grasp with the fatal results re-
corded. Obviously an airShip which
cannot be brought down to an anchorage