Evening star., 1937-05-07
Hagger
Continued From First Page.)

Zeppelin at the field drove out just
before 6 and were caught Immediately
in heavy downpour Guests Of the
line, distinguished observers, reporters,
cameramen, Navy and Army officers,
and part of the landing crew, were
huddled as far as possible under the
lower platform Of the movable moor
ing mast, with the huge cupping tower,
into which the Hindenburg was to
thrust her nose for anchorage, a good
100 feet above us. The rain came
through in dribbles and rivulets and
the puddleS underfoot increased stead
lily in size. Every one was uncom-
Portable but good natured. Specu-
lation centered on the amount OF
water being gathered by the dirigible
on its fabric, a weight which one ex-
pert estimated would necessitate much
less than the usual amount of ballast
being dropped.
F. w. Won Mester, vice president
of the Zeppelin Co. of America, and
his mother joined us after q short
while, and Frau Won Meister spoke
happily of trip she had taken In
the Hindenburg in Europe last year
and Of how much she had enjoyed
it. 1T is the ideal way to travel"
she said, 80 smooth, so safe. My son
is tall man. but I did not even
know We were leaving the ground
until I saw him below me, almost
out of sight, instead of just outside
the observa ton windows"
Zeppelins' Future Hailed.
Capt. Anton Hinnen, famous builder
OF lghter-than-au craft, and for
some time past civilian adviser to the
Navy at Lakehurst, told me: THE
lighter -than-air ship is the complete
answer to the future. It will be the
way of travel for all classes. not
only for the rich. It will be the
cheapest, the most comfortable, the
easiest, the safest way. Even if l2O,-
100000 people in this country should
say, 1T is no good I would still say
to you. They will find out, one day.
that it is good"
The ship was signaled. We all went
out into the drizzle. Close overhead,
she passed, long and silvery, with her
name painted large upon her side in
red. The motors were idling. She
slipped out of sight, made the circle
and returned, swinging around broad
side to us, lowering herself gently,
with the sand ballast pouring from
the rear matches. The 300 men of the
ground crew, about a third of them
sailors, the rest recruited from sur
rounding towns, spread out below. Her
forward matches opened and first one,
long coiling cable and then the Sec
ond, came tumbling down to earth.
They were seized and the crew began
to gather them in. In the cupping
tower Comdr. c. E. Rosendahl and
his aides were watching.
Then 1t happened A sharp explo-
sion sounded from the left stern mo-
tor, and a stream of smoke arose,
Instantly the tail was squirting flames.
1t sagged and the nose shot upward
Then. with a roar, the ship split in
two in the center, at the top. The
nose, in which was the central gon-
dola, dropped to the ground. Along
the central portion, where a moment
before we had seen waving figures at
the windows of the promenade deck,
the ugly terrible bare birders of the
hull seemed to spring at us through
a tearing mass of fire. There was
fire everywhere, rushing, sweeping its
way through the pitiful, crumpling
Wreckage. 1t was not possible that
anything should be alive in that in
terno, yet men leaped out.
Man Dragged to Safety.
One man was seen to stand up in
the midst OF the glare as If he had
been stunned and had lust come tn