Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-07
HAIL TO ZEPPELIN Y"
Great Fund Subscribed for
German Airship Pioneer
THAT WORK MAY CONTINUE
Great Throngs Visit Echterdingen,
Scene of the Disaster.
WRECK A SORROwFUL SIGHT
Soldier Guard Has Trouble With
Relic Hunters and Photographer
Just Two Pictures Secured.
THAT WORK MAY CONTINUE
WRECK A soRRowFUL SIGHT

BERLIN. August THE government
and people of Germany have come to the
aid OF Count Zeppelin. whose great dirig-
was totally destroyed at Echterdingen
near Stuttgart. Wednesday. and soon the
count will have a million or more at his
disposal with which to construct another
airship and continue his experiments
He has about decided to build two at the
same time. each on a different model The
new ships will show many changes sug-
gested by study of the accident of two
days ago and other experiences OF the
past.
Private individuals already have placed
the sum of $4,000 TO the credit of Count
zeppelin for his new enterprise. The
count is especially gratified at the receipt
OF hearty message of sympathy from the
headquarters of the British balloon corps
at Marlborough
A national committee has been formed
at Stuttgart, under the presidency OF
Prince Won neutrality-suspicious. to
raise public subscription for Count Zep-
pelin- Already more than $315O0o has
been raised and the promises received
reach double this amount
,ourss s sots,s col list o of the Berlin
sehl of Lubbock and the Essen Mine Com
pany each have given a similar sum- and
an anonymous subscriber to the fund at
Heidelberg has contributed $1,000 The
total of the list which is being circulated
at Cologne has reached $500, of which
amount the city council voted So 800
From every city in the empire comes the
announcement of the opening of subscrip-
ton lists for Count Zeppelin. and the gov
ernments $12J.O00 granted him yesterday
has already been sent him by Dr. Won
Bethmann- Hallweg. imperial secretary of
state for the interior.
Germans More Cheerful
The general mourning of erday has
today given place to a more cheerful
view. 1t is believed that the disaster will
stir up the government and the German
people. and that Count Zeppelin soon will
have millions for his work. where in the
past he has only had hundreds of thou
sands at his command. and that a
stronger and better phoenix soon will
arise from the ashes on the desolate field
of Echterdinecn.
The government of Hesse has decided
to erect commemorative stone at the
scene of the disaster to the airship.
1t is stated that Herr Duer. Count
Zeppelin's chief engineer. and one of his
most indispensable cola boraters in the
construction of his airships. has refused
| an offer of half a million dollars from q
group Of American capitalists to come to
New York and build an airship In the
United States.
| Wreck Is Pathetic Sight.
ECHTERDINGEN. August "a visit
to the spot where the Zeppelin airship,
only two days ago the master Of the
air. now lies hopeless wreck. would
have a saddening and depressing effect
upon any one who had witnessed the
majestic flight of what was once the most
perfect balloon yet constructed. A cold
drizzling rain added to the cheerlessness
| OF the scene. The huge carcass Of the
| aerial monster had been torn asunder by
sheets OF aluminium were heaped in
| tangled masses along the highway. Only
| a narrow streak of burned grass marks
the spot where the airship made its de-
scent yesterday morning.
| Some of the delicate and complicated
/ machinery seems to be still perfectly
good. and even the instruments for taxi
| ing Photographic views during flight es-
capped destruction i'm the explosion. Every.
| thing of value that might be used again
has been either removed to a place OF
| safety or is under guard The ground.
| however. is Uttered with remnants of half
burned balloon cloth and splinters OF
wood and aluminium. The two gondoias
that were suspended beneath the car
are practically intact and the forward mo-
| tor was still in order when IT. was tried
today The piles of gas tubes sent down
to renew the gas supply have been re-
moved by the cavalry and shipped back
to Friedrichschafen.
Tree Anchor Split to Roots.
| Conspicuously. in the scene of the dis
| aster stands forth the enormous bow OF
the airship with its huge bottom-like CEN
| terpiece. This has not been at all dam
aged. 1t looks like a colossal basket and
is at least twelve feet high. Close by is
| the trunk of a tree split to the roots.
| To this the airship was tied when the
I q G
| head. or bow. OF the ship was broken of
| clean from the main body. 1t is quite evil
dent also that the gas could not have ig-
nited at this end of the car. otherwise
| the bow would have been destroyed
| One of the machnists. who witnessed
| the explosion yesterday. could be found at
the scene today. He said the disaster
was inexplicable. Neither motor was
light nor fire anywhere near the ball
loon. How it occurred" said the man,
sis an unfathomable mystery"
Self-Ignition Possible.
II is assumed that the strong conclusion
to which the airship was subjected by the
whirlwind caused the self-ignition of the
| hydrogen gas. Many other versions OF
the disaster are advanced by those who
witnessed 1t. but on the whole the expla-
| nation set forth in these dispatches last
night seems to be as near the truth as II
| Is possible to get. Some of the eye wit
| nesses are inclined TO blame the mill
tary authorities for the loss of the ship.
| II seems that when the whirlwind came
| sweeping over the field hundreds OF peo-
| pie rushed on the Gordon of soldiers.
prompted by the desire to hold the air
| ship to the ground by the guide rope; but
| the officers gave orders that the crowd be
driven back and not permitted to APP
proach. A few minutes later the huge
| body struck the ground with full force
and the explosion occurred. The devasta-
| ton wrought in neighboring cornfelds and
| fruit gardens illustrates forcibly the
cyclonic power Of the whirlwind that
| wrecked the ship.
Relic Hunters Busy.
| Even as early as o'clock this morning.
and in spite of the Indictment weather.
| thousands OF people from the neighbor-
| hood collected around the wreck. They
| seemed never 10 tire of discussing the
| catastrophe. Several hundred soldiers
were on duty TO keep the people at good
! distance from the remains of the aerial
giant. which tina relic hunters surveyed
with greedy eyes. But In spite of these
precautions. some people managed to get
hold of small pieces OF wet and partly
burned balloon cloth. which they carefully
/ hid away. One young man sped OF in an
| automobile fourishing a piece Of alumni
| mum tubing a yard long. evidently highly