The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-08-06

his efforts. Even his interiors IN rank
pointed him out as the afistocrAt VINO
uad abandoned ell he tastes and pnr-
.aiits OF tle aristocracy in order TO-
ieSoic himself 10 the plebeiar task Of
isYentlng machines.
MoeKed tor Experiments.
Those Who knew that il was the
problem Of aerial navigation tnat was
Occupying his atten ion oyerwhelmed
.fim win ridicple aud Knocked al his
craze Tor It must be remembered
th,t when Count Ferdinand began
ais attempts to solve the problems
Of flying aeruoiauties were from from
being so,advaaced as at the present
day.
lie hegan to study the problem OF
llymg in 1856, when In their infarcy
steamships were "a novelty, telegraph
liues were few aud tar between. there
were no electric railways, no wireless
tcleg raphy, and many other things
which we regard as a matter Of course
dhl not exist 1t Is, therefore. fully
Comprehensive that Count Ferdinand
Ieppelins contemporaries regarded
aim as a madman.
His early experiments were naiur-
ally crude and elementary in char
Gctar Nevertheless, Count Zeppelin
with an indomitable perseverance
worthy of the cause TO which he had
devoted himself, toiled on year after
year. neger seeming to get any nearer
ais aim. bn aiSays working and
study ms and experimenting without
cessation.
Wife Only sympathizer.
Tie first pauae IN his career OF re.
search was caused bs lis marriage
& the aga OF 81 years 20 ncbleWOm.
an belonging 10 one OF the ancient
German aristocfatic Families sesid-
ing In tie Battle provinces of Russia.
She recognized that young Count
Zeppelin was not Z Grams, nor a man
to be riiculed,, bat pioneer of q
new era who might easily achieve the
4 fame OF being the fiist man to Snow
! other men how 10 fly In the air. She
/ fell In love With the count and his
/ Inventive ambitions. They We're we'd
! led in Berlin in The presence OF all
| The memDers OF both families.
The counts relatives entertained
| the hope that Ais wife would wean
aim from eccentric ways. But in this
respect they We're disappointed. The
marriage aud the honeymoon did in
! leed interrupt for the time Count
zeppellns devotion to hts research
work, but within q year he again was
hard at work on the solution Of tAs
problem, aided and encouraged by hii
young wife.
Years passed and still the aristo
| cratic mechanic continued to con
| ruct all sorts OF flying contrivancei
that for the most part refused 10 fly
| he and his wife were Tally agreed
that he should devote his whole lif,
70 I'll task.
Risks Life Besides Riches.
Il was not only money which wa'
risked IN their pursui of knowledge
about aerial navigation Count Zep
pelins successive flylng machines
were tested at the risk OF his owl
! life. lie firmly believed in their ef
icency and buoyancy apd venture
lboard them with perfect coufidenc
in rheeresut Of the tyial rips.
on one occasion he fell from :
height OF forty feet but happepe,
to allgJt on some. prlcNy. bushes
! Nnich broke bis fall aud saved hi,
! life. bnt covered his holy With paW
Iul woYnds, On another oceaajpn %
Fau from a considerable height, In
again had ihe good fortune 10 aligh
u sof, earth without sustaining NOR
/ than q broken limb. On bali a dozeI
lther occasions ne sustained more ol
hess Injuries.