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Claimed to be the world's safest means of transport, since no dirigible passenger had ever been killed, the Hindenburg was insured with a score of German and English companies at a 5% premium for $3,750,000 plus $12,000 for each passenger. Last week when it floated up from Frankfort for the first of 18 round-trips there were 39 passengers aboard, none of headline importance. In command was 45-year-old Captain Max Pruss, who went to work for old Count von Zeppelin in 1911, had made 170 flights across the Atlantic. Last year he commanded the Hindenburg on one flight from Lakehurst to Frankfort and on several to South America. As his adviser came famed Captain Ernst Lehmann, second only to great Dr. Hugo Eckener as a dirigible expert. He began flying airships in 1912 and was the man who conceived and supervised the Zeppelin raids on London. Tired old (65) Dr. Eckener, with full trust in his two subordinates, was last week off on a vacation in Austria.
Delayed twelve hours by headwinds, the Hindenburg had reached Labrador at dawn. It swam slowly down the coast all day. At Portland, Boston and New London it dipped in courtesy gestures. About 4 p.m. it nuzzled in over Long Island to New York City, while six airplanes buzzed around it. With the sun glinting on its silver-grey sides and the four huge red swastikas on its fins, it circled once over Manhattan, then headed for its berth at Lakehurst. But a sharp thunderstorm came up and when he reached the Naval reservation, Captain Pruss took no chances, turned off to sea. At dusk, while a drizzle fell from a sombre sky and a fitful breeze jerked the windsock, the Hindenburg once more poked her nose over Lakehurst. began maneuvering to land. It circled twice, then dropped to 500 ft., occasionally spewing water ballast. At 7:20 p.m. precisely, two lines fell from the bow. A trained squad of Navy men grabbed one, a squad of civilians the other. Gently the two groups began coaxing the big bag to the mooring mast. The breeze teasing the tail made it more difficult than usual. Captain Pruss put the two Mercedes-Benz Diesel engines in the stern gondolas into reverse to keep from overshooting the mast. Witnesses noticed that the port motor was backfiring.
Suddenly a stab of flame gashed the airship's flank near the port stern gondola. So swiftly that to many it seemed instantaneous the flame engulfed the whole rear half of the ship. There was a muffled, booming WHOOSH and a huge belch of white fire and smoke mushroomed skyward.