The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-07-06
AIRSHIP WRECKED BY STORM
BIG AIRCRAFT WITH 80 PAssEN-
GERS PLAYTHING OF WIND.
Falls in Forest and Is Ripped to
Pieces by Trees. The Dam
age Is S137.5OO


DUSSELDORF, Germany. Count
zeppelin's passenger airship, Duet
schland, the highest developed of all
the aeronaut's models, lies tonight
on top of the Teutobourgian forest,
pierced with pine tree stems, a mass
of debated silk and twisted alumni
mum. The thirty-three persons
aboard, after wild contest with a
storm, escaped uninjured, climbing
down rope ladder from the wreck
on the pine tops.
Herr Colesmann, general manager
of the new airship company; Chief
Engineer Durr, of the Zeppelin Com
pany, and Capt. Kannenberg, who
personally had charge of the crew of
ten, and twenty newspaper men.
sailed from Dusseldorf at $50
O'Clock this morning for a three
hours excursion. The objective point
was Dormund, thirty-fve miles from
Dusseldorf, but a high head wind
prevailed, and an effort was made to
reach Munster, a garrison town, so
that landing might be made on the
parade ground.
fiaythng of the Storm.
1t was dangerous to attempt a
landing in an open field because of
the storm, as the metal was likely
to pound to pieces. One of the mo-
tors refused to work and the other
two were not powerful enough to
make any progress in the gate. The
airship drifted, swaying in the vio-
lent gusts and sometimes leaning to
an angle of forty degrees, and all the
while the enginemen were at work
repairing the disabled motor. When
this was done all four screws were
driven at their full power, with which
under normal conditions the ship was
capable of attaining a speed of forty
miles an hour. But the helsman was
unable 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 over
turning, and he decided to drift in
the gale, which was now blowing at
the rate of fifty miles an hour, to-
ward Osnabruck, which also is a gar
rison town. If he missed that he
would continue on to Settle.
Suddenly he perceived a whirlwind
coming, and assembled to a height of
nearly 1000 feet to avoid the worst
of it. With the whirlwind came an
avalanche of rain. After half an
hour the Deutschland came down to
permit of observation, and it was
seen that the Teutobourgian forest
lay below.
Ripped by the Trees.
The forward motor again stopped,
and Colesmann sent five of the cor
respondents to the aft gondola to
balance the vessel. The Deutschland
sank rapidly, having lost much gas
in the high attitudes and dragged
along the top of the dense forest.
heavy branch of a tree broke
through the floor 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 thirty or forty feet from the
ground.
ut is not the fault of the Zeppelin
system, declared HEIR COIeSmannS
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 wreck. The frames
were broken but the motors were not
damaged The silk was ripped and
had fallen IL torn mass on the tops
of the trees
A rope ladder was swung down
and very one was mustered below,
uninjured except for a bruise or two.
Two natives identified the spot as
near to Wellendorf, east of Osna-
bruck.
Many persons of the countryside
must have seen the descent, and re-
ports of disaster, explosion and death
were widely spread A company of
infantry was sent from Osnabruck
and picketed the wreckage
The disaster occurred at $3.50
o'clock in the evening. The early
part of the fight was delightful,
much like automobiling, without the
Earring. The ship maintained an av-
erage altitude of 500 feet.