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I BY Y Hugh Allen Copyright 1929 NEA Service ce tic J J i Ii MR TIIE S FIRST AUTHORIZED STORY OF THE HE LIFE LIE OF THE W JM COMMANDER DER OF THE EPPEL S CHAPT CHAPTER XI Th Tile The four ears carS that follow followed d the delivery of th the Cos os An An- geles to were the longest in n Dr Eckener's s life The pr projected d dismantling of tile the the great Zeppelin works works' v h had d been heen beenk delayed k but the allie allies allies' restrictions on Zeppelin op operations rations still held and Arnstein and a dozen of the Hie best engineers engineers' h had d gone to A America Count Zeppelin was as de dead d. d YO Von Voh Gemmingen Gem- Gem was dead Eckener had into the Ule mastery of a once prou proud org organizations organization to find it only a shell He Ftc felt man man- S ft lIe He- would sit for days clays In his of otrIce ot- ot rIce flee J in n 1 the almost silent hangar It w was wan an Interesting room that of office of- of flee fice filled tilled with maps maps map's md ind charts and globes Iob s and rare old paintings and m many h books books boOkS bound government reports b books on navigation b books bookson ok okon okson on music and philosophy books on commerce Broad windows looked out on U the c town to below on Lake Laic 0 Constance bl blue e green r ri In time the distance on the Swiss Alps Alps' etched against the time Ilk skyline sky line An eminently comfortable living room room but but with viti the master muter sunk deep In his chair unseeing Sometimes ho lie would start work nOrk furiously on new projects but was the use Plenty of or time now nosy for the tho girden gir- gir den for tore tailing sailing for Of b books If IC if one left lIk like it S Restlessly ho moved a. a about b 0 ut through the tho almost silent shops It took large huge capital large larse vision large larg faith to build America had lost tho the Shenandoah France the time Great Britain the tho While In In Germany where the thc air air- lills were best understood tb there re remained not only buly the tho political In Interdiction In- In but grave financial l difficulties difficulties dif dif- dif dif- even if It the ban bill were to be bc lifted d.- d. mark had d finally touched tho bot m. m been stabilized on a n. new basis but jut Germany was hard up S S C Prese Presently a a L ra ray of ot 1 came through A polar flight had been beta proposed Perhaps tho the Allies would wouw consent to a a. scientific ship b being built The Tho war war was moving ln farther and farther r awa away from mens men's con con- Time was softening the theold theold old animosities Perhaps this this' could b be done it tho money could be raised d. d Well Wei hod hed lSe see This was WIs s something some some- thing to do anyhow Count lind suc successfully appealed to th the tiit of ot Germany Cormany for tor support and they had l' l responded Hu Hugo o Eckener prepared a n. lecture outlining his lila hopes and amId planes planes' what h the airship was capable of doing it V was vas enthusiastically received He lIe was WILS wasa a n. convincing speaker en b by his faith In the project li Ue me made other speeches wrote articles ar arranged nr- nr ranged a a. lecture tour conferred on plans Things s began to brighten up else else- where The Tho Spanish government be became became be- be cimo came interested in an nl airship line tine between Seville and Buenos Aires and nd made available a subsidy for torn fora ft commercial company Lehmann was wn called caned back baek from America to w work rk on this thia project A labor government In England had authorized construction of ot two Zeppelin typo ships each ach of or cubic feet twice the of time the Los Ansel Angeles lI The American l congress congress congress con con- gress had authorized on one ship then finally two t to tb be even wen larger JarGer larger cubic feet though actual appropriation of ot money and I letting of contract was vaa as to be d delayed for some olne time Money was c coming in surprisingly from Dr Eckener lec lee lutes tures In lit all nil he hc gave ga more than addresses a and n a d raised marks S 'S C C Then finally came the clarifying hews vs that tim the Allies Allies' renditions on on Zeppelin Z ships were finally and definitely waived The Tho way was waa cJ clear ar to o go so ahead What a furorS furor this creat created d In n. n b both th In AndIn and andIn andin in In Inthe the tIme village ge Tit The 0 government became Interested Interest finally granted a a subvention of at of marks more inore The neW ship would b bethe tho gr great greatest at est one one- th they v had hader ever ever- er built They would call It the tIme Graf Grat Zeppelin in honor homier of oC tho limo found founder r. r JV A pity they a O O- O cubic foot Coot ship but est cst hangar they had hod was still too small to permit that And there was no money to build a n. larger larser han hangar ar they must concentrate on thi the tha ship Tho The final figures cubic large as they C could get t through the doors doos They would have hae liked t to luid a 11 ship le less elend slender t than they actually did sh shorter In comparison to 10 than thon the tue Lo os I Angeles but the shape of the tho hangar built for tor mass production pro pro vas was to dictate this decision too They would have to compromise compromise compro compro- mise mille between en the thing timing they would like to to do and the thing they could dp do Fuel ouel ga gas gU experiments had b been en successfully A gas gal perfected per per- d by a a. Dr Blau which beating properties and was just eno enough ah hen heavier vier than the time air to flow low time the motors but still BUll so light that consumption of ot fuel did not change the weight of the ship as s gasoline did and 10 p o Compel the waste of hydrogen to to compensate compensate sate for forIt it Maybach had already completed a anew new carburetor which would woul take either gasoline or fuel gas alf Duerr was vor working out the arrangement of ot the various various' gas cells cells' the 12 Blau gas cells b below ow 17 hydrogen cells atthe atthe atthe at at- the the- top They n needed ded a anew new cat- cat walk straight through tIme the axis of the ship from nose nOlle to sail Jail 50 60 feet above the control car so as to give easy access to the set of ot cells celIL 0 C S There was was' one other circumstance I that gave the commander a a. new sOSt In lathe inthe the undertaking Knut Ecke- Ecke Eckener Eckener ner his lils bO boy would go io along on the h of the Grat Graf Zeppelin As a youngster Knut had d given Iven much amuck promise Ita Ho had an inborn Rift gift for machinery was as tall like hI his father active daring lIe He had hod lim smuggled gle away on a number of ot flights in the early da days but an nn at Qt attack at tack tacit of ot flu when that epidemic was vas sweeping the world during the UtO war war nr had left his hb heart hearl so 80 ba badly affected that physicians doubted whether he he- S would ever be able to do a a. mans man's work In the world They would permit permit per per- mit him to go to school but butan an hour houra a II day and forbade him hIni any excitement excitement excite excite- ment meat or 01 exertion But Knut had slowly built himself him him- I self edt back to health had gone to college college col col- lege a and d had just graduated at Munich with distinction in engineer InS Ing lie He lIe was was' now not taller than his fattier father and nd physically fit lie would oud take his plabe on th the tM first cruise of or the Graf Zeppelin as 1 a a. member of the cr crew v. To T Continued 6 e d TOMORROW I Near Na d disaster Is a a t er with young o no Knut Knut Ecke Eckener e. e the hero heron on n th the first passenger flight to America |
