The Age of Lighter-Than-Air Dirigibles in Pelham During the 1920s and 1930s

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A large crowd of Pelhamites gathered at the offices of The Pelham Sun on that lovely Saturday afternoon, May 21, 1927.  There the crowd heard and cheered the news that Charles A. Lindbergh had landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, successfully completing the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight in his single-engine airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis.  The excitement of the Pelham crowd was palpable as Pelhamites milled around the newspaper offices and chatted animatedly about Lindbergh's achievement.  

Suddenly, the crowd of happy Pelhamites forgot all about Lindbergh's flight.  Something just as exciting caught the crowd's attention outside the newspaper office.  Above them in the sky was a massive silver monster humming as it swam through the air.  The massive dirigible Los Angeles was cruising past Pelham over Long Island Sound.  According to one account, Pelhamites considered the dirigible "the only wonder that Barnum never had under his tent."

The passage of an airship such as the Los Angeles overhead was a monumental event in Pelham during the 1920s and 1930s.  Indeed, the 1920s and 1930s were the golden age of lighter-than-air dirigibles.  All of Pelham was caught up in the excitement of that age!

The earliest documented instance of a dirigible flyover visible in Pelham occurred in 1923 when the United States Navy dirigible Shenandoah passed over the town.  The local newspaper reported as follows:

"SHENANDOAH PASSED OVER PELHAM TUESDAY
-----

Pelham was thrilled as the Shenandoah, monster dirigible of the U.S. Navy passed over the town on its return trip to Lakehurst, N.J., from Boston, early in the evening.  The huge gas bag glistened in the light of the full moon as it sailed over the town, and afforded a sight well worth seeing.  The lights of the tonneau were plainly visible and the hum of the motors could be heard some time after the lighter than air craft had passed into the distance."  [Ed. Note:  The term "tonneau" is an apparent reference to the passenger compartment of the airship; ordinarily the term refers to the rear part or compartment of an automobile containing seats for passengers.] 

Source:  SHENANDOAH PASSED OVER PELHAM TUESDAY, The Pelham Sun, Nov. 23, 1923, p. 10, col. 4.  

The United States Navy rigid-frame dirigible Shenandoah was the first of four naval lighter-than-air rigid-frame dirigibles.  It was built at Lakehurst Naval Air Station and first flew in September 1923.  It flew over Pelham only two months after its maiden flight.  On September 2, 1925, the Shenandoah departed from Lakehurst on a promotional flight to conduct flyovers of forty cities and several State Fairs.  On September 3rd, the dirigible was caught in a violent thunderstorm updraft over Ohio that carried it to an altitude beyond the pressure limits of its gas cells.  It was torn apart in the turbulence and crashed in large sections onto farmlands and valleys below.  According to one account:

"Fourteen crew members including Commander Zachary Lansdowne, were killed.  This included every member of the crew of the control cabin (except for Lieutenant Anderson, who escaped before it detached from the ship); two men who fell through holes in the hull; and several mechanics who fell with the engines.  There were twenty-nine survivors, who succeeded in riding three sections of the airship to earth.  The largest group was eighteen men who made it out of the stern after it rolled into a valley.  Four others survived a crash landing of the central section.  The remaining seven were in the bow section which Commander (later Vice Admiral) Charles E. Rosendahl navigated as a free balloon.  In this group was Anderson who -- until he was roped in by the others -- straddled the catwalk over a hole."

Source:  USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (visited Sep. 23, 2015).

United States Navy Rigid-Frame Dirigible Shenandoah

Moored at Naval Air Station San Diego, California on

October 1, 1924.  NOTE:  Click Image to Enlarge.

Portion of the Wrecked Shenandoah in a Photograph

Taken Soon After its Crash on September 3, 1925.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Occasionally the town had advance notice that an airship would pass.  In such instances, the local newspaper included a notice as to when the airship would pass to facilitate viewing by Pelhamites.  One such notice published in 1936 was particularly interesting.  It noted that the infamous German airship Hindenburg would be passing overhead.  With the storm clouds of war on the distant horizon, the same account warned that the passage would be near Fort Slocum, a risk that some felt should not be tolerated.  The notice provided in its entirety:

"THE HINDENBURG.
-----

The great super-airship Hindenburg will pass over the Pelhams this afternoon if everything goes according to schedule and between 2:00 and 3:00 o'clock we shall be given a sight of this tremendously large and tremendously efficient aeronautical liner.

It is an advertising stunt conceived by an oil company, and many have questioned the propriety of inviting a German airship to fly over territory so close to Fort Slocum.  

The Pelham Sun feels that the gasoline company sponsoring the advertising trip of the airship has rendered a public service.  One great effect that it will produce in the minds of thinking persons will be to realize what might happen to this and other communities if the great ship was engaged on a hostile mission instead of an advertising tour.

Keep that in mind when you see the great ship today."

Source:  THE HINDENBURG, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 9, 1936, Vol. 27, No. 27, p. 2, col. 1.

I have written before about the passage of the Hindenburg over Pelham on October 9, 1936.  See Fri., Apr. 8, 2005:  The Zeppelin Hindenburg Thrilled Pelham Before Its Fiery Crash in 1937.  

The local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, repeatedly reported on the passage of dirigibles overhead, even when such flyovers involved repeat appearances.  For example, on May 20,1932, the newspaper reported "Yesterday afternoon residents of the Pelhams craned their necks skyward as the 'Los Angeles,' huge U.S. Navy dirigible soared majestically over the town."  See Los Angeles Over Pelham, The Pelham Sun, May 20, 1932, p. 5, col. 7.  There was such a frenzy of excitement regarding such flyovers that The Pelham Sun reported on them even when it was so cloudy that the airship could not be seen.  See [Untitled], The Pelham Sun, Jul. 31, 1936, p. 10, col. 6 (reporting that "The dirigible Hindenburg passed overhead one cloudy day, but the only one who knew it was 'sparks' the radio operator.").  

During this time Pelhamites were beginning to cross the Atlantic on luxury dirigibles and to report on their crossings upon their returns.  In 1929, for example, Edward P. Frost of Townsend Avenue was a passenger on the eastward Altantic crossing of the Graf Zeppelin from New York to Friedrichshafen, Germany.  He reported that there was a thrilling reception to the Graf upon its arrival in Germany with "almost two hundred thousand persons awaiting the arrival of the dirigible at its home port."  Frost further noted:

"'The riding qualities of the Graf were excellent.  I slept well every night,' he said.  'There was something soothing about the hum of the motors to the rear of the passengers' quarters.  They were set just far enough to the stern of the ship to avoid disturbance, yet near enough to assure confidence that we were speeding safely along over the ocean.'

Those susceptible to seasickness will welcome the air transportation, Mr. Frost said.  The lighter than air craft can run away from a storm whereas steamships must weather all storms.  On its flight the Graf had to double back on its tracks avoiding a storm.

'It will be only a matter of a few years when the dirigible will be a permanent factor in transportation, particularly of mail and express,' said Mr. Frost.  'Business men will realize the value of swift transportation which is afforded by this means of aircraft.'"  [See full article and citation below.]

Similarly, when Roy W. Howard of Pelhamdale Avenue, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Scripps-Howard Newspapers, and his son Jack, were guests of the United States Navy on board the dirigible Los Angeles on June 9, 1931, the local newspaper provided a detailed account of their ride on the airship.  [See text of article and citation below.]

The United States Navy dirigible Los Angeles seems to have been the most common dirigible visitor in the skies above Pelham in those years.  On June 11, 1930, the dirigible appeared twice -- once in the morning and once in the evening -- to the delight of Pelham residents.  

The Los Angeles was a rigid-frame dirigible.  It was a little longer than 658 feet (longer than two football fields) with a hull diameter of more than 90 feet.  Its total height was 104 feet, five inches.  Its gas volume was 2,599,110 cubic feet of helium held in fourteen gas cells.  It had a maximum speed of 65 knots and a standard cruising speed of 48 knots.  It was constructed in Germany and was partially funded by German World War I reparations.  Its construction was completed in August, 1924.  It made its first flight on August 27, 1924 over The Bodensee (aka Lake Constance) on the borders of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.  The airship was delivered to the United States Navy at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey on October 15, 1924 and was commissioned the following month on November 25, 1924.  The Los Angeles was in active use for the next eight years.  It was decommissioned on June 30, 1932.  To learn more about the Los Angeles, see USS Los Angeles (ZR-3), Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (visited Sep. 23, 2015).

United States Navy Dirigible Los Angeles Over

Manhattan, Ca. 1930.  NOTE:  Click on Image

To Enlarge.

Interior of Passenger Cabin of the United States Navy

Rigid-Frame Dirigible Los Angeles in a Photograph

Taken in 1924.  NOTE:  Click On Image to Enlarge.

There is no doubt that Pelhamites were "thrilled" every time the Los Angeles and any other dirigible passed over Pelham.  Indeed, that word ("thrilled") appeared in virtually every newspaper article that mentioned the reactions of Pelhamites to dirigible flyovers.  Some residents, however, were so thrilled by such flyovers that they went to great lengths to see nearby dirigibles visiting New York City, even if there was no flyover of Pelham involved.  One amusing story recounts that one Pelhamite heard on the radio that the Graf Zeppelin would be passing New York City one Sunday.  According to the account, he jumped in his car and actually drove through a police line and "broke all speed records between Pelham Manor and New York in his mad rush to get a glimpse of the Zeppelin."  He got his glimpse, although it was not quite what he wanted.  According to one account:

"He found out, however, that there were many others with the same idea, when his car got into a traffic jam on Riverside Drive and after vainly trying to pierce it, he did finally see a black dot disappearing in the twilight haze.  He saw more clearly a John Doe ticket on his automobile on a charge of parking without lights."  [See article quoted in full below.] 

Pelhamites were so thrilled with dirigibles that the local newspaper even reported when local residents received mail marked with postage cancellations indicating that it had been delivered by dirigible.  

The last instance discovered, so far, of a dirigible (not including advertising blimps of more recent vintage) flying over the skies of the Town of Pelham seems to have been a United States Navy dirigible that passed over Pelham in 1944 specifically to honor a Pelham veteran of World War II who died in a Navy plane crash near Plymouth, North Carolina on Wednesday, October 4, 1944.  Sergeant Harold Roger Sweeny, U.S.M.C.R. died in the crash.  His funeral was held at St. Catharine's Church on Monday, October 9.  On the Saturday before the funeral service (October 7, 1944), "a U.S. Navy dirigible sailed low over the home of the war veteran in a gesture of farewell."  See Segt. Roger Sweeny, War Veteran, Victim Of Plane Crash, Is Buried; U.S. Marines Form Honor Guard, The Pelham Sun, Oct. 12, 1944, Vol. 35, No. 36, Second Section, p. 1, cols. 1-2.  

The gesture of farewell by which the dirigible saluted a fallen Pelham soldier was a farewell in another sense.  It marked a farewell to the age of lighter-than-air dirigibles in Pelham.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the text of several of the articles referenced above.  Each is followed by a citation to its source.  

"Around The Town
-----

*   *   *

The large crowd gathered at the Sun office Saturday had the second thrill of the day soon after the report that Lindbergh had reached Paris, when someon noticed the dirigible Los Angeles headed in the direction of New York, cruising over the Sound.  Many were the eyes that turned to view the spectacle of the age.  It is the only wonder that Barnum never had under his tent."

Source:  Around The Town, The Pelham Sun, May 27, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 13, p. 2, col. 3.  

"TALES OF THREE VILLAGES
-----
By One Who Listens
*   *   *
Was It Worth It?

There were many Pelhamites among the millions of spectators who witnessed the arrival of the Graf Zeppelin on Sunday, but who was the unofficial ambassador from the Pelhams who broke his way through the police traffic lines late Sunday afternoon excitedly shouting that he was on his way to New York to 'see the Zep'.  After hearing it announced over the radio that the dirigible was going to salute the metropolis, he broke all speed records between Pelham Manor and New York in his mad rush to get a glimpse of the Zeppelin.

He found out, however, that there were many others with the same idea, when his car got into a traffic jam on Riverside Drive and after vainly trying to pierce it, he did finally see a black dot disappearing in the twilight haze.  He saw more clearly a John Doe ticket on his automobile on a charge of parking without lights."

Source:  TALES OF THREE VILLAGES -- By One Who Listens  Was It Worth It?, The Pelham Sun, Aug. 9, 1929, p. 2, col. 3.  

"Dirigible To Be Ocean Greyhound Of Future, Says Graf Passenger
-----
Edward P. Frost Returns From Europe After Trans-Atlantic Crossing On Graf Zeppelin.  Short Trip On Airship Is Comfortable.  Dirigibile Will Play Important Part In Transportation Of the Future
-----

'In five years flying across the Atlantic by Zeppelin will be a common occurrence.  Transatlantic dirigibles will be available for anyone who wants to make a swift passage.'  That was the prediction of Edward P. Frost of Townsend avenue in an interview with The Pelham Sun this week.  Mr. Frost who was a passenger on the recent eastward Atlantic crossing of the Graf Zeppelin, returned Sunday on the S. S. Minnewaska, after a short stay in Europe.  Mrs. Frost who spent the summer in Europe returned with him.

'There was really nothing much to the flight,' said Mr. Frost modestly to the Pelham Sun reporter.  'The Graf is a comfortable ship, and well suited for the trip.'  Mr. Frost is an experienced flier, having served as an army pilot during the World War.  His two brothers, Ezra Frost and Jack Frost, were also commissioned pilots during the war.  The latter was lost in the Dole Flight from San Francisco to Hawaii in 1927.

Although the Graf Zeppelin was a splendid ship for a transatlantic flight Mr. Frost expressed an opinion that on the around-the-world flight which was completed just prior to the flight to Europe, the passengers must have experienced hardship toward the close, due to the restricted area in which they were housed.

'Passengers' quarters on the Graf are limited,' said Mr. Frost, 'As yet it does not appear to be able to afford sufficient room for a journey of any great lenght.  When you put a number of people such as there was on the transatlantic flight together within the small quarters they are bound to become boresome because of lack of exercise and varying interests.  On our short journey across the Atlantic, however, we were on the ship only long enough to become acquainted.'

He explained that those who had made the around-the-world trip appeared to be exhausted by the flight to Germany.

'The riding qualities of the Graf were excellent.  I slept well every night,' he said.  'There was something soothing about the hum of the motors to the rear of the passengers' quarters.  They were set just far enough to the stern of the ship to avoid disturbance, yet near enough to assure confidence that we were speeding safely along over the ocean.'

Those susceptible to seasickness will welcome the air transportation, Mr. Frost said.  The lighter than air craft can run away from a storm whereas steamships must weather all storms.  On its flight the Graf had to double back on its tracks avoiding a storm.

'It will be only a matter of a few years when the dirigible will be a permanent factor in transportation, particularly of mail and express,' said Mr. Frost.  'Buseinss men will realize the value of swift transportation which is afforded by this means of aircraft.'

Mr. Frost was particularly impressed with the thrilling reception to the Graf when it arrived at Friecrichshafen.  There were almost two hundred thousand persons awaiting the arrival of the dirigible at its home port.

Mrs. Frost who was traveling in Europe during the summer was not aware of her husband's intention of sailing on the Graf.  She was pleasantly surprised when she arrived in Paris to receive a telephone message from her husband whom she thought was still in the United States.  Mr. and Mrs. Frost spent a few days in London before sailing on the Minnewaska for home."

Source:  Dirigible To Be Ocean Greyhound Of Future, Says Graf Passenger -- Edward P. Frost Returns From Europe After Trans-Atlantic Crossing On Graf Zeppelin.  Short Trip On Airship Is Comfortable.  Dirigibile Will Play Important Part In Transportation Of the Future, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 27, 1929, Vol. 20, No. 26, p. 1, cols. 1-2.  

"Los Angeles Seen Twice Over Town 
-----
U.S. Navy Dirigible Pays Double Visit to Pelham on New England Cruise.
-----

Pelham commuters who saw the U.S. Navy dirigible Los Angeles hovering over the Pelhams when they left for New York City on Wednesday morning and enjoyed a second view of the gigantic silver cigar when they returned that night might be excused if they imagined that it was a regular feature of the Pelham day.  Those who remain in town all day, however, were just as much thrilled at the double visit of the dirigible which passed over the Pelhams twice on a short New England cruise.

This was the first time that the dirigible has been visivle from all parts of the town.  Several years ago the Shenandoah, sister ship of the Los Angeles, paid a night visit."

Source:  Los Angeles Seen Twice Over Town -- U.S. Navy Dirigible Pays Double Visit to Pelham on New England Cruise, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 13, 1930, Vol. 21, No. 11, p. 1, col. 3.

"ROY HOWARD ON ALL NIGHT CRUISE IN DIRIGIBLE
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Newspaperman Accompanied by His Son in Special Demonstration.
-----

Roy W. Howard, of Pelhamdale avenue, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Scripps-Howard Newspapers, and his son Jack, were guests of the U.S. Navy on board the dirigible Los Angeles on Tuesday during the demonstration of attaching and releasing heavier than air machines from the huge dirigible.  The tests were conducted at Lakehurse, N. J., after which the dirigible embarked on an all-night demonstration cruise.

The demonstration proved the possibility of using the dirigible as a parent ship of a fleet of airplanes.  The feat was accomplished by Lieut. John J. O'Brien who is to be a member of the airplane detail to be assigned to the new dirigible, Akron.

The party on the dirigible also included Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics; David G. Ingalls, assistant secretary for Aeronautics, and Capt. Arthur B. Cook, assistant chief of the Aeronautics Bureau."

Source:  ROY HOWARD ON ALL NIGHT CRUISE IN DIRIGIBLE -- Newspaperman Accompanied by His Son in Special Demonstration, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 12, 1931, Vol. 22, No. 11, p. 1, col. 7.

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