e the management was under Director-General Alfred Colsman
alone. Today it is divided into three divisions, operating, constructing
and financial. Mr. Colsman handles the financial divisions and various
subsidiary companies. Dr. Ludwig Duerr the construction, and Dr. Hugo
Eckener the operating division which includes also the technical phases
and all outside relations, domestic and foreign. Dr. Eckener, meanwhile,
retains his position as managing Director of the "DELAG" and as one of
the Directors of the Zeppelin endowment.

[PLATE 56: 135,000 Cubic Meter Fast Passenger Zeppelin Drawing
Room.

135,000 Cubic Meter Fast Passenger Zeppelin--Stateroom.]

Considered from all angles, due to the present development and knowledge
of the science of lighter-than-air, it is possible today to provide
satisfactory airship service for any route contemplated or which may be
planned for the future.

Two and a Half Days Trans-Atlantic Service Possible

Carefully prepared calculations on some 600 flights made up and carried
out from daily weather maps of the north Atlantic on methodically
selected periods, have convinced the Zeppelin officials that a two and a
half day Zeppelin service could be maintained between Europe and
America.

Zeppelin engineers worked incessantly making the North Atlantic flights
across the weather maps. When they had completed their 600 theoretical
trips they knew as much about what actually could be done, as if they
had flown such a service for two or three years. With the exception of a
few details, easily worked out in a brief experimental period, the
Zeppelin organization could put such a service in operation at once, if
permitted.

New York-Chicago Route Difficult but Practicable

There has been considerable speculation relative to the New York-Chicago
route. Several announcements have been made that either an airplane or
airship service was about to be started. The Zeppelin engineers came to
the United States not long ago and made a preliminary survey of that
route. They based their report on a thorough examination of daily
weather maps and reports for the last thirty years and stated that a New
York-Chicago route could be operated successfully. It was pointed out
that the New York-Chicago line would assume more responsibility for the
fair name of commercial airship transport than anywhere on earth, more
so, even than the trans-atlantic route which, technically, is far less
diffic