The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1908-08-06
GREAT AIRSKIP
A TOTAL WRECK
Count zeppelin'S Big Balloon
Struck by Lightning.
FLAMES COMPLETE RUIN

Remarkable Voyage in the History
of Aerial Navigation, Travelling Sew.
eraI Hundred Miles and Returning
to Near Its Starting Point Under
Absolute Control of Its Pilots.
Stuttgart, Aug. 6.-During a storm
the Zeppelin airship broke away from
its moorings, took fire and disap.
peared in the air. Several persons
were injured Count Zeppelin, how
ever, is safe.
Il appears that the airship exploded
during a thunder storm. Previous to
exploding it burst into flames. 1t is
supposed to have been struck by light
ming. The latest report from Echter-
dingen says it is completely ruined.
The storm blew up Unexpectedly. A
fierce gust of wind tore the balloon
from its anch )rage and drove it in a
southwestern direction for some fifty
yards. Here the rear end of the great
fabric dropped and smoke and flames
were seen to burst out from one end
to the other. Then in a few seconds
came the explosion and a great col
umn of Aames shot upward into the
air.
This was followed by a crashing
down to earth of the motors and
frames that had been attached to the
At 80 ha oir IN
bystanders were knocked down.
Two causes had conspired to make
Il necessary to land the airship at
Echterdingen, the overheating of the
piston box of the forward motor and
the escape of considerable gas owing
to the fact that the count took the
airshiD to a height of about six thou
sand feet.
The Zeppelin airship had just com
! pleted the most remarkable voyage in
| the history of aerial navigation. II
| left the Lake of Constance Tuesday
morning for a trip to Mayence and
return. The fight was successful in
a great many ways. The machine re
sponded absolutely to the control oi
its pilots and was navigated over the
! Lake of Constance, down the valley ot
| the Rhine, over Strassburg and sew
| eral other cities and was expected
back at its starting point Wednesday
! morning 1t suffered an accident Tues
day evening, however, and had to de
scend to an island in the Rhine fol
repairs. These, however, did not take
| long and the airship was soon on it!
way again.
Again Forced to Descend.
Shortly before s o'clock Wednesda!
morning, when the machine was ex
pected at Friedrichshaffen, it's poin
of departure, it came down at Echter
dingen, five miles south of Stuttgart
because the piston box of one of tn
| motors had become overheated an
also because the amount of gas in th
balloons had been reduced as a re
suit of sailing in high attitudes.
Count Zeppelin has devoted his life
time and his personal fortune TO tn
development of his airships. The yes
sci Just lost was the fourth he ha
constructed. When his own none
had become exhausted the Germal
reichstag voted him $125,000 to cor
duct further experiments and No.
was the result. The German govern
ment agreed to purchase this ship o.
condition that it fulfilled certain re
quirements, the principle one bein
that it remain in the air twenty-fou
hours and land on terra firma. Thi
stipulation had not yet been fulfilled
The airship was 443 feet long, wit
a diameter of about forty-tive feet.
tapered to a blunt point at the bow
while at the stern were various ruC
ders and frames used in steering.
was fitted underneath with two ind'
pendent platforms, each carrying
motor capable of developing 140 hors'
power As many as sixteen passel
gers had been taken aloft at one tim'
Sleeping accommodations were pr
vided for the crew and an apparatu
was installed for the dispatch and r
ceipt of wireless kilograms. The Il
fating gas was distributed among 81
teen separate interior compartment
which were contained within the QUITE
rigid envelope of aluminium.