New-York tribune., 1910-06-29
zEPPEL|N'S GREAT
A|RSH|P WRECKED
The Deutschland, Conquered by
Storm, Lands on Top of
Pine Forest.
HELPLESS IN HEAVY GALE
Motors Fail to Work-Twentv
Newspaper Men and the Ten +.
Members Of Grew
Escape Unhurt.

SSoiuoiA, germany, June 2S.-COunt
Zeppelin's passenger airship Deutsch.
land, the highest developed of all the ia
nous aeronaut's models, lies tonight on
top of the Teutoburgian forest pierced
with pine tree stems, q mass of debated
SILK and twisted aluminium The thirty.
three persons on board, after a wild con-
test with a storm. escaped uninjured
chmbing down rope ladder from the
wreck
herr Colesnann, general manager o.
the new airship company; Herr Duerr
chief engineer Of the Zeppelin company
and Captain Kannenberg, who personal
ly had charge OF the crew of ten, and
twenty newspaper men sailed from Diis-
seldorf at $50 o'clock this morning fol
three hours excursion. The objective
point was Dortmund, about thirty-five
miles from Dusseldorf, but a strong head
wind prevailed, and an effort was made
to reach Munster, a garrison town, SC
that landing might be made on the pa
rade ground by the aid of the soldiers
It was realized that it would require a
large number Of them to hold the vast
agalnSl
the wind
1t was dangerous to attempt a land
ing in an open field, because of the
storm, as the metal was likely to pound
to pieces. In the high wind one of the
motors refused to work, and the other
two were not powerful enough to make
any progress against the gale. The air
hi IriP
and sometimes leaning to an angle of &C
degrees. All the while the engine men
were at work repairing the disabled
motor. When this was done all four
screws were driven at their full power
under which in normal conditions the
airship was capable of attaining speed
of forty miles an hour. The helmsman
however, was unable to keep his course.
and the great craft was swung about at
the mercy Of the winds.
Fear of Overturnins Balloon.
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 fifty
miles an hour toward Osnabrtick, which
is also a garrison station. If he missed
that he would continue on to Senne
Suddenly he perceived whrlwind
coming and ascended to a height of
nearly four thousand feet to avoid the
an avalanche of rain. After half an
hour the Deutschland came down to
permit of observations, and it was seen
that the Teutoburgian forest lay be-
low. The forward motor again stopped,
and Colesmann sent five of the CORE
spondents to the aft gondola to ballast
the vessel.
The Deutschland sank rapidly, having
lost much gas in the high attitudes, and
dragged along the top Of the dense
forest. A heavy branch of tree broke
through the floor of the abin amidships,
throwing two of the guests to the floor.
Other branches ripped through the gas
compartments, and the whole great
structure settled down thirty or forty
feet from the ground.
The Deutschland after starting sailed
over the towns of Elberfeld and Solins-
en-, fifteen miles from Dusseldorf, and
then was driven by the wind over Kali
tenvenne. This place is seventy miles
north of Dusseldorf When over the city
the pilot attempted to bring his craft
about, and after some manRuvring
headed her for Minister.
1T isn't the fault of the Zeppelin sys-
tenn" exclaimed Herr Colesmann; that
is all right. 1t is our own fault and our
benzine ran out"
The Airship Badly Damaged.
The airship, for which Herr Coles
mann's company had just paid S137, 500,
looked like a wreck The frames were
broken, but the motors We're not dam
aged. The silk was ripped and had
fallen in d torn mass on the tops OF the
trees.
A rope ladder was swung down, and
every one was mustered below uninjured,
except for bruise or two. The peasants
identified the spot as near Wellendorf,
east of Osnabruck.
Many persons of the countryside must
have seen the descent, and reports of
disaster, explosion and death were wide
" spread. A party of officers and sur
geons came by automobile from Iburg.
The district governor and his wife, with
first aid TO the injured, arrived at the
scene within half an hour by special
train. A company of infantry was sent
from Osnabruck and picketed the
wreckage.
The accident occurred at $50 in the
evening The early part of the flight
was delightful. much like automobiling,
without the jarring. The airship main
tained an altitude of about five hundred
feet. and during the first hour or two
the passengers felt almost contempt for
the trains rumbling below and spoke of
automobiles as out OF date. This was
when the airship was sweeping gently
across the country, but during the height
of the storm the consciences of those
ON hoard were not so easV.
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