Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-07-14

day Erbsloeh and his crew of
four were dashed to pieces.
LEICHLINGEN, Rhenish Prus
July 13.-The dirigible balloon E
loeh, recently refitted for a passel
service, was destroyed in midair
day through the explosion of bep
tank and her navigator, Oscar !
loeh, and his crew of four men &
ped to their death.
The bodies of the aviators
frightfully mangled. The gondola
torn to bits and the motor buried
self beneath the surface of the grol
The victims were men well kn
to all Germans interested in ae
feats and Erbsloeh gained an in
national reputation, when, in 1907
st. Louis, he won the Internati,
Cup i'll the distance race for ballo
His companions were Herr Toell
manufactures, of Barnem; two en-,
! eers, Herr Kranz and Herr Hoel
and Herr Spicke, the motorman.
The Erbsloeh was constructed
year and had had dubious car,
The first time it descended it cras
into a clump of trees and its ocC
ants narrowly escaped injury. A
days. ago, during a trial fight, a !
peller was broken. The balloon, WI
was of the non-rigid type, had
been made over preparatory to the
ablishment of passenger service
tween Elberfeld and nearby poi
Today it was inflated for a final
| by the crew. The ascent was m
near Opladen and during fog.
There were few eye witnesses OF
accident.
According to these the start
well made. The Erbsloeh rose grf
fully pushing its way through the
to height estimated at several h
dred yards. At this altitude a Sc.
of evolutions was begun. Sudd,
there was loud report and at
moment the forepart of the We
crumpled up and the gondola
twisted about until it appeared
though standing on one end. As
gas escaped from the foreward C,
partment the Prov swayed downwi
For flash the airship f1uttered lik
wounded bird and then fell swift,
earth.
Erbsloeh and his companions W
killed the second they struck
ground. Their heads were battered
and every limb was broken.
An examination of the wreck
showed that the benzine tank !
burst, tearing to shreds the rubber
velope directly above it. The destr
tion of this envelope caused the /
to collapse. The stem compartm
was still filed with gas when it strl
the ground.
The death of Erbsloeh and his CT
with the destruction of the ballo
for which much had been hoped. /
lowing closely upon the loss of Co
Zeppelin's Deutschland has eau
gloom in aviation circles. The pub
had scarcely recovered from the she
caused by the accidental death
Charles Stewart Rolls, the Engl
aviator, when they learned that Er
loeh had been added to the long list
Germans who had lost their Ii
while ballooning. The effect was
pressing.
Oscar Erbsloeh had made many d
ing and successful balloon flights.
the st. Louis aerial race, when he "
the International cup which had bC
taken the year before by Lieutenl
Frank B. Lahm at Paris, he covere
distance of S76 miles. Starting at
Louis, he landed at Asbury Park,
j., two miles further from the po
of ascent than his nearest competit
NJ. Leblanc, of France, who ca
down at Herbertsville, N. J. Erbsl'
on that occasion piloted the ballc
Pommern.
In February, 1909, Erbsloeh mad,
remarkable balloon trip across
Alps. His balloon, the Berlin, rema
ed in the air for thirty hours, rea,
ing maximum latitude of about ]
600 feet. An average temperature
about IL degrees below zero was ,
perienced.