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February 25, 2008
Above Aurora
From the Aurora (IL.) Beacon-News August 29th, 1929 (Photo is a snapshot from my collection)
ALL WORK STOPS HERE AS GIANT OF AIR CROSSES
Thousands in Streets and on the Housetops, Whistles Shriek, Bells Toll
Workmen dropped their tools and mothers abandoned the cradle to see the giant Graf Zeppelin sail majestically over Aurora yesterday afternoon, on its epic making voyage around the world. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and all the city’s thousands took advantage of it. Every business activity was at a standstill while the globe circling leviathan of the air crossed from the southwest to the northeast en route to Chicago, Cleveland, and Lakehurst, NJ., the end of its 25,000 mile journey.
... The ship was sighted about 3 45 o clock, a dark smudgy ball against the gray clouds. A bell at the city hall clanged a welcome and a notice to all that had been impatiently awaiting its coming to dash into the street to view it. A second later a siren, located on the Western United power plant shrilled its noisy greeting of approach of the big airship.
... And when the word passed like wildfire about the streets, all business ceased. Police rushed from their beats..., shopmen deserted the factories, the giant presses in the Beacon-News stopped whirring, switchboard operators deserted their posts, office workers tossed aside their pencils and left their typewriters and en masse the community sought vantage points where it could shout cheers to the great queen of the skies. Traffic was at a standstill in the down town streets, automobiles, street cars, and trucks halting, as drivers and operators craned heads skyward.
... [Quote from LeRoy Stevens “flying president” of the Aurora chamber of commerce who flew alongside the zeppelin] "When we reached Naperville [just north of Aurora], there were at least 15 planes from Chicago, most of them carrying newspaper photographers, diving and zooming around the giant bag. The photographers were clambering up in the cockpits, shooting the big envelope from all directions, seemingly unconcious of the danger of colliding with others in the air, on the same mission.”
... Appearance of the Zeppelin over the city "stole the show" from two policemen who were leading a prisoner with a shot gun to the city jail. Pedestrians stopped to stare at the coppers and their prisoner when someone shouted "there's the Graf." And all eyes turned from the policeman to the sky.
... The appearance of the zeppelin proved disastrous for Miss Olive Dittman, secreatry to Dr. George W. Haan, city health commisioner, in the Fox theater building.
In company with other employees in the building, Miss Dittman attempted to climb thru a rear window onto the lower roof where a better view of the giant airship might be obtained. She lost her hold on the window sill and dropped about six feet, severly cutting and bruising her knee on the sharp stones in the roofing material which covers the building. She refused, however, to pay any attention to her injuries until the Graf had passed out of sight, declaring that the sight was worth all it had cost.
The Graf Zeppelin completed its around the world trip in a world record time of 21 days, 7 hours and 33 minutes. Between 1928 and 1937 it logged more than a million miles in the air. Here are a couple of photos of the zeppelin labeled "Santa Rosa-Rio de Janeiro, 20 Juli, 1935."
The Graf was retired from service after the Hindenburg disaster in May of 1937. After a short stint as a museum the Zeppelin was disassembled in 1940, its aluminum used to feed the German war machine.
**Thanks to Mary Ann Pirone at the Aurora Public Library without whose help dating the first photo and tracking down the Beacon article would have been much more difficult.**
Posted by nick at February 25, 2008 02:12 PM
Comments
Amazing story, fantastic photos. What a great find. Thanks for posting this.
Posted by: mike in oly at March 1, 2008 09:42 PM
Wow thanks a lot for this. Those photos are wonderful
Posted by: calle at March 2, 2008 07:32 PM