Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-08-12
ZEPPELIN AIR SHIP wREoKED.
Blown from Its Anchorage It Takes
Fire and Explodes.

Stuttgart, Aug. 5.--Count Zeppe-
Inns air ship, which descended on a
plateau near the village of Echter-
dingen, five miles south Of this city,
shortly before g o'clock this morn
ing, owing to defect in one Of the
motors, broke away from its moor
ings during storm at 3 o'clock this
afternoon, burst into flames and ex-
ploded. Four persons were injured
by the flying debris. Count Zeppelin
escaped uninjured. The air ship was
completely wrecked.
The storm blew up unexpectedly.
A fierce gust Of wind tore the balloon
from its anchorage and drove 1t in a
| southwesterly 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 few seconds
cam the explosion and a great col
umn Of flames shot upward into the
air. This was followed by the crash
Ing down to the earth of the motors
| and frames that had been attached
to the underside of the air ship.
Several bystanders were knocked
| down.
1t was necessary to land the air
ship at Echterdinger, owing to the
overheating of the piston box of the
forward motor and the escape Of con-
siderable gas, owing to the fact that
Count Zeppelin took the air ship to
height of about 5000 feet.
The Zeppelin air ship had just
completed the most remarkable voy-
age in the history of aerial naviga-
ton. 1t left the Lake on Constance
yesterday morning for a trip to May
ence and return. The flight was a
success In great many ways. The
machine responded absolutely to the
control Of its pilots and was navi-
gated over the Lake Of Constance,
down the valley of the Rhine, over
Strassburg and several other cities,
and was expected at Friedrichscha-
fen, it's starting point, to-day.
Count Zeppelin has devoted his life
time and his personal fortune to the
development Of his air ship. The
vessel that was lost to-day was the
fourth he had constructed. When
his own money had become exhaust
ed the German Reichstag voted him
S125, 900 to conduct further expert
ments, and number four was the re-
suit. The German Government agreed
to purchase this ship on condition
that it fulfilled certain requirements,
the principal one being that 1t remain
! In the air twenty-four hours and land
Pom terra firma. This stipulation had
not yet been fulfilled.
The air ship was 443 feet long with
diameter of about Is feet. 1t ta-
pered to a blunt point at the bow,
| while at the stern were various rud-
| ders and frames used in steering.
1t was fitted underneath with two
| independent compartments, each car
rying motor capable of developing
14O-horse power. AS many as six
teen passengers had been taken aloft
at one time. Sleeping accommoda-
| tions were provided for the crew and
| an apparatus was installed for the
| dispatch and rex eipt of wireless tele-
graph messages. The initiating gas
was distributed among sixteen sepa-
| rate interior compartments, which
| were contained within the outer rigid
envelope Of aluminium.
The accident to the Zeppelin air
ship recalls the end of the French
military air ship Patrie, in December
1907, which was then considered the
| finest dirigible balloon in existence
| The Patrie was undergoing repairs
to her machinery at Verdon. A sud-
| den gust Of wind struck the air ship
and the two hundred men, who were
holding the guide ropes, were drag
ged along for several hundred yards
before they let go. The balloon then
shot up to a great height and dis
! appeared, and was never heard from.
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