Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1908-08-13
Went UP The WRONG WAY

Eeur PerSeRS Injured By tho E1ple-
sion Of Count zeppelih's Airship.
1t Had Just Completed the Most
Remarkable Trip in the History
OF Aerial NaVigatisa.
Stuttgart, Aug. 5.-Count Zeppelin's
airxhip, which descended onsa plateau
near the village of Echterdangen, five
miles south of this city, shortly before
O'Clock this morning, owing to de-
feet in one of the motors, broke away
from it's moorings during storm at
O'Clock this aftsrnson, bursting
into flames and exploding. Four
persons were injured 10y the fyi1g
debris. Count Zeppelin escaped unin-
iursd. The drship was completely
wrecked.
The storm came upsunexpseted1y: "A
fierce gust sof wind ters the balloon
from its anchorage and drove it in a
southw estersy direction for some fifty
yards. Here the rear end Of the great
fabric dropped and smoke and flames
were seen to burst-out from oneeend to
the other
Then in few seconds came the sx-
plosion and q great sslumn sof flame
shot upward into the air. mhis was
followed by the crashing down to the
earth Of the m otors and flames that had
been atsachsd to the under side of
the airship. Several bystanders were
knocked down. 1t was necessary
to land the afrship at Eehtsrdingen,
due to the ovsrheating Of the piston
box ofthe forward motor and the es
cape of considerable gas, to the
fact that the Count took the airship to
o height ofsabout 5000 feet.
The Zeppelin airship had just COM
pleteG the most remarkable voyage In
the history of aerial navigation. It
left thes Lake of Constance yesterday
morRing tor trip to Mayencs and re-
turned. The fight was successful in q
great many ways. The machine re-
tie pilots and was navtEeted over the
Lake of Constance. down the valley of
the Rhine. over Strass baTg and several
other cities, and was expected at
Friedriekshafen, it's starting point to-
day.
Count Zeppelin has devoted his life
time and personal fortssne to the de-
velopment of his airships. The vessel
that was lost today was the fourth he
has constructed. When his own money
had become exhausted the German
Reiehstag voted him 1925. 900 to con-
duct further experiments and number
was the result, The German govern
ment agreed to purchase this ship on
condition that it fulfilled cetrain re-
quirenaents, the principal one being
that 1t remain in the air "a hours and
land on terra f1rma. This stipulation
has not yet been fulfilled.
The airship was 443 feet long, with
diam eter of about As feet. It tapered
to blunt point at the bow, while at
the stern were valious rudders and
frames Msed in steering It was fitted
underneath with two Independent COM
partments, each carrying q motor capa-
BILE OF developing 140 horsepower. AS
many as.a6 passengers had been taken
aloft at ons time. Sleeping accommo
dations were provided for the crew and
an apparatus was installed for the dis
patching and receipt of wireless mes
sages. The Initiating gas was distrib-
uted among 16 separate inter compart-
ments, which were contained within
the outer rigid envelope OF aluminium.
The accident to the Zeppelin airship
recalls the end of the French military
airship Patrie in Deeem Der, 1907, which
was then considered the finest dirigible
balloon in existence. The Patrie was
undergoing repairs to her IA Hachinery
at Verdon. A sudden gust of wind
struck the airship and the zoe men who
were holding the guide ropes were
dropped along tor several hundred
yards before they let go. The balloon
then shot up to q great height and dis
appeared, and never was heard from,
Newark, NJ Aug S.-Mrs. Michael
Martella, whose husband was shot and