The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-05-11
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
THE HINDENBURG

Unbelievable" was the understandable reaction
in Germany to reports of the Hindenburg disaster
at Lakehurst. To Americans also, despite proximity
to the scene of this startling event, and despite
unhappy memories of their own experience with
lighter thanair craft, news that the giant trans
Atlantic zeppelin was down in New Jersey sounded
unbelievable.
Germany in this field of transportation was writ
ing one of the most romantic and significant chap
tiers of the stirring story of goth. century enter
prise. The record reached back beyond World War
times and since 1913 was unblemished with ACCT
dent in the commercial passenger services The
new horizons sighted from the windows of the yep
pelins plying between Europe and the United States
were horizons of achievement and promise such as
are always inspiring to the American imagination
These great ships held place of esteem and even
affection in the thoughts of many, who saw them
as symbolic of the amazing courage of outlook and
action which peaceful quests today demand
The experiences of the United States and Ger
many with this form of transportation are now
more than ever complementary. American drigi-
bles failed because of structural defects; the Hin
denburg was the victim of the highly infammable
gas with which it was inflated. One of the regret
full ifs of this moment concerns what might have
been achieved for safety had the cooperative en-
deavors of German and American engineers result
ed in combinations of the best methods each coun-
try had developed.
One of the questions on every lip today is: why
wasn't the Hindenburg inflated with helium, a non
infammable gas? At time rumor was afloat
that helium was not available outside the United
States where production had been made possible at
reasonable cost This was promptly denied by Pres-
al Al,af thA hn1t, InTnS-
try was being encouraged to develop foreign mar
kets Shortly after Americas Macon disaster, Pres
ident Roosevelt announced that helium would be
available for use abroad for experimental and sci
entifc purposes Actually the export of the gas is
allowed only under license
Two reasons offered by German opinion in Wash
ington for the use of hydrogen instead of helium
are interesting: that hydrogen has much greater
carrying power than helium; that Germany is I'M
able to pay for helium under present conditions Of
foreign exchange. DR.. Hugo Eckener, however, has
declared that the Hindenburg explosion marks the
end of the use of hydrogen. Germany may still
consider it necessary to buy cannon instead of but
ter But if the Dr. Eckeners are to have their way,
some of the foreign exchange now used for war
materials will be diverted to safer products
No profits made possible by the use of cheaper
gas will cover the setback that such an occurrence
as the wrecking of the Hindenburg with loss OF hu-
man life must give to this great German venture.
However, no country is in position to point the
finger to blame. Neither the United States, remem-
bering the tragedies of its naval dirigible enter
prise nor Britain, with memories of its own n.y.
drogen-fed R-1O1, will feel anything but the deep
est sympathy for neighbor in moment when
the unbelievable has made sad news.-Christian
Science Monitor. 50 .a