New-York tribune., 1909-05-31
ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP
FLIES 500 MILES
All RECORDS BROKEN FOR
DTRIGIRIES.
Count Returning from BitterfeId to
FredrichShafeH-KaiSer and
Princes Disappointed.

Berlin. Nay 50-Count Zeppelin whose r.
-,s-kabe performances in his first airshia
,-ought great honors to the inventor. accom-
.lsbed to-day the most notable feat in his ca
-aer He guided his zeppelin II from Friedrichs-
,,fsn 10 B5tterfeld. distance of more than 456
miles. without landing. carrying two engineers
and crew Of seven The journey lasted nearly
,u,sntv-tvro hours. and. 50 far as is known to-
-ir-1- Count Zeppelin is still in the air on tr-
-stu-n Journey 70 FTiedrichshafen. He has a.
ready beaten all records for dirigibe balloons.
rith the opportunity Of greatly improving ths
ps-formance-
It vas announced and widely distributed in
specfal editions of the newspapers that the
,oynt would come 10 Berlin and land at the
rempelhof parade ground. Hundreds Of -hou-
sands gathered there this afternoon. The En-
n.-or and Empress several Of the princes and
the heading military officials and officers were
,resent, and toward evening searchlights were
Sc. 70 work. IN expectation Of the approach Of
the sirship. Soldiers kept an enormous space
rlsa- until 1890 O'Clock tonight when = liz
match from Bitterfeld announced that the ali
ship vas returning 10 the starting point II
F~ied7ichshafen. This news caused intense dis
appointment
Count Zeppelin. whose hand vas on the till"r
allowed a word 10 be made public relative to his
intention 10 undertake an endurance trip Il
vas. however. common knowledge that he IN
tended TO seize the first favorable opportunity
70 oproceed TO Berlin in his new craft built 70 Re
7lsce the one destroyed near Echterdingen last
year
THE START MADE AT NIGHT.
The voyage began under rather unfavorabla
conditions. There was q lowering sky. rain
clouds and 2 strong side wind when the airship
left the floating hall. shortly after o'clock last
night The residents did not pay much atten-
tion Ia this, as they were accustomed to night
fights and when the great ship took the air at
2 % there was not a cheer to speed her on her
wsv She ascended directly for few hundred
feet and. passing over the town Of Friedrichs-
hafen. started northward.
Early in the morning the people Of Treucht-
Hngen. small city in Central Bavaria. were
awakened tv the noise Of the propellers OF the
craft which was passing slowly at a low alti-
tude ~ this place The count dropped out n
card. which announced his intention 10 proceed
further north This vas his first trip over Ba-
varia. and his arrival an hour and q half later
at Nuremberg caused the greatest surprise 10
thousands of pleasure seekers. who We're pre-
raring for the holiday excursions
. The snip rnsnoslvred ever the city. and then
card vas thrown out saving that a greater
amount OF water and benzine had been used
than was expected and that the craft would
descend to the surface Of Lake Dutzenteich TO
-eplenish the water supply This. however. was
nor carried out. Count Zeppelin continued his
cruise onward without interruption IN a direct
line toward Berlin. passing over several towns
st e low height amid the cheers 81 the populace.
until he reached the frontiers Of Sax0nE, where
the sirship was headed straight for Leipsc.
MANEUVRES OVER LEIPsIC-
kilograms received there had indicated that
Count Zeppelin would make a landing, and the
entire population waited for several hours in
the streets and open spaces to greet him. The
count. however. put his craft through series
Of manpurres for half an hour. coming AZ times
comparatively close TO the tops OF the buildings
He then went on. crossing Halle TO Bitterfeid
10 time was wasted there. and TO eyerybody's
surprise the airshfp after describing a great
circle. turned again and sailed to the south
In the mean time the military authorities at
Berlin we're absolutely without advioes as 70 the
counts plans. Major Gross, commander Of the
army balloon corps. said that no arrangements
had been made for the landing Of the airshlp AT
Tegel. the military balloon headquarters Inc
local authorities. however. learned from private
dispatches that the airshp was approaching
and 50 informed the Emperor and princes Ut
ders were given 10 prepare space in the rem
ssshof field. This was surrounded by ihes u
tsice and troops. and almost all the population
Of the capital swarmed thitheT and eagerly
awaited the airship until long after dark 1heh
special newspaper spread the depressing news
Of the aiTships return. Inc crowds at hrst re-
fused Ia give c-edence to this report. but many
dispersed. When The Emperor and Empress lel'
the feld the troops marched away.
Recent dispatches from Berlin have lndlca'eo
1hst the German Emperor and high army offcers
have been inclined to discard the Zeppelin alIsiup
for the Gross and Parseval Sem-rigid types. II Is
POSSIBLE that Count Zeppelin undertook the uip
made yesterday IN order TO break down 'hS opio
sitieh and also that the decision not to lana at
Perrin Raz due to the efforts dscredit MS inNeh
tlou
nET ar L or TTTLr III IEHT