The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-01

sent to this country as one of the Ger
man military attaches observing the
movements of our armies during the
civil war. In the course of his OBJ
Eservations he made several balloon
trips.
Won Zeppelin began building his
present airship last February, the work
pFocee ding steadily for eight months.
The ship was built in long hall ex-
tending out over the waters Of the
Bodensee. the lake which lies between
Switzerland and Baden. Great secrecy
was maintained regarding the progress
of the work The great aluminium
plates were welded together to form
the 430 foot cylinder. The re-enforce-
ments and partitions were built in, and
the sixteen huge balloons were made
and tested The two sets of propeller
blades were put in place. The forward
aeroplane arrangement for elevating
and depressing the ship in rising or
descending was adjusted. Beneath the
great cylinder We're suspended the two
carriages for crew and passengers, one
forward and one aft. with q bridge
forming q means of passage between
the two Still underneath was run the
cable carrying the compensation
weight to slide forward or backward
as required to keep the ship steady.
/ The rudders and steering gear were at
tached. The two great Daimler motors.
of eighty five horsepower each, were
put in the carriages and adjusted to
the propeller machinery. These are by
far the most powerful motors ever
used in an airship. The Won Zeppelin
monster required such power. for the
huge thing was to present a great bulk
against the wind.
When all was ready the front doors
of the big hall swung open and the
Of xxfHfr f1 In,
reality a floating platform. moved
slowly out into the open. Then the
natives assembled from town and
countryside beheld a veritaSle modern
wonder. On the long platform lay the
great ship ready for launching into
her element. the upper air. The proud
but anxious old count and eight other
persons then got aboard the two car
riages This was a ship that could
carry passengers, not merely one or
two men to work the machinery. 1t
was in fact the first vessel in the
world ready to carry pleasure seekers
upon an aerial outing, and the initial
upper air excursion was about to be-
gin.
She starts she moves, she seems to feel
The thrill of life
and the stay ropes were released. the
great cylinder arose gracefully, the
propellers began to revolve with whir-
ring sound and wonderful swiftness.
and the ship started across the lake,
far up, at a speed of about eighteen
miles an hour, which was increased to
thirty miles at times.
Twice across the lake and around it
went the airship, staying two hours in
air, and then back she came right to
the starting point and descended with
the grace and precision of bird.
! alighting upon the float from which
she had been launched forth into the
4 skv. The ship was run back into her
house and groomed for the next days
flight, which was even more of a sue
cess, the voyage lasting four hours,
and the landing being safely negotiated
! once more.
Now the world is wondering how
long it will be before Count Won Yep
pelin will make good his prediction OF
some years ago that he would sail by
the air route from Berlin to New York
in two and a half days.
/ JAMES r. BENTLEY