The San Francisco call., 1910-06-29
GIANT AIRSHIP
IS WRECKED IN
GERMAN FOREST
Count Zeppelin's Monster Diri-
gible Loses Hard Battle
With Storm
Thirty=three Persons on Board
Vessel Climb Down Rope
Ladder to Safety

| DUSSELDORF, Germany, June -2S.-
Count zeppelin's passenger airship
Deutschland, the greatest of all the
! famous aeronaut's models, lies tonight
In the Teuteburger forest, pierced by
pine trees, a mass of Debated silk and
twisted aluminium The 33 passeng gers
aboard the airship when it struck the
escaped uninjured, climbing down from
the wreck on rope ladder.
Herr Colesmann, general manager of
the new airship company, Chief Engi-
neer Duers of the Zeppelin company,
and Captain Wannenberg, who had
charge of the crew of 10 and 20 news
papermen, sailed from Dusseldorf at
[ $50 O'Clock this morning for a three
bours' excursion to show the airship
could navigate under unfayorable
weather conditions
The objective point was Dortmund,
'about S5 miles from Dusseldorf, but a
| high head wind prevailed and an effort
was made to reach Munster, a garrison
! town, so that a landing might be made
| on the parade ground with the aid of
/ the soldiers. 1t was realized that it
would require large number of men
to hold the vast contrivance of silk and
metal against the wind.
ONE OF MOTORS BALKs
In the high wind one of the motors
refused to work and the other two did
not give sufficient power to make any
headway against the gale. The airship
ldrifted, swaying in the violent gusts
/ and sometimes leaning to an angle of
40 degrees. Meanwhile the enginemen
were at work repairing the disa bled
motor When this was done all four
screws were driven at their full power.
Under normal conditions, the engines
were capable of driving the airship at
a speed of 40 miles an. hour, but the
helmsman was unable to keep his
course and the great craft was swung
about at the mercy of the winds.
Colesmann did not dare to come
about for fear of overturning. and de-
cided to drift with the gale toward
Osnabruck, also a garrison station. If
he missed that he expected to continue
on to Senne.
Suddenly he perceived a whirIwind
coming. and ascended to height of
nearly 1000 feet to avoid the center of
it, With the whirlwind came a down
pour OF rain. After half an hour the
Deutschland came down to permit OBJ
servations, and it was seen that the
I
forward motor stopped again, and
Colesmann sent five of the correspond
ents to the aft gondola to ballast the
| vessel.
| TREES TEAR AIRSHIP
The Deutschland sank rapidly. hav-
ing lost much gas in the high altitude.
and dragged along the top of the dense
| forest. A heavy branch of tree broke
| through the bottom of the cabin, amid
ships, throwing 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.
/ TT isn't the fault of the Zeppelin
system. exclaimed Herr CoIesnann;
that is all right. 1t is our own fault;
our benzine ran out"
The airship for which Herr Coles
mann's company had just paid s137 900,
| looked like wreck. The frames were
broken.-but the motors were not dam
aged. The silk was ripped and had
fallen in torn mass on the tops of
| the trees. Reports of disaster, explo-
sion and death were widely spread. A
party of officers and surgeons came by
automobile from Iburg and the district
governor and his wife arrived at the
scene within half an hour by special
train. A company of infantry was sent
from Osnabruck and picketed the
wreckage.
The disaster occurred at $50 o'clock
| this afternoon. In the early part of
the journey the airship maintained an
| altitude of about 500 feet, and the pas
sengers, enjoying the new sensation.
expressed contempt for the train rum
bling down below and spoke of auto
mobiles as out of date.
Brookins Defies Wind
MONIfStlAl1, tlue., June ZS.-Walter
Brookins of the Wright team was the
hero of the aviation meet today. He
started with great daring before the
| heavy wind had gone down, and COW
| cred seven miles under most trying
wind and sun conditions. In the Sec
opd ascent he mounted to an altitude
of approximately 1000 feet, and was
in the air 90 minutes and 80 seconds
Count de Lesseps made two exhibition
| hscensions.
New Amateur Record
! NEW YORK, June 2S.--Clifford 3.
Harmon in Farnlan biplane sailed 81
times around the course at Mineola.
l.. T., tonight remaining aloft / hour
and minutes, covering approximately
45 miles and establishing what is be-
iieved to be a new amateur record for
duration.
GAMBLING NOT PRovED--The cases of the
eight arrested during the raid on the