The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-01
The CONQUEST of the Air.

u ) laleSt
as an air voyager, in a new ship built
at friedrichshafen. justihes the faith
Of his countrymen in the double motor
dirieible type that he has invented, al
though q mishap at Goppingen stopped
his progress on the return course to
Lake Constance. During the time the
great ship va in the air, about thirty
seven hours. it travelled $50 miles, pass-
ing over Nuremberg, Bayreuth and Leip-
sic before turning south at Bitterfeld.
which is sixty miles from Berlin. Its
direction was almost due northeast,
even as the crow flies, until the ship was
put about. when the Count, who takes
the helm himself on his ventures, seems
to have steered, for the sake OF mandu-
wiring, toward the Neckar, a tributary
of the thine, for he vas reported from
Heilbronn, Stuttgart and Esslingen be-
fore the fabric enveloping the pointed
bow was rent by a collision with the
branches of a tree at G%oppingen.
Impressive as the voyage was to the
uninitiated, much as it will kindle the
enthusiasm of aeronauts, 1t fell far short
of what Count ZEPPELIN believes to be
the capacity of his airship, He might
have held on his course to Berlin, and
there net with a stupendous reception
from the Emperor, the army and the
people, of whom immense crowds were
assembled to do him honor. But it is
characteristic Of this intensely earnest
and patriotic man that results are of
more concern to him than the glorifica-
ton OF his achievements; he desired to
test his new ship thoroughly and was
therefore willing to forego a personal
triumph at Berlin. There is no n in
Germany less surprised at what was
accomplished than Count ZEPPELIN, for
he has proclaimed to the world in more
than one article that in the development
OF aeronautics We shall see, and see soon,
the actual conquest Of the air. In
Putndm's Magazine for June the great
inventor, describing what he has done
and setting forth what he expects to
do, exclaims:
Why do I thus make my confession OF faith
In ~airshipsf Further, why do ! trouble 10 bring
thus 70 the public understanding the %overwhelm.
ing value, the extraordinary development OF the
rigid sirhip systemf It is because the time Is
close at hand when concrete achievements will
dissipate all doubts"
Count ZEPPELIN boldly says that in
his new type he has a ship that can
rise from the Lake OF Constance with
twelve persons on board and remain
four days in the air. covering in this
period some 1850 miles, 1t Is quite
certain, he ayers, that sin the future
already visible there will be airships
having Z speed OF forty miles that will
travel 1000 miles in two days or 1000
miles in four and a half days. knowing
what has been done and that practical
aeronautics Is yet in the experimental
stage, he. declares that I'VE must be-
lieve in the future, although that future
Is but dimly in sight He explains that
the radius Of movement Is limited only
by the capacity TO carry benzine:
Take, for instance, q small airship weighing
only 4,soo pounds. Such . ship. equipped With
an sighty.nve horsepower motor. viii 81 most
be able TO carry 1000 pounds Of benEine for .
twenty hours voyage. II Il wishes 70 ascend 70
i.sso yards II must leave behind or sacrince 80
pounds OF bensins, or II must have already con.
stunned that quantity, thereby reducing ,ts further
capacity for digit TO I'VE hours. which for prao.
teal purposes and reliability Is hardly enough.
A great sirship weighing $4,000 pounds, with q
normal benrine supply for 100 hours, slough IL rise
70 l,~o yards. will stun have . reserve supply of
thirty six hours bensine. or nearly twice As much
as the smaller sirship can carry even whsp flying
close 20 the ground. For that reason. for travel.
Al great elevations, a big airship will always
have advantage over . small one"
The more level q country the Ion ger
distance obviously q ship OF the zeppe-