The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-07-02
ZEPPELIN CRAFT WRECKED.
GREAT AIR SHIP FALLS UPON
TEUTOBOURGIAN FORESTS.
After Unnvailing Contest With Storm.
Disabled Monster Falls Helpless
None Injured.

Dusseldorf. Ger. June 2S.-Count
zeppelin's passenger airship Deutsch-
land. the highest'developed Of all the
aeronaut's models, lies tonight on top
Of the Teutobourgian forests, pierced
with pine tree stem. mass of do
fiated silk and twisted aluminium. The
33 persons aboard. after a wild con-
est with a storm. escaped uninjured.
climbing down a rope ladder from
the wreck on the pine tops.
Herr Colesman, general manager OF
the new airship company. Chief En-
.gineer Durr Of the Zeppelin Company
and Capt. Kannenburs. who person
ally had charge Of the crew OF 10.
and 20 Newspaper men sailed from
Dusseldorf at $3.50 o'clock this morn
ing for q three hours excursion. The
objective point was Dortmund. about
IS miles from Dusseldorf. but a high
head wind prevailed and an effort
was made to reach Munster. a garri-
son town. 30 that landing might ba
made on the parade ground.
1t was dangerous to attempt q
landing ia an open field because OF
the storm, as the metal was likely to
pound to pieces. One OF the motors
refused to work and the other two
we're not powerful enough to make
any progress In the gale. The air
ship drifted. swaying In the violeat
gusts and sometimes leaning to an
angle OF 20 degrees. and all the while
the enginemen were at work repair
ing the disabled motor. When this
was done all four screws were driven
at their full power. with which under
normal conditions, the ship was ca
pable of attaining a speed Of 20 milcs
an hour. But the helmsman was un-
able to keep his course. as the great
craft was swung about at the mercy
Of the winds.
Colesmann did not dare to turn the
ship around for fear OF overturning,
and he decided to drift in the gale
which was now blowing at the rate of
so miles an hour toward Osnabruck,
which 10 also a garrison town. II he
missed that he would continue on to
Senie.
Suddenly he perceived a whirlwind
coming and ascended to a height OF
nearly 1000 feet to avoid the worst
Of 1t. With the whirlwind came an
avalanche Of rain. After half an
hour the Deutschland came down to
permit Of observation and 1t was seen
that the Teutobourgian forest lay be-
low. The forward motor again stop
ped and Colesmann sent five of the
correspondent to the aft gOndola to
balance the vessel. The ship sank
rapidly, having lost much gas In the
high attitude and dragged along the
top Of the dense forest. A heavy
branch Of tree broke through the
floor of the cabin amidships, throw
Ing two Of the guests to the floor.
Other branches ripped through the
gas compartments and the whole
great structure settled down 80 or 40
feet from the ground.
'It Is not the fault of the Zeppe-
lin SYSTEM" declared Herr Coles
mann; that is all right. 1t is our
own fault and our benzine ran out"
The airship for which Herr Coles
mann's company had just paid $137,-
500 looked like a wreck. The frames
were broken but the motors were not
damaged. The silk was ripped and
had fallen in a torn mass on the tops
Of the trees.
rope ladder was swung down and
every one was mustered below unin-
iured except for bruise or two. Two
natives identified the spot as near to
Wellendorf, east Of Osnabruck.