Northwest history. Japan. Aviation.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1929
• Subjects: Kasumigaura; Japan; aviation; zeppelin; Germany; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; United States > Japan > 20th century; Eckener; Okhotsk; Pacific; Sakhalin; Siberia
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/84313

Japanese sight graf zeppelin Japanese sight Graf Zeppelin. By associated press. Kasumigaura, Japan, Aug. 19. -- The Graf Zeppelin was sighted over the airdrome here at 3:50 p.m. (1:50 eastern standard time), completing its long flight from Friedrichshafen, second lap of the round-the-world venture. Tokyo, Aug. 19 (Monday) -- the Graf Zeppelin reported itself at 7:00 a.m. (5:00 p.m. Sunday, eastern standard time) near Kamui lighthouse in the Shakotan district of Japan. Cape Kamui is only about 550 miles from Tokyo. The cape is on the southwest coast of Hokkaido island near Otaru. The dirigible Graf Zeppelin this morning was rapidly nearing its destination here, with the probability it would arrive by 2:00 p.m. (midnight Sunday, E.S.T.). Later indications were that, because of rain and fog on the last 600 miles of her journey to Kasumigaura airport, the airship had altered her course, making it probable she could not arrive until slightly later than previous estimates. The weather bureau radioed frequent promises throughout Sunday night that the visitor from afar would find fair weather over Japan on Monday morning although there was the possibility of thunder showers in the Tokyo district at about the time of expected arrival in the afternoon. Passed 6000-mile mark. The dirigible had covered more than 6,000 miles of the most perilous stage of its round-the-world journey. It had crossed the wilds of Siberia far north of any railroad line and the 20 passengers, including one woman, and 40 men of the crew must have looked down on an almost unbroken wilderness for the last two days. Early today the airship reported herself crossing due south for Tokyo from a point about on the Japanese frontier on Sakhalin island. The giant airship then had been 84 hours on her way since leaving Friedrichshafen early Thursday morning, German time. Should she arrive at about 2:00 o'clock this afternoon she will have needed less than 100 hours, an average speed of more than 66 miles an hour, far better than Dr. Hugo Eckener had expected. Ending its long cruise over the vast territories of the soviet union in Europe and Russia the Zeppelin emerged on the eastern coast at the port of Ajan on the southwestern coast of the sea of Okhotsk at about 1:00 a.m. Sunday.