“In the future, air travel across the Atlantic in a dirigible will be commonplace.”
“A Day on Board” from the Airship Hindenburg Advertising Brochure:What a wonderful night’s rest you have enjoyed after your first day on board! The soft murmur from the distant engines seems to have lulled you to sleep. Now the sunshine is streaming through the windows and you take your place in the dining saloon for a breakfast of crisp appetizing rolls and aromatic coffee. Already, the free and easy companionship of ship-board travel is in evidence. The enjoyment of airship travel makes people sociable, friendships are being formed. You finish breakfast and walk to the windows. Down below, you see the long shadow of the airship passing swiftly over the sparkling foam-crested waves of the blue Atlantic, and the joy of experiencing this wonderful achievement in modern travel surges through you. No people are confined to their cabins, for as yet no passenger has ever been sea-sick on board a Zeppelin Airship. Even in storms and squally weather, the ship’s movements are quiet and steady except for the slight shock of the first onslaught. There is no noise beyond the distant murmur of the engines and the sigh of the wind on the outer hull. No dust, no soot to trouble you, the whole atmosphere is one of tranquility and peace. The air is delicious and fresh, in fact you seem to have been transported into another and more beautiful world. For a long time you are content to watch the marvelous cloud formation or the effect of the wind on the sea and waves beneath, and then perhaps you recline in a comfortable chair to read, join a party in a game of bridge, or chat with some new and interesting friends. Occasionally someone will call from the windows, and you will join your fellow passenger in witnessing the passing of a great liner far beneath, her rails lined with waving passengers, or the inspiring spectacle of a man-of-war or destroyer flotilla. Mid-day arrives as if by magic. After dinner, smokers retire to the smoking saloon. Gradually and amidst many distractions and pleasant activities the evening advances and the stars appear. If inclined, you take a shower bath before supper, and then a round of cocktails with some friends in the bar, followed by supper, and to end the day, a game of bridge. As you retire to your cabin it seems a miracle that already you are nearer your destination by over 1,000 miles.
Eight-year-old passenger Werner Doehner sat in the dining room of the Hindenburg on May 6, 1937. His parents had just returned from cocktails in the smoking saloon. They ate a traditional German dinner of cheese, salads and sandwiches as they had every night on the airship. Werner would be put to bed while his parents play cards with other passengers in the bar. With no warning the dining room tilts to a forty-five degree angle. Chairs, tables and dishes fall across the floor. Everything is on fire. His mother lifts him and throws him out the window, but Werner hits a piece of debris and bounces back. She throws her son again. This is the last thing Werner remembers. He awakens in a hospital weeks later.
Today, Werner is seventy-eight-years-old and lives in New Jersey. His mother died of old age, but always limped from the pelvis fracture she received on that night. His father and sister did not survive.
Thirty-five people died on the Hindenburg on May 6, 1937 at 6:25pm.
The Last Supper
A cocktail hour followed by…
An Assortment of Cheeses
Meat, Sausage and Tomato Sandwiches
Salads
A Selection of German Beer & Wines
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May 26, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Following the Hindenburg « AirSpace
[...] passengers traveled in unrivaled luxury, served by a crew of from 40 to 72; gourmet meals (although the final meal served on board was a bit sketchy); comfortable (though small) cabins with running water; and a [...]