European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 5, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To counts exhibit travel up 1o 78 Mph. The 1937hindenburg explosion Al is mooring Mast in Lakehurst clarified the danger of using Hydrogen to lift 1he ships but pre War political tensions prevented the firm from seeking helium a safer Gas from foreign suppliers. Tho Graf Zeppelin ii made several Hydrogen filled trial flights then the nazi government ordered it dismantled in 1940 and closed the factories. Tuttel old the City museum and a few monuments Are All that remain in Friedrichs Hafen of remind visitors of the airships built there the factories Are All gone to said. The last one was demolished two years ago but the Industry gave Rise to companies which built motors gears and other Airship parts and which still survive Zeppelin Metal Werke Zahura Fabrik gear factory Friedrichs Hafen to Loren Turbian Union and the air plane and satellite manufacturer dornier. Tittel said separate inquiries by american and German authorities failed to establish what caused the Hindenburg to bum. Both studies Rule out sabotage Tiller said explaining Thala bomb would have caused an explosion visible from the ground. Nobody saw that nobody observed it. The Airship just began la bum and nobody knows  the unsolved mystery has helped to keep interest in passenger airships alive Lor decades after their disappearance from the shies. Despite the fact that some governments Are testing new models however title believes no airships like Tho Hindenburg will Fly again because that would be too expensive and  to reach Friedrichs Hafen from North or Central Germany Lake autobahn 81 South to Singen then autobahn 93 and Highway 31 East Loward Lindau. Travellers from Bavaria should go to dim then follow signs to Friedrichs Hafen on Highway 30. The Muse urn is open 10 a m. To g . Daily except monday when it is closed and wednesday when it stays open until 7 . Starting june 1 the museum will be open mondays. Hindenburg continued from Pago 13 and 2 to Day flights to North America were announced a year before the flights and every flight was booked. Bul Airship travel was not within the average German s Price Range. A ticket from Frankfurt to Lakehurst Cost 1,000 Marks and a ticket from Frankfurt to South America Cost 1,400 Marks. In those Days Provan said a Small automobile Cost about 1,000 Marks. In 1934, Frankfurt was chosen As the site for a new Airship base and Headquarters the first Sheds went up on what is now Rhein main a. The airships flew from Frankfurt to South America and North America without incident Una re the Hindenburg disaster. Zeppelin Crews and their families settled in 1937 outside of Frankfurt near company Headquarters. As a result of the influx of people the area was made a town in 1938 and named Zeppelin Heim. Top Pelna were used for More than commercial and military purposes they also were nazi propaganda tools Provan said the nazis paid for construction of both the Hindenburg commissioned in 1936, and the Graf Zeppelin ii commissioned in 1938. The Hindenburg dropped Hitler leaflets Over Berlin in 1936, As it flew into town for the opening ceremonies of 1he summer olympic games. Zeppelin company Boss Hugo Eckener was not a nazi sympathizer. He did not like the nazi swastikas painted on the Tail fins of his airships the nazis did t like Eckener either. Bul he was Oneo the Best known men of his time and they could t Send him off to a concentration Camp Provan said. He caused trouble for the nazis whenever possible and prevented the nazis from choosing a name for the Hindenburg named after Field marshal Paul von Hindenburg who was president of Germany when he died n 1934. The nazis wanted to name the Airship Adolf  a 5,1987 Werner Franz left checking photo with Airship Buff John Provan was a Cabin boy aboard the Hindenburg. Airship s Cabin boy retails tragedy by Wendy Borund staff writer he Hindenburg s 15-year-Olct Cabin boy  clean ring China in the officers quarters when an explosion in the rear of the 804-fool Airship Shook in from front to Back fifty years later Werner Franz remembers exactly what happened. All the China came Hying out of the  he said. Franz ran out into a passageway. There was no time lobe scared. It happened so task it was like a movie passing by Fie said. You act instinctively As the ship began to lurch at its mooring he grabbed a girder and dangled in the air. As i Hung there i had a vision of my life passing by he said. The Hindenburg was engulfed in Lames the Tail crashing to the ground and the nose settling More slowly As Franz made his Way coughing and choking to fhe nearest Hatch. Pull cords opened the thick cloth covers of Tho hatches bul Franz did t use one. I just  he said. The cloth broke through when the Cook Xaver. Meier saw me jump out of the Hatch he jumped out after  Franz stumbled away from the burning Airship. When i got out there were so Many people running around screaming he said. I was in a Daze some of he Landing Crew went inside the ship to help the Crew and passengers get  Franz normally would have been in a Landing detail that inquired several Crew members to move to the nose of the ship As ballast. This time six or eight men were sent to Iho fron by the Captain All died to said news of Iho Hindenburg disable of quickly reached Germany. My parents knew right afterwards what had happened it was on the radio  to said. Al first i was on the death list. An hour later they updated  Franz and the other surviving crewmen spent 14 Days Al the air station living with the Lakehurst Airship Crew. The germans were then driven to new York and put on a ship for Bremerhaven the healthy ones came Bach first and the badly burned ones came Back later he said most of tha Crew transferred to the Gral Zeppelin i built before the Hindenburg upon returning to Germany the Graf Zeppelin made 40 flights delivering mail and making publicity appearances ii carried no passengers and was dissembled in Frankfurt in 1940. Franz chose to work in the Airship ticket office in Zeppelin Etc Germany then started an apprenticeship As an instrument maker. He joined the German air Lorce in 1941. Now retired Franz lives in bad Sodyn a town near fran Lurl. With his wife Annarosa and their 21-year-old son. He said six or eight Hindenburg Crevi members Are still alive All live in Germany except one Man who lives in Austria or Switzerland a said Franz keeps in touch with some of them. Most have Contact know where the others live he said. We had close lies Between us  Franz said he prefers to remember the thrill of being a Young in by travelling by Airship to South America Raiher than the disaster. A was chosen for Airship duty by an official of the  Zeppelin Airship construction company Zeppelin who looked for prospective Crow members at the Frankfurter hoi hotel where Franz worked As a waiter. When the Opportunity to join the Hindenburg Crew came Franz was ready. It s a one Shol Deal he said you Don t turn Down a Chance like that he made three trips Between Germany and South America in 1936 and Ono in 1937. Ail of the Cream Ernborg were considerably older than he was the lest of the Crew survivors Are in in Eireos bul they took me in As one of them he said. An official review Board determined the Hindenburg disaster to be Freak Accident. Franz however Tiko Many others believes sabotage was involved to have the Gas released from a Hole then you need a spark to have All those things Al the same Lime just As you re Landing. But to behoves the question is academic now. It does l really matter he said it s already happened it will always be a  the stars and stripes Page 15