Evening Star Newspaper, May 19, 1929, Page 2

AMERICA'S BIGBEST AR REVIW IS HELD Roaring Motors at Norton Field Sing Requiem of Meadow, Dead Aviator. BY J. 8. EDGERTON, Staft Correspondent of The Star. FIELD HEADQUARTERS, 1st BLUE 'ARMY, FAIRFIELD AIRPORT, Fair- field, Ohio, May 18—The roaring motors of 200 Army planes passing in review in the most imposing aerial spectacle ever seen on the American continent, sang a requiem at Norton Field, Columbus, Ohio, this afternoon over Lieut. Edward L. Meadow, who died a few hours earlier when his pur- suit plane was cut in two by the pro- peller of another plane of his own squadron. i The spectacle presented as the ar-| mada of the air swept by in review in | a tremendous 10-mile column of roar- ing formations, which dipped low over | ~the field and then zoomed up into the rain and low, murky clouds, was awe- inspiring. The fiyers, as they passed over the field, were in sight of the spot where the body of . Lieut. Meadow. fell in the tangled wreckage of his plane. Hostilities between the Red and Blue air forces, now engaging in the annual Spring maneuvers of the Army. Air Corps in Ohlo, were suspended today while one of the greatest of military air forces ever gathered in the United States took part in a demonstration of aerial attack at Cincinnati and the re- view at Columbus. Combined Forces Aftack. The story of Lieut. Meadow's deulh‘ was just being circulated through the | squadrons when they were ordered to take off at 1 o'clock for Cincinnati, | where an attack on Lunken Pield was | made by the combined air forces of the Red and Blue armies. The 1st Pursuit Group, which had been detailed to defend Lunken Field against the raiding forces, was com- vosed of the 2d Bombardment Group from Langley Field. V: the 3rd it tack Group, Fort Crockett, Tex. and the 95th Pursuit Squadron, with which | Lieut. Meadows was flying when he was killed. ‘The 1st Pursuit Group. which has been assigned to duty with the Red Army at Norton Field, Columbus, ar- rived over Cincinnati at 1:55 p.m. and patrolled over the city, awaiting the overwhelming attacking force. The writer occupied & gunner's cockpit in the first formation of the 2d Bombardment Group, which led the way from Fairfleld to Cincinnati. As Lunken Field came into view in A bend of the muddy Ohio River, at 2 o’'clock, the bombers, in three close formations of five planes each, launched their attack, with the attack planes diving below on the anti-aircraft de- fense, which they smothered theoreti- cally with a pall of smoke and an ap- glm;\ag storm of machine gun fire and ombs. The pursuit planes, high above the bombers, met in a great “dog” fight, as the defending first pursuit group tempted to clear its way for an attack upon the bombardment planes Clear Away for Columbus. As is the case with such aerial at- tacks, the simulated fighting was over in less than 15 minutes and the squad- Tons began clearing away for Columbus, their third destination in the afternoon of flying, in which the fighting squad- rons covered the greater part of south- ern Ohlo. From the air, all the roads along the bluffs of the Ohio and Little Miami rivers, overlooking Lunken Field, could be seen swarm with automobil s, swarms of vari ants; vould 'be seen on com: manding knolls, defying the rain and -the wrath of attack ipl-nes. &, Following the attack the defending = first pursuit and the attacking 95th pur- =auu, which had been tangled in swirl- q!ng circles & few moments before, com- » bined forces and headed peaceably over = the fertile Ohio farming land for Co- w Jumbus. * The squadrons flew over separate § routes from Cincinnati to Columbus and @each unit went into rendezvous over nthe various Columbus suburbs. The % second bombardment group, which had = crossed the country through the rain in 2 ;)en formation, flying at an_ altitude Zof 5000 feet, dropped to less than 500 w feet and circled for 156 minutes over the =little town of Reynoldsburg, waiting to w be joined by the 11th Bombardment # Bquadron from Rockville Pield, Calif., to « the great consternation of townspeople, » farmers and livestock. " s Live Stock in Panie. = _ Chickens could be seen on the ground scattering wildly under the impression that a most tremendous hawk was com- . ing down for supper, with themselves as # the main course. Cows lumbered in @alarm to their sheds and probably re- = fused to give their evening quota of % addled milk and curdled cream. P T ful horses forgot their difnlty and looked for some quiet place in a great > hurry. Off against the clouds to the North, “to South, to East and to West, where % the sooty smoke of Columbus rose like a all, swarms of fighting planes could e seen circling over their concentra- « tion points. At 4 p.m. the fast black % plane piloted by Brig. Gen. Benjamin « D. Foulers, field commander of the air i3 forces concentrated in Ohio, with the » two pursuit planes of his staff, led the “ way over Norton Field and the squad- Tons swung in column behind the bomb- ers in the van. « Passing over the field with the twin . motors wide open the bombers barely : cleared the trees at the end of the fleld = and left the gaping crowds fading into % a blur behind. Above the field could be seen the cream of America’s aerial fighters, sweeping down in a teaming crowd, which from the bombers seemed to have « lost all organization and formed a w shifting, swarming cloud of speeding planes. » There was a lull in the rain as the formations passed over the field, but soon afterward the rain settled down in earnest and the big bombers plowed through the mist and rain, “hedge- . hopping” trees and high buildings. At w 5 o'clock the formations began landing o in order on the rain-soaked, mile-long expanse of Fairfield air depot, which is | one of the largest flying fields in the Nation, Plane From Capital. 2 While the planes were away on their % long afternoon’s double mission, a tri- * motored Army transport plane came into Fairfield from Bolling Field, Wash- ington, with Representative Melvin J. . Maas of Minnesota, Hans Adamson of « the War Department and a young man = who claimed to be & stor Disturbed over the incident, the sup- posed stowaway was permitted to go his way, without hat or rain coat, through = the pouring Ohio rain and over the ticky Ohio mud. ‘The Army Ailr Corps expects to stage some sort of a special demonstration here Tuesday morning for Representa- « tive Maas, who expects to leave that 2 afternoon for Washington. The precise s character of the demonstration has not been determined, but it probably will be contingent upon the exigencies of the ‘war between the Reds and Blues, which is scheduled to break out in full fury ‘Tuesday morning, with ground troops - from the 5th Corps, the Ohio and ‘ Indiana National Guard and the Or- ganized Reserves. The Ohio maneuvers are the most ex- , tensive Army peace-time military opera- fons involving the use of air forces ® ever held in this country and are the # first in which the Alr Cprps has been divided into two np{mlinu forces for the actual working out of lems. The-yrewmd and sir forces Tepresent ¥ WITTEMORE SAWS AWAY JAIL BARS Brother of Notorious Bandit and Two Others in Plot to Escape. Zpecial Dispatch to The Star. fully planncd jailbreak by Rawlings V. Whittemore, jr., brother of the notorious bandit, Reese Whiitemore; Robert Min- ner and August Beyers, recently arrest- ed in St. Louis and charged with the $15,000 hold-up of the Farmers and Mechanics’ National Bank in Westmin- ster, April 5, was frustrated today with the discovery that bars had been sawed in their cell in the Westminster jail. Sheriff George C. Fowble made the dis- covery when he inspected the cell, i | which all three prisoners were kept. Two bars of the ccll had been sawed nearly through and a bar over a win- dow leading to freedom also had been cut. If the plot had not been foiled be- fore nightfall, the trio could have made good their escape, as no guard is kept on duty inside the jail and they could have completed their work unhampered. it was said. Where the men obtained the steel saws necessary to cut through the bars is & mystery. Men Thoroughly Searched. Sheriff Fowble stated that the men had been thoroughly searched before leaving Baltimore, and had been search- ed again before being locked in their cells. No trace of the saws or saw used was found. All three of the prisoners maintained a sullen silence when questioned. Immediately after the attempted break had been discover- ed, Sheriff Fowble and Deputy Sheriff John Zand removed the prisoners to separate cells, Zand was left on duty inside the jall, while Sheriff Fowble went out to round up his extra deputies, who will be kept on duty to prevent a similar attempt until after the men have been brought to trial. After a conference with the sheriff State's _Attorney Theodore F. Brown sald. “I have nothing at all to say about this affair except that we have the prisoners locked up and will keep them locked until they are trie | two hypothetical enemy nations, the in- ternational boundary extending from Lake Erie along the Sandusky River and the Scioto River to its junction with the Ohio River in the vicinity of Ports- mouth on the south. The general prob- lem, which was arranged for the tacti- cal training of general officers and their staffs, involves a group of three Blue Armies, superior in strength, attacking a group of three Red Armies on the de- fensive, holding a hastily intrenched line along the “international” boundary. ‘The special problem now being worked out over the gently rolling Ohio coun- tryside involves only the first field army on each side. The Blue Army is sup- posed to be the right army of the blue force. The Blue Army has orders to defeat the first Red Army. defending Columbus, the capital of the Red na- tion. Problem in Two Phases. ‘The problem has been divided into two phases: First, the air corps phase, in which the Red and Blue air forces are engaged at the outbreak of the war in the aerial reconnaissance and com- bat work involved in the concentration of the armies and their advance to b: lish contact. This first phase now is nearing completion and the ground armies today are moving into position, ‘Today the armies of both “nations” are mobilized and are moving into po- sition. The Blue forces are distributed throughout the from Dayton to the “international” border. The Red forees occupy a line approximately 17 miles in length along the high ground on the east bank of Big Darby Creek, about 12 miles west of Columbus. The Blue Army is forming to assault this line, with the capture of Columbus as its_mission. Tuewdg' the Blue Army staff and its corps and division staffs will take their command posts and issue orders to corps headquarters for the attack to be made next Thursday and to continue for three days. The Blue Army is assumed to have 12 Infantry divisions and the Red Army nine. Each army has two Cavalry divisions screening the respective fronts. Each army has an equal number of | Army and general head(\arters troops, while the air forces takiry: part in the maneuver are about equal § divided, ap- proximately 100 planes on each side. Panels Indicate Positions. ‘The positions of all headquarters, army and corps troops, hospitals, depots nd ammunition and supply dumps of both Blue and Red armies will be indi- cated on the ground by panels, as will the front line battalions. The panels will be operated and moved by detach- ments from the 10th and 11th United States Infantry in the manner in which troops would be maneuvered in actual combat. In the Blue Army, the army, corps and division staffs will control the movements of the various units. No subordinate staffs will be on duty with the Red Army, but the panels will be regulated according to the decisions of umpires. The Blue Army at dusk Tuesday, when combat contacts will be estab. lished, will be organized and stationed as follows: Army headquarters, Fair- field Air Depot, Fairfield, Ohio. First Corps, Mechanicsburg; 37th Di- vision, Ohio National Guard, Resaca: 38th Division, Indiana National Guard. Chuckery; 84th Division, Organized Reserve, Unionville Center. 8econd Corps, London; 5th Division, Regular Army, Lilly Chapel; 100th Di- vision, Organized Reserves, Lafayette; 83d lemlon, Organized Reserve, Plum- wood. Headquarters of the 3d Corps and the Tth to 12th Divisions will not be rep- resented, their presence being merely assumed. An Army corps has 4,794 officers, 83,573 men and 21,325 horses and mules. On the road a corps would occupy 151.3 miles. An Infantry division consists of 19,776 officers and men and 6,675 ani- m,ull and on the road would occupy 28 miles. Gen. Nolan in Command. ‘The maneuvers are under command of Maj. Gen. Dennis E. Nolan, com- mandant of the 6th Corps Area, who also is commander of the Blue Army. The Alr Corps units, gathered in Ohio from all parts of the United States, are under command of Brig. Gen. Benja- min D. Foulois, assistant chief of the Army Air Corps. Lieut. Col. H. C. Pratt of Mitchel Fleld, N. Y., is com- m:nder of the Blue Army air forces, while the Red air forces are command- ;fl l:y Maj. J. N. Reynholds of Mitchel feld. The air forces are concentrated as follows: Red Army, at Norton Field, Co- lumbus, Ohio; 1st Pursuit Group, Sel- fridge Field, Mount. Clemens Mich., 50 pursuit and 6 cargo planes, Maj. Ralph Royce commanding: 11th Bombardment Squadron, Rockwell Field, S8an Diego, Calif., 6 planes, Capt. E. C. Black com- manding; 15th Observation Squadron, Selfridge Field, 9 observation planes and 1 cargo plane, Capt. C. H. Rey- nolds commanding; 16th Observation Squadron, Fort Riley, Kans. 9 vation and 1 cargo plane, E. M. Goolrick commanding. Blue Army, at Fairfleld Air Depot, Fairfield. near Dayton; 2d Bombard- ment Group, Langley Field, Va., 38 bombardment and 3 cargo planes, Maj. Hugh J. Knerr commanding; 95th Pur- suit squadron, Rockwell Field, 15 pur- suit planes and 3 cargo planes, Capt. H. M. Elmendorf commanding: 3d At- tack Group, Fort Crockett, Galveston, Tex.. 34 .J’m and 2 cargo planes, Maj. John H. Jouett commanding: 9th Ob- 15 observation and 3 pargo planes, Lieut. Col. H. C. Pratt commanding. | BALTIMORE, Md, May 18.—A eare- MEMBERS OF CLASS OF 1879 Capt. Charles H. Harlow, member of the Annapolis class of 1879, presenting a sword to Charles Edward Trescott, regimental commander at the academy, yesterday. The 1879 class went to Annapolis yesterday to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of their graduation. yearly event by members of old classes as they reach the fiftieth anniversary. MIDDIES OF 1679 MARK ANNIVERSARY Sword Presented Regimental Commander by 12 of 22 Class Survivors. Special Dispatch to The Star. ANNAPOLIS, Md. May 18—The class of 1879, United States Naval Academy, today returned to the scenes of the beginning of their naval career. Charles Edward Trescott of Ohio, in honor of his position as regimental com- mander. The commander of the mid- shipmen regiment heretofore has never been presented with a sword. amble- matic of his position, but hereafter, through the interest of the class that graduated 50 years ago, each comman- der will be given a sword upon his se- lection at the beginning of the scholas- tic year, Twelve Survivors Meet. Twelve of 22 survivors of the class, in which 64 were graduated, met at noon in Memorial Hall in Bancroft Hall, to present the sword and a bronze tablet, which will be erected in the recreation hall of the midshipmen. After the sword had been presented to Midshipman Trescott by Capt. Charles H. Harlow, U. 8. N, retired, who acted as chairman of the commit- tee that raised the sword fund, Walter M. McFarland, '79, explained why the sword was being presented annuaily by his class. Mr. McFarland pointed out that the regimental commander, who 1s regarded as the leader of the Midshipmen, had never been honored, and that the class of 79 felt that, while a sword is pre- sented to the Midshipman who has done most_to aid the military standing of the Naval Academy, no recognition had been given to the commander. The tablet was unveiled by Mrs, Margaret C. Dougherty, widow of Comdr. John Allen Dougherty, who died while on duty T%Afinfluc sevefal years ago. ¥ Attendance Ts TLarge. The ceremony was attended by the 12 members of the class of '79/"the third battalion of Midshipmen: Rear Admiral 8. S. Robison, superintendent of the Academy and his staff: Capt. Charles W. Snyder, commandant, and his staff, and by alumni, wives and daughters. ‘Twelve members of the class present were: Comdr. E. O. C. Acker, Rear Admiral B. C. Bryan, Rear Admiral Clarence A. Carr, A. Ms Hung, Charles W. Junger, Capt. F. W. Kellogg, Rear Admiral E. E.- Hayden,* Admiral H. P. Norton, Commodor Commodore George W. Salisbury and Comdr. R. O. Tillman. Following the unveiling, the 3d Bat- talion gave “Figd-N" yell and sang the Navy song, “Navy Blue and Gold.” FIVE TEXAS LAWMAKERS STILL AT UNIVERSITY ‘Work at Important Duties of State Affairs While Attending College. AUSTIN, Tex. () —It remained for five University of Texas students to in- ject a new angle in the plan of earn- ing while you learn. They are members of the Texas House of Representatives, To four of them the rap of a Speak- er's gavel is something new, but not to Representative Dewey Young, a senior law student. He is finishing his eighth {,P,ll" in the House. For two years { Young has alternately answered roll {call in class room and capitol build- 8. Representative J. R. Long of Wichita Falls, a sophomore in the university, uses his $5-a-day pay from the State to_help him through school. He wi selected last year on a ‘“collegiate’ platform of “no qualifications " ‘The other three youthful solons, ‘Thurman Adkins, Roger H. Thurman :ndml{. C. Mosely, are Law School stu- ents. WAGNER LETTERS FOUND. LONDON, May 18 (#)—The Sunday Express tomorrow will say that docu- ments relating to the life and loves of the composer, Wilhelm Richard Wag- ner. have been rediscovered here by af American, Phil Hurn, in the vaults of a safe deposit company, where they had lain for more than 30 years. The col- lection is sald to have been made by a wealthy English woman, who died be- fore she was able to write a projected biography of the composer. It was the same purpose that brought | Hurn to London in search of material. The most notable letter was sald to be one written by Wagner to Mathilde Wesendonck, which was intercepted by the first wife of the composer, Wil- helmina Planer. CLYDE VAN DUSEN SPLASHES THROUGH (Continued From First Page.) sufficiently so to scratch five of the original field named, but it was worse when the race actually was run. The water was inches deep along the rail and for many feet inside it. The rest of the track was fetlock deep in mire. The field went to the post at 4:55 p.m but it was fully 15 minutes before the lining up the horses. Meanwhile, the big crowd, alternately scurrying to and from what sheiter was available, took its soaking for the most part and stuck it out, whether they of the mob. Now accustomed to bad Derby weather, most of them came f military prob- | servation Group, Mitchel Field, N. Y. |equipped for it, but thousands of dol- lars' worth of hats, gowns and other apparel was rulned hy the downpour. 4 and presented a sword to Midshipman | F. Lopez, ( MUD TO WIN DERBY| starter and four assistants succeeded in | | were listed in who's who or just part || TELLS OF GRAF'S BATTLE WITH GALE :Passenger Relates How Craft Leaped Over Moun- tain as Crash Loomed. e following story of the dramatic the transatiantic _dirigible fety after she ale, Whs written by Alexander R. Von Kryha, & passenger. for the Associated Press. notes made while the beating her way over e in an effort to find a_landing place. BY ALEXANDER R. VON KRYHA, Passenger on the Graf Zeppelin. Written for the Associated Press. CUERS, France, May 18—Dr. Eckener, commander of the Graf Zep- pelin en route to the United States, walked into the salon of the ship Thursday afternoon as the passengers were dancing merrily to the tunes of a phonograph and, striking a serious attitude, said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I have bad news to impart to you. We must re- turn to Friedrichshafen. There . is some trouble with the motors, but there is no danger. Remain calm; we shall reach home safely Friday evening or Saturday morning.” The announcement came as A thunderstroke out of the clearest sky to the passengers who were not aware of any difficulty to the motors. The dancing stopped immediately as the ,luhlp swung ‘about to return to Barce- ona. Such was the dramatic manner in which the passengers of the Gral Z'R' pelin were made aware that their flight to the United States had failed. Then, after a long hard pull over the Gulf of Lion and over the Southern part of France, the Zeppelin fought for headway past Nimes, Montelimar and Valence. Warns of Danger. Just as the sun was setting in the troubled Western hazy horizon Friday afternoon, Capt. Christian Biser. official German passenger, entered the salon Valence. “Ladies _and gentlemen, there is danger. Remove your bags and re- main calm. We are forced to land." General silence greeted the an- nouncement. All, or almost all, of the passengers made for the eabins to get their baggage when one of the men engers in a high-pitched voice "d‘:l med:m hell ‘% e hell are you talki about? % S ment, the other passengers who had understood the grim warning which had been spoken in German, broke out into a general roar of laughter. It was then explained to the n- ger who understod no German that there was trouble ahead and that the ship, unable to proced, must land. “That's all right with me," he re- plied. ow I understand, it is quite all right. ‘With parachutes wrapped around their shoulders, instead of the usual lifebelts of steamships, the passengers watched as the Zeppelin maneuvered above Valence and Montelimar from 3:30 pm. until 5:30 pm. in the most unusual “life boat” drill ever held in the air. Last Motor Dies. ‘The Graf Zeppelin by this time had completely lost all control of steering and was turned into a mere balloon, buffeted by the wind continually, and drifting toward the Mediterranean in lglle of the one motor that was still throbbing. Then suddenly this last motor stopped after several coughing spells, sputtered and died. The dreaded mistral, blowing from the northwest, was pushing the help- less Zeppelin toward the sea at a speed of 40 miles an hour. The passengers then thoroughly alarmed, delegated one of their number to the navigation cabin where Dr. Eckener with his offi- cers were sitting quietly in their seats. The doctor's son, Knud Eckener, was at the steering wheel. Dr. Eckener, in response to a question, said that it was imperative to find a landing fleld. Flying before the wind and headed straight for the Mediterranean with only one motor to aid in the steering, the Graf Zeppelin went through the most momentous hour of the entire flight. Dr. Eckener himself directed his son at the steering wheel and the mechanics at the various levers, seeking to find favorable air currents. The last thrill for the engers came as the airship flying before the wind and_ with all her motors silent, averaged 50 miles an hour en route to the landing field at Cuers. The passen- gers thought the ship was certain to be blown over the Mediterranean, but by skillful maneuvering she came down and was quickly tethered by the strong | hands of hundreds of men on the field. o Rains Cause Havoc in Ukrani BUCHAREST, Rumania, May 18 (#). —Flooding of hundreds of villages in Urkania, with enormous damage caused by torrential rains, was reported in messages recelved here today. as the ship was tacking about above | In spite of the tension of the mo- | They hope to make the sword presentation a PRESENT SWORD AT ANNAPOLIS —Associated Press Photo. ! GRAF’S NEXT START ON AMERICA FLIGHT IS SET FOR JUNE 20 (Continued From First Page.) was widely remarked. Dr. Eckener was given full credit for his remarkable presence of mind and circumspection in maneuvering the air- ship. But the ready French helpfulness has filled the mind of the man in the street and brought echoes from official circles. ‘That the French government on its | own initiative had designated the naval base at Toulon as the safest available landing fleld for the imperiled Zeppelin was described as “a fine illustration of humane reciprocity between nations, before which all other considerations must be relegated to the background.” French officials had waived their | hitherto strictly enforced regulations Elxlm!t flying over fortifications or military centers in order to afford a safe berth at Toulon for the airship. Cites Cutting of Cables. As the most remarkable instance of French helpfulness, however, one paper emphasized the readiness with which inconvenience to the public of cutting |off the current in overhead high ten- | sion power wires in the entire Valence district lest the airship be endangered by rllllnf among them. Federal Minister of Transportation Stegerwald today sent the following message to M. Laurent-Eynac, French air minister: “Noted with great satisfaction the able and energetic measures with which the French government responded to the Graf Zeppelin's call for assistance and to the success of which the safe landing near Toulon was due. Pray accept my sincerest thanks for the splendid and efficlent action.” TWO GRAF PASSENGERS " SAIL ON AQUITANIA Americans Use Zeppelin, Alrpl&neu,{ Autos and Boats in Three- Day Period. By the Associated Press. CHERBOURG, France, May 18— Georgy N. Crouse of Syracuse, N. Y., | and M. Y. Nathan of New York tonight were again homeward bound. To that | end in the last three days they had used a Zeppelin, an automobile, two air- planes, another automoblle and a fast | launch. Their present transport is the | liner Aquitania, ‘When the Graf Zeppelin failed of its | objective and sei them down at Cuers last evening they motored to Marsellle. At dawn they were in the air again en route to Le urget. - Learning on ar- rival that the boat train had left Paris, | they chartered another airplane to take them to Lessay Aviation Pleld near here. From there they drove in an automobile to this xurt, ‘The Aquitania had weighed when they drove onto the dock. jumped into & fast launch gavi chase down the harbor. - The captain of the liner saw thelr frantic signals and cut down speed so that they could come aboard. anchor They REPRESENTATIVE TUCKER | WILL WED OLD FRIEND, MISS MARY WILLIAMS | (Continued From First Page.) |88 & constitutional authority. lawyer and lecturer. He is a gradute of Wash- ington and Lee University and holds the honorary degree of doctor of laws from the University of Mississippl and Columblan, now George Washington University. Date for Wedding Not Set. Long before his recent terms in the House, Mr. Tucker was elected to four terms in Congress, from 1889 to 1897,| and formerly was dean of the Washing- ton and Lee Law School and dean of the schools of jurisprudence and law and politics and diplomacy of the old Columbian University, from 1903 to 1905. He was president of the James- town Exposition and the author of many authoritative works on the Constitution. | Mr. Tucker and Miss Willlams, it was learned, will be martied quietly, only | intimate friends of the family and rela- | tives being invited. No date has yet been set for the wedding due to the uncertainty of the Summer recess of Congress. They will make their home after the wedding at Mr. Tucker's resi- dence in Lexington, Va.. until Congress reconvenes after the Summer recess. o— % " MADE WITH EASE by years of diplomatic negotiations, it | | French authorities undertoak the great | | while the passengers were looking out ZEPPELIN LANDING |Dr. Eckener Praises Work of French Sailors and Soldiers. BY COUNT TGELAS, Of the Editorial Staff of Vossische Zeituns. By Cable to The Star and the New York Times, TOULON, May 18—With three of her motors out of commission, the Graf Zeppelin found progress northward along the Rhone Valley impossible against the strong head winds. Comdr. Eckener therefore radioed to the prefect of Toulon his intention to land on the Cuers Airdrome, and when we arrived there we found a big staff of workmen and 600 soldiers under the direction of c:pt, Hamon, prepared to aid our land- ng. The weather was ideal. The wind had subsided and the airport was flooded with moonlight. The landing was effect ed with ease, and neither the passengers nor the dirigible suffered. The cargo 80 remained intact. Shortly after the ship was hauled down it was dragged into the hangar and made fast. Immediately after landing Dr. Eckener expressed his thanks to Capt. Hamon for the efficient and comprehensive aid. declaring that the speed and precision with which the big dirigible was made fast filled him with admiration. ‘The passengers then were subjected to usual customs ceremonies, after which they were allowed to depart for Toulon, Only One Motor Functioning. Our first intimation that something was wrong with the Graf Zeppelin's progress came shortly before 3 o'clock Friday afternoon, when the dirigible's shadow indicated we were not making progress.. _Suddenly we observed a dis- patch pouch being dropped from the alrship, which is not allowed in France. We promptly inferred that it must be a signal of distress. I then learned from one of the passengers that only one motor was still functioning and that we presently would be forced to make an emergency landing. It was our intention to signal Lyon, which' presently promised relief from Valence, but meanwhile we drifted to the left of Valence to seck a quiet air strata in the smaller Rhone Valley of Drome. There was no consternation among the passengers. They rather were in- clined to view the situation in an ad- venturesome - spitit. including Mrs. Pierce of New York. Most of us were concerned for the safety of the ship. The smaller Rhone Valley afforded no relief from the mistral, and in addi- tion we were heading for the Prench Alps, so Dr. Eckner steered back in the direction of Valence. I dropped & pouch containing press dispatches overboard, but observed it landed in a clover fleld near a village. That very moment we were apprised of the French government's offer of assistance and were directed to head for the air- drome at Cuers, near Toulon. As one of the impaired motors began again to buzz and we had the helping rear wind we reached the airport easily and a quick landing was made. Our arrival at Cuers was unfor- gettable. The journalists sat with their typewriters on their knees among the passengers and wrote. We wrote all the time, hoping to be able to drop reports windows at the cities below. They were all eagerness as we came down to land, in front of the navigation cabin sat Mrs."Plerce, tense, but very quiet. She said she was sorry for Dr. Eckener and 's':‘llx; ‘nice poor officers and the beautiful Receipt of Instructions, Luck. Dr. Eckener and the crew remained on the dirigible overnight. Through the breakdown of three mo- tors our facilities for wirelessing be- came severely impaired. Receipt of the French official instructions to land at Cuers must be described as a piece of sheer luck, as we had temporarily pulled in our antenna in expectation of & hur- ried landing and were therefore without facilities for recovering bulletins from land. We had barely replaced our an- tenna when we picked up the French government’s instructions. The French authorities offered Dr. Dr. Eckener 1,000 cubic meters of gas to enable him to refill the Graf Zeppelin. Dr. Eckener will leave for Friedrichs- hafen tonight to investigate the possi- bility of replacing the defective motors and will then decide whether he will fly the airship back to her home port or proceed directly to the United States. Dr. Eckener was entertained tonight by the German consul-general at Wife Divorced as Deserter. | NEW YORK, May 18 (#).—Harry| Steiner of the Bronx was granted an| interlocutory divorce today from his| wife, who admitted she deserted him | and their two children to live with a| blind musician, for whom she had pity. | 8he did-not fight the divorce action. | Will Be Found More Sports News in This Issue of The Sunday Star Seven Pages Are Devoted Today to the Latest Developments in the Athletic World In the section designated “Sports and Financial also will be found news of the general trends in business and on the stock marts. i H w ‘ closed 1t was again the American lady. Marsellles and will depart tomorrow for Friedrichshafen. Two motors are under way from PFriedrichshafen and will be installed the Graf Zeppelin. Dr. Eckener invited six French naval offi- cers to fly with the Zeppelin to Fried- richshafen. Many of the passengers have already departed. ‘When the intention to land was dis- Mrs. Pierce, who had to be roused from slcep and who found a sentence fitting the situation by calmly remarking, “Oh, how exciting, this is very exciting.” She did net say this like a naive chfid, but cnur-ro\u in full apprehension of the on. A bt da v (Copywright n the United States by the New Fork Times Co., in Kurol hendienst > AL Tiohee® rosersods FRANCE IS PRAISED. PARIS, May 18 (#.—Dr. L. Von Hoesch, German Ambassador to France, called upon M. Laurent-Eynac, minister for aviation, today and expressed the WONAN PSSENEER ENIVED CRUSE Praises Work of Zeppelin Officers and Crew in Forced Landing. The only wom: the Graf Zeppelin, 290 Park avenue. New York, tells in the following dispatch the story of the trip. BY MRS. MARY PIERCE, As Told to Leland Stowe. By Cable to The Star. CUERS-PIERREFEU, NEAR TOU- LON, France, May 18.—"We had a; wonderful trip on the Graf Zeppelin, and here, about 8 o'clock last night, we landed where we had least : ted to arrive. Our ship, with one en| turning, descended as gently as possible | down the airfield of the Prench airport base of Cuers-Plerrefeu under Comdr. Hugo Eckener's remarkably skillful piloting, and was taken into the gigan- tic hangar which once housed the 1ll- fated Dixmude. Thanks to the generous help of sev- eral hundred French soldiers and civilians, our great air liner came to rest without a single scratch. We are all grateful, we passengers, as well as Dr. Eckener and his crew. I am sure we all regret very much that engine trouble prevented our reach- ing New York, and when that became impossible, we all hoped with equal fervor that we would be able to regain Friedrichshafen. There is so much to be happy over that I suppose you shouldn’t be very regretful but I could not help wishing that we could have flown back to Friedrichshafen in the Graf Zeppelin. It is such a beautiful ship. Not one of us was seasick at any moment, even when we were bouncing around over the Rhone Valley. And despite the fact that I had never been up in any kind of aircraft before, I found the Z.eppollri el | the other passen- to go in it again. Officers and Crew Cool. At the beginning, I think it should be sald that we had some exciting moments, but there was nothing like panic, and none badly lost his head, certainly all the officers and crew were marvelously cool and efficient. Before the example set by Dr. Eckener, Capt. Lehmann, Von Schiller and the rest, we soon felt there was no need of wor- rying about ourselves. We were only afraid that we might land at some point where the ship would be dam- aged, and that would have been a shame. You ask when the real excitement began. Well, when our fourth engine broke down, that, as near as I can remember, was a little after 3 o'clock esterday afternocon. Then we knew it looked rather bad. Dr. Eckener came into the salon and said. “We are going to try to make a landing. We have only one engine left be we'll have to land as soon as pos- sible.” Then he explained that it would be dificult and somewhat dangerous, but we must take every precaution. Dr. Eckener said that when the Zeppelin landed the ship was bound to sustain some damage. He ordered us, when the ship approached the ground, to go into the salon and stay there, as part of the front cabin might be broken away. ‘Then he went k into the control room. A little later T became so anxious to see what the officers were doing that 1 walked into the control room and sat down beside Lieut. Comdr. Vincent Clarke beside a window. I was afraid | they would tell me to leave, but they didn’t. It was most exciting there and I wouldn't have missed it. You could hear all the orders and see everything. Both Dr. Eckener and his officers and érew were marvelous. | There were very serious faces in that room. Every order was cartied out at once. Dr. Eckener stood before the control. He teemed to sec everything at one| time and to give six orders at once. He was perfectly calm, but very, very | grave. It was when we were trying to make a landing. Four engines had gone, and we had every reason to believe that the others would go soon. We were only making 25 miles an hour then. and the wind was terribly strong. Every few minutes Dr. Eckener would ive new orders by telephone to the men the engine cabins on both sides and in back. The orders were all in German, but we could make some sense out of them. Roads Filled With Autos. T was sitting beside Lieut. Comdr. Vincent Clarke, and could see beauti- fully. Far below and to one side the the road was clogged with automobiles, which by this time were trying to fol- low us. Autos filled with scores of French troops from Valence or some-; where near there were racing to get under us and help pull us down, but the wind made it impossible. We could not get low enough. and were continu- ally blown off toward the coast and the south. Now and then we dropped mess including news; judge that they were all blown mto fields or onlo the sides of mountains. The officers and crew were fighting a great battle to try to get us down. Hav- ing falled in the Rhone Valley, we went | eastward into another valley—I think they call it the Drome. It was even worse there, because the wind was much stronger. Comdr. Ciark kept saying: “We are too high, we are too high. I wish they would go lower.” His idea was that there should be less wind nearer_the ground, but Dr. Eckener and the Zep- pelin crew knew what they were doing. | Every time we went lower we got caught in a terrific air current that shot us high up into altitudes. When you are in a position like that. you sort of trust in the knowledge and skill of the men handling the ship and they were truly wonderful. If we had | landed there, the airship would surely ' have been destroyed. and if there had been—well, an explosion—I don't sup- pose we weuld be here. I remember how while we were be- ing buffeted around there, Mr. Nichol- son was walking about and saying: “Why don't they land now.” Then he would say: “Oh no, I'm not nervous, I'm just thinking of my family.” Only Few Got Nervous. But I think only one or two people got nervous, and you could not blame them. I remember when Dr. Eckener warned ust we would have to try to land and the ship might be damaged. Mr. Nathan got very excited and said: “Give me a parachute, I want to jump.” He was excited for a while, but it didn't last long. Even so, he was too highly strung to stay at Toulon last night. He took a taxi right away for Marseille and said he would the | first ship for home. The wind over and between the mountains was something terrible. We would go down in the valleys, and each time the wind would throw us up. but those Zeppelin men understood. They are past masters at handling a big ship like the Graf Zeppelin. They were simply marvelous—that's all. “Two engines went dead, one right after the other soon after lunch yes- terday. That made four engines gone, | Just about the time this h:gg:l:d I n_board ierce, of went through the whole with Comdr. Clarke and Mr. Nicholson. I had asked on the first day to go up in- thanks of the German government for the fimmyt aid given the Graf Zeppelin by the French authorities. He expressed admiration for the ex- cellent organization shown by the PFrench and for the skill and careful- ness of the Cuers force in its di task of assisting the landing and taking the Zeppelin into the Cuers hangar. side and on top of al but they safd it was awfully hard elimbing for a woman. “At lunch yesterday I asked Capt. Lehmann, and he promised to take me through during the afternoon, but right ntufiunvh he was called back into the r sages. per dispatches, but I| e +to Friedrichshafen in FORD T0 GIVE TALK WEEKLY FOR PRESS Interviews on Current Events by Detroit Writer to Appear in Star. Special Dispatch to The Star. DETROIT, Mich, May 18—Henry Ford, & dominant power of this genera- tion, & man whose views are of interest and importance throughout the world, is about to become a weekly contribu- tor to the press. These contributions will be in the form of interviews which have been ar- ranged by the North American News- paper Alliance. The interviews will ap- pear only in the newspapers which are associated in the Alliance, whose mem- ber in Washington is The Star. The int>iviews will be obtained by A. M. Smith, a member of the editorial staff of the Detroit News., who has a close acquaintance with Mr. Ford, and enjoys Mr. Ford's trust and confidence. Consent Long Withheld. Mr. Ford, besought repeatedly for such a continuing series of interviews, has consistently declined, the large financial compensation offered, ranking with Calvin Coolidge's returns from his magazine contributions, being, of course. no_inducement. But eventually Mr. Ford was brought to see the public benefit his views and opinions as an industrialist, a great employer and a worker for national and international welfare would have. and he consented, then, to grant thes- interviews to Mr. Smith, whcse work he knows and likes. To Discuss Current Events. Once each week Mr. Ford will receive the reporter and will go thoroughly into some subject which at the time is hold- ing the world’s attention and Mr. Ford's own lively interest. So far as possible, Mr. Ford intends to keep th~ discussion to current events, to presen: happenings which are featured in the new: s. He will discuss these from his own original point of view, and will offer interpretations and observations which, coming from Henry Ford, will have weight and value for every reader. Mr. Ford will read the interviews, to give them his O. K., before they are printed. The first of these weekly interviews will appear in The Sunday Star in Washington Sunday, May 26. CALIFORNIA RAIDERS MAKE 35 ARRESTS 75 in Prohibition Force Visiting 50 Places Under Suspicion in Four Cities. By the Associated Press. OAKLAND, Calif., May 18.—Seventy- five prohibition raiders swept. through 50 suspected bootlegging establishments this afternoon and arrested 85 persons. The raids were said to be the most comprehensive ever carried out in this section. Directing the raids were United States Attorney George Hatfleld, Harry B. Smith, head of the intelligence unit of the Treasury Department, and four police chiefs. Six Federal dry -frnu from Los Angeles were in the raiding squad with police, deputy sheriffs and others. Among those arrested were two po- licemen, a bail bond broker and a woman. The detalls struck simuitan- eously in Oakiand, Berkeley, Alameda and Pledmont. Arresting officers sail evidence had been accumulated through the last month by dictaphones, tapped telephone wires and undercover men. 'ghcsc arrested will be Mon- ay. ladders on a tour of the entire upper part of the dirigible. “The ladders were terrible, but it was great fun. Of course, the wind some- times made the ship sway a little. We were over the Rhone Valley then. It was very exciting inside the gas bag. but when we came down, it was more so. That was when we learned that the second two engines were dead, and Eckener began trying for an emergency landing. “I asked them if I couldn’t be on th~ ship, and nobody knew. Well, you se2, 1 was crazy to cross the Atlantic in a Zeppelin, but when my folks heard about my pasage being booked they were alarmed. “The American consul from Stutt- gart came to see me at Friedrichshaten and sald he had received a cable from the State Department asking him to dissuade me from sailing, and that mv husband had taken the matter up witiy Washington. He wanted me to proms: that I would not sail. “I said, ‘you can say I'm not going. if you want to,’ but he said he coui not send an official report which might not be true. Then I said, ‘well I won ( ®o, but, of course, 1 can change my mbn I cabled home that I was no: oing. “Then later on I sent another cablc saying. ‘I _will see you in New Yoik Sunday,” I have not had a single reply from anybody, so I suppose I am dis- owned. “You see my family are coming over May 29. I thought I'd fly over and come back with them. “The first part of the trip was most interesting. You could hardiy tell when we left the ground, the Zeppelin sailea so smoothly. Finally we found a phono- graph and played ‘Going Home,” and I danced a little with Count Montgelas. “Until we passed Barcelona, every- thing went beautifully. Then we had to turn back, and all were so disap- pointed. Every one regretted that it had not happened over the ocean, where we would have been carried along by the wind. “Just Adored Ship.” “I just adored that ship, and would have been more than happy to return “One thing that pleased me very much was the fact that the officers did not ask me to leave the control room when we were in the thick of it. “‘About that time Mr. Nathan re- ceived a cable by way of Berlin from a New York syndicate asking him to send information about the passengers, so I just wrote some notes on the back of the teiegram saying that every one was being calm. 1 don't know whether ic got sent or not. Probably not, because the radio officers were awfully busy sending official messages. “I must not forget to tell about Susi, the gorilla. She paid no attention to me the first day. She seemed inter- ested only in the men. Bul we are quite good friends now. “I brought her a can of peanuts and she soon ate them. I also gave her @ green rubber ball to play with, but the first night it disappeared. I think she ate it, for she acted kind of sick the next day. “I also gave her chocolate, and she liked chocolate cream. She got very friendly afterward, and I would shake hands through the bars of her cage. Susi had stateroom No. 1, and she was a wonderful sailor. “You ask me if I would go again. Would I? I wish I could go back to Friederichshafen with them tomorrow. “I would surely do it, but if they can go within a week I will try to per- suade Mr. Eckener to take me along. One thing I think it most important. 1 believe our flight ought to prove that the dirigible is more pra~ticel than other aircraft for air trave'. It should prove that you can face difdculties nd them. That's what we did.” (Gopyright, 1939.)