Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-06-22
Count Zeppelin Makes
Successful Flight with
Passengers.
WONDERFUL FEAT is
ACCOMPLISHED IN 9 HOURS
Great Cabin of Craft Fitted Like
Palace for Comfort of
Patrons.

DUSSELDORF, Germany, June 22.---
The first regular airship passenger
service was inaugurated today, when
Count Zeppelin's great craft, the
Deutschland, carrying twenty passen-
gers, successfully made the first sched-
uled trip from Friedrichshafen to this
city. a distance of 300 miles, in nine
hours.
The weather was perfect and the
motors worked faultlessly. The aver
age time maintained for the complete
course was approximately 33 miles an
hour, but between F'riedrichshafen and
Stuttgart the 124 miles was covered at
an average of Al miles an hour. The
best speed for a single hour was 4315
miles.
Zeppelin at the Helm.
Count Zeppelin was at the helm
when the Deutschland rose at Fried
richshafen at o'clock this morning
and sailed away on the trip that was
to mark an epoch in aviation. The
passengers were some of the directors
of the Hamburg-American Steamship
Company and the German Alrship
Stock Company, joint owners of the
dirigible, and guests. They occupied
the mahogany walled and carpeted
cabin situated between the gondolas,
and from the windows Of which they
viewed the scenery as the aerial car
swept along. Count Zeppelin steered
for the greater part of the distance.
The route was via Stuttgart, Mann
helm and Cologne to Dusseldorf. 1t
had been carefully marked out In ad.
vance for the guidance of the pilot,
and was followed exactly. There was
no air stirring. and the Deutschland
made her way unhampered through a
flood of brigh, sunshine.
Count Zeppelin demonstrated the ad-
vantage of an air route in the section
of the country traversed. The Deutsch-
land cut the railroad time one-tiiird be-
tween Mannheim and Dusseldorf. COW
cring the distance in four hours, where-
as the railway express time is six
hours.
The hour and minute of the probable
passing of the various points had been
bulletined ahead, so that not only the
people of the cities on the line, who
filled the streets. >but the inhabitants
of the intermediate villages turned out
and cheered enthusiastically as the i'm
mense torpedo-like structure, with it's
whistling screws. drove over their
heads at a height of between 200 and
300 feet
Tickets Sold Ahead.
The Deutschland swung gently into
her landing here at noon and the multi
tude surrounding the landing yards
shouted a welcome. The city had been
gayly decorated in honor of the event.
The promoters OF the enterprise and
their guests were entertained at a pub
lie dinner.
Regular trips will be made and many
tickets already have been sold for the
first few days at from. $25 to $50 each
The airship is equipped with restau-
ran !, which will supply the passengers
with buffet service, such as is afforded
on parlor car railroad trains.
The dimensions of the Deutschland
are: Length, 4s5 feet; width. as feet.
It's gas capacity is 24.S52 cubic yards.
and it carries three motors, having a
total of 330-hcrsepower.
1t was designed to maintain a speed
of thirty-f1ve miles an hour. Its lift
ing capacity is $4,000 pounds, of which
1000 pounds cover the crew, pas
sengers and express 1t Is expected to
be able to accomplish a continuous trip
of 700 miles.
ZeppeIin's Career.
Count Ferdinand Zeppelin. whose sue
cessful Inauguration of passenger
transportation by airship occurred to-
day, has had very dramatic career.
He was born near Friedrichshafen,
from which point he began his journey
this morning, in 1888. He began his
career in the German army before he
was 23, and two years later was de-
tailed for observation duty with the
Union army during the American Civil
War.
He interested himself in aerial navi-
cation very early and his first balloon
flight was in captive balloon, in
which he ascended from the Union lines
while connected with the Army of the
Potomac. He served on the staff of
General Carl Schurz and at the battle
of Fredericksburg affected his escape
from capture by brilliant feat of
making a charge through
q line of bayonets with which he had
been encircled.
He retrrned to Germany and partici-
pated In the Austrian war Of 1864 and
the Franco -Prussian war of 1870. He
was promoted to the rank of general in
1880, and then retired to devote himself
to aeronautics, which had become a
passion with him. He spent his entire
fortune of q half q million dollars in his
experiments, and but for the assistance
of the German emperor and the King Of
Wuertenburg must have failed for want
Of means.
He has built one airship after another
and on one occasion travelled 200 miles
from his home to Frankfort and later
succeeded in carrying twelve passen-
gers for q short distance through the
air, and year ago. with crew of
twenty-six men. was able to raise his
machine to q height Of 5000 feet.