The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-08-06
With Victory in Easy Reach a
Thunderstorm Causes Wreck
Of the Big Machine.
MASS Of TWISTED NE tai
The Accident Brings Festivities at
Friedrichshafen to Sorrowful Gil
max-Airship Torn from Its
Moorings by Storm.

! Echterdingen, Aug. 6.--A drama
! tic end came yesterday to Count
i Zeppelin's long-awaited endurance
| flight in his dirigible balloon, and
| last night the proud airship which
Tuesday was cutting rapidly through
the air and outdistancing pursuing
automobiles, lies in an open field
metal. A chapter of accidents occas-
ioned by bad moods of nature and
the failure of mechanical appliances
| combined was responsible for the
untimely end of the balloon, the
flights of which have held the at
| tention of the world and for the
/ blasting of the ambition of its in
ventor, Count Zeppelin. The count,
almost heart-broken and unable
| longer to endure the sight of his
shattered craft, has left by train for
! Freidrichshafen.
! The airship had left Nackenheim,
the scene of it's first mishap, and
overnight had visited Mayence and
begun on the homeward journey,
when misfortune overlook it. Soon
after it's departure it was found that
the front motor was working badly
owing to the fusing Of metal in the
groove in which the piston rod ran.
This was caused by friction. Conse-
| quently Count Zeppelin was COM
PEELED to rely on one motor on the
rear platform, throughout the night,
which considerably reduced his
speed. During the light, toe, he
made an ascent of nearly 5000 feet,
losing considerable quantity of
gas. This deprived the balloon of
some of its buoyancy.
Over Echerdingen Count Zeppelin
decided to land. Although this was
the first time that such a maneuver
had been attempted with rigid bal
LOOM the landing was effected easily
and smoothly, only one of the steel
wire stays being broken. The engin-
eers at once set about making re-
pairs to the balloon, which rode at
anchor in the center of large force
of military which had been called
out to keep the crowd away. Count
Zeppelin telegraphed to Friedrich
shafen for more gas cylinders, and
then went to neighboring inn for
lunch. He was away something over
two hours, and was destined to see
only the wreck OF his airship when
he returned. 81.
The local railway companies ran
special cars to convey the curious
sightseers to the spot, while pedes-
trians, automobiles and wagons
loaded with peasants also flocked to
the vicinity. 1t is estimated the
crowd around the monarch of the
air numbered nearly 10000 persons.
At 2:30 O'Clock wind suddenly
sprang up and some of the weather.
wise bystanders called the attention
of the officers to the fact that q
storm was brewing and advised
them to secure the balloon. Their
warnings were unheeded.
The balloon swayed to and fro,
sometimes rising few feet from the
ground. At 1858 o'clock a formid-
able gust of wind struck the airship
broadside At first the craft keeled
over and then her bows rose in the
air, carrying with them number Of
soldiers who were holding ropes. At
ter poising for moment at height
of fifty feet the ship returned to
earth even more suddenly than it
| arose, and came crashing to the
ground. With a thunderous report
| the forward motor exploded. From
the bows of the balloon shot forth a
vivid flame, while from the rear es-
capped thick clouds of black smoke,
which caused the entire structure to
disappear from the view Of the
| thousands of spectators. When the
air cleared the ship was seemingly
lying In an open field on high plat
eau with only the ragged. tangled
strips of aluminium evelope still