New-York tribune., 1908-07-02
NEW AERIAL RECORDS
4 TWELVE-HOUR TRIP.
Zeppelin Amship Averages Thirty
four Miles in DAYS VOydge.
-L'Illustration-

Friedrichshafen, July Count Zeppelin
broke the worlds records to-day for dirigible
balloons He remained in the air for twelve
hours. traversed the greater part Of Northern
Switzerland. and visited Zurich. Winterthur and
Lucerne, attaining average speed throughout
of thirtyfour miles hour. His airship dis
played splendid steering qualities, answering the
slightest movement of the helm, while its sta
bility equalled the greatest expectations.
Under the most desirable weather conditions.
almost dead calm the airship. manned by a
crew of fourteen persons. under the leadership
ot Count Zeppelin, left it's floating home on
Lake Constance at $50 o'clock in the morning
Less than five minutes later Count Zeppelin
shouted. "Au clear." and the balloon about
one thousand feet in the air and turned her
bow toward Constance. BY O'Clock it had dis
appeared or the western horizon
Telephone messages from Frauenfeld Winter
thur and other towns reported the appear
ance of the airship and her passage over the
Canton of Zurich. The giant craft remained ten
minutes lowering over the town of Zurich and
the lake and then vanished from view at a
rapid rate in the direction Of Lucerne
About 1 o'clock the airship came into view at
Lucerne. sixty-fve miles from Friedrichshafen.
and thousands Of astonished travellers from all
parts of the world including hundreds Of Ameri-
cans, greeted her with loud cheering as she
sailed quickly over the lake.
Count Zeppelin guided his airship with the
greatest precision. and carried out long series
of evolutions which included complicated fig
ures. circles, the figure eight. sharp turns de-
scents and ascents. He then began trip around
the lake. visiting every bay and indentation
along the shores. Finally he turned the nose
of the ship homeward. crossing the AIbs range
of mountains and travelling al good pace The
aeronauts soon reached Zurich again. where
great crowds had gathered in anticipation of the
balloons return and were waiting to cheer its
arrival The roofs of the houses and all the
open spaces were crowded. The count how
ever only accorded them a five minutes view
of the balloon merely encircling the town hall
and then continuing his way to Winterthur
and Frauenfed. At the latter place he crossed
the artillery range and cheered by the
troops engaged in field and firing exercises
BY 80 o'clock in the evening the airshtp had
again reached Lake Constance and turned east
ward to Bregenz. frontier town of Austria
Hungary From that place it travelled back
to Friedrchshafen executing a difficult series
of manpuvres, until il over the town II
descended to within hundred feet of the
roofs of the houses. and greeted with the
firing of a salute from battery of small NOR
tars cheers and shouts. to which the crew of
the airshp. led by the count, responded A
few minutes later the balloon slipped easily into
the shed from which it had been absent just
twelve hours
The greatest altitude reached in the long voy-
age was $500 feet and the distance covered was
about two hundred and twenty miles as the
crow flies Passengers train between
Ztirfch and Constance say that the balloon cas-
iIv overhauled and passed their train.
Count Zeppelin considers the prospects favor
able for the approaching twenty-four hours
flight.
1t is understood that the proposed voyage 10
Mayence will be postponed for a week or two.
owing to the necessity of accommodating an ade-
syIDnIy of