The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-06
BIG AIRSHIP IS DESTROYED Struck by Lightning and
 Exploded. SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED Reported That Count Zeppelin is
 Safe. After. the ship Was Torn Away From It's aoorinss It Took Fire and
 disappeared In the
 Air.

long awaited endurance flight in his dirigible balloon. and tonight the proud airship which yesterday was cutting rapidly through the air and outdlstanc- ing pursuing automobiles, lies fin an open field near here mass of twisted, useless metal.
 A chapter or accidents occasioned by bad moods of nature and the fail- ure of mechanical appliances combined was responsible for the untimely end of the balloon. the flights of which have held the attention of the world and for blasting the ambitions of It's in- ventor. Count Zeppelin. The Count, almost heartbroken. and unable longer to endure the sight of his shattered craft, has left by train for Friederich- hafen.
 The airship had left Nackenhein, the scene of its first mishap. and overnight had visited Mayence. and begun on the homeward journey when misfor- tune overlook 1t. Soon after It's de- parture 1t 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 ca1seo by friction. Consequently Count zep- pelin was compelled to rely on one motor on the rear platform through out the night, which considerably rs- duced his speed. During the night, too, he made an ascent of nearly 5000 feef, losing considerable quantity of gas: This deprived the balloon of some or its buoyancy. decided to land. Although this was the first time that such n1aneuver nad been attempted with q rigid balloon. fhe landing was affected easily and smoothly. only one of the steel wire stays being broken. The englneeIy Immediately set about making repeirs to the balloon. which rode as ansnUr .las,r in tlle center of a large force cf nilL- itarv which had boon called out % Weep tt's ssroyris away Count Zeppelin tels swrnpted ka Friedarich hshafeh TOT more raA cvlinders and then went 70 neirhborIng inn for lunch
 He was away sornew nat over tS .,. \ hours and was destined tQ see Io..y s..s' wreck of his airship when he xeturneo.
 The local railway companies tAn soectal cars to convey the curious si9htseers to the spot while peqestr lans' Automobiles and wagons loaded Wleh neasants also Hooked to the Yictnity. It Is estimated that the crowd larounn the monarch of the air number nearis 40, 900 persons. ..,.a At 2:30 o'clock this afternoon 2 "lnu t,l !. suddenly sprang up and some or the weatherwise bystanders called the at- tention of the officers to the. fact that A storm was brewing and advised tneu' to secure the balloon. Their warnings were unheeded, The balloon swayed to and fro, some times raising a few feet from the ground At 2;5s o'clock formidapie gust of wind struck the airship broad side At first the craft keeied over anu then her bows rose In the air. carrying with them A number of soldiers hold ing the ropes After poising for a moment at a height of fifty feet. the sirshfp returned to the earth, even more suddenly than 1t arose. and came crash ing to the ground With thunderoui renort. the forward motor exploded from the hows of the balloon. sno' forth a vivid flame, while from the l rear escaped thick clouds of black smoke which caused the entire struc' ture to disappear from the view of the thousands of spectators. When the all cleared, the balloon was seen lying ir an open field, on a high plateau. with onlv the ragged. tangled strips of the alumlnum envelope still remaining The metal stays and bands and portions of the motors were strewn about n pieces like old iron. and blackened with smoke and scorched
 officers rushed forward and found that several soldiers had been hurt The four engineers who were on the forward platform of the airshtp had I escaped death. but were suffering from l injuries. They were taken to a hos pitaI. Then men tried when the bal | loon broke away to couple up the motors, so as to ascend beyond dan gers. but in this effort they were un' successful.
 Count Zeppelin was immediately sent for. When he arrived and saw th' hopeless wreck. he broke down. Hi' head was bowed on his chest and tearl were streaming from his eyes as h' stood in an attitude of despair in from of the shattered mammoth aeropiane | The friends induced him to enter motor car and return to Stuttgart whence he left by train for Friederleh shafen.
 An explanation of the accident b, experts Is that probably one of tn Ibalioonettes. of which the immens envelope was constructed. burst. am a spark from the motor ignited tn gas when the balloon was carriee Int the ar.
 l Count zeppeIin's secretary said to night that the count is already prepar
 ing plans for another balloon.
 Sorrow at Friedrfchshafen.
 FrIedrichshafen. Aug. 5.-The new
 that countSZeppelin's airship explode
 at Echterdingen and was total wrecl l came like a thunderbolt amid the tes | tive preparations for a reception O
 the famous aeronaut.
 Tens of thousands of people ha
 come from all parts Of Germany |
 witness the return of the Count fror his remarkable voyage in the air. an
 they were making merry in anticipa
 ton of the forthcoming publication.
 Tn front of the principal hotel tn
 military band was just on the point Q
 beginning it's concert when at ( o'eloc
 a man rushed exeitedly from the offic of a local newspaper and bxed a tels
 gram on the blackboard at the en
 trance of the building. crowd c
 people gathered to read the news an
 the cry went up. The balloon ha
 burned up; the balloon has burned up
 This startling intelligence travele
 like wildhre. Some people would nc
 believe 1t and declared that 1t was
 bad joke. but the doubters were 500 ! Asfaraaetrfln a