The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1908-08-06
GREAT AIRSH|P
A TOTAL WRECK
Count zeppelin's Big Balloon
Struck by Lightning.
FLAMES COMPLETE RUIN

E>Su'o' NsaH'S sSyo9S Us s''S t''Se~'J
Of Aerial Navigation, Travelling Sew
eraI Hundred Miles and Returning
to Near Its Starting Point Under
Absolute Control of Its Pilots.
Stuttgart, Aug. 6.-During storm
the Zeppelin airship broke away from
its moorings, took fire and dlsap-
peared in the air. Several persons
were injured Count Zeppelin, how
ever, is safe.
It appears that the airship exploded
during a thunder storm. Previous to
exploding it burst into flames. 1t is
supposed to have been struck by light
ming. The latest report from Echter-
dingen says it is completely ruined.
The storm blew up Unexpectedly. A
fierce gust of wind tore the balloon
from its anch orage and drove it in a
southwestern direction for some fifty
yards. Here the rear end of the great
fabric dropped and smoke and flames
were seen to burst out from one end
to the other. Then in a few seconds
came the explosion and great COL
umn Of flames shot upward into the
air.
This was followed by a crashing
down to earth of the motors and
frames that had been attached to the
under side of the airship. Several
bystanders were knocked down.
Two causes had conspired to make
it necessary to land the airship at
Echterdingen, the overheating of the
piston box of the forward motor and
the escape of considerable gas owing
airship to height of about six thou
sand feet.
The Zeppelin airship had just COM
pleted the most remarkable voyage in
the history of aerial navigation. 1t
left the Lake of Constance Tuesday
morning for trip to Mayence and
return. The flight was successful in
q great many ways. The machine re-
sponded absolutely to the control of
its pilots and was navigated over the
Lake Of Constance, down the valley of
the Rhine, over Strassburg and sew
eral other cities and was expected
back at its starting point Wednesday
morning. 1t suffered an accident Tues
day evening, however, and had to de-
scend to an island in the Rhine for
repairs. These, however, did not take
long and the airship was soon on it's
way again.
Again Forced to Descend.
Shortly before o'clock Wednesday
morning, when the machine was ex-
pected at Friedrichshaffen, it's point
of departure, it came down at Echter-
dingen, five miles south of Stuttgart,
because the piston box of one of the
motors had become overheated and
also because the amount of gas in the
balloons had been reduced as a re-
suit of sailing in high attitudes.
Count Zeppelin has devoted his life
time and his personal fortune to the
development of his airships. The YES
sci just lost was the fourth he has
constructed. When his own money
had become exhausted the German
re1chstag voted him $125,000 to Con-
duct further experiments and No.
was the result. The German govern
ment agreed to purchase this ship on
condition that it fulfilled certain re-
qu1rements, the principle one being
that it remain in the air twenty-four
hours and land on terra firma. This
stipulation had not yet been fulfilled.
The airship was 443 feet long, with
diameter of about forty-fve feet. It
tapered to blunt point at the bow,
while at the stern were various rud-
ders and frames used in steering. 1t
was fitted underneath with two indie
pendent platforms, each carrying
motor capable of developing 14O horse
power. AS many as sixteen passen-
gers had been taken aloft at one time.
Sleeping accommodations were pro-
vided for the crew and an apparatus
was Installed for the dispatch and re-
ceipt of wireless kilograms. The in
Hating gas was distributed among six
teen separate interior compartments,
which were contained within the outer
rigid envelope of aluminium.