Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-29
ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP
PREY Of GALE;33
V0YAGERS SAVED
Limps, Disabled, from Path in the
Clouds and Is Wrecked on
Forest Tree Tops
FORCED 1000 FEET IN THE AIR
Tops WhirIWind in Battle with a
Storm-PaSSengerS Rescued
with Rope Ladders
TAssocinted Pressl

DUSSELDORF, Germany, June 2S,--
Count zeppelin's passenger airship
Deutschland, the greatest of all the
famous aeronaut's models, lies tonight
in the Teutoburgian forest, pierced by
pine trees, a mass of deflated silk and
twisted aluminium.
The thirty-three passengers aboard
the airship when it struck the pines
after a wild contest with a storm, es-
capped uninjured, climbing down from
the wreck on a rope ladder.
Herr Colesmann, general manager OF
the new airship company; Chler In
gineer Duers of the Zeppelin company,
and Captain Wannenberg, who had
charge of the crew of ten, and twenty
newspaper men sailed from Dusseldorf
at $3.50 o'clock this morning for a three
hours excursion.
The objective point was Dortmund,
about thirty-five miles from Dussel-
dorf, but a high wind prevailed, ana
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.
It was realized 1t would require q
large number of men to hold the vast
contrivance of silk and metal against
the wind.
RISES ABOVE WHIRLWIND
In the high wind one of the motors
refused to work and the other two dld
not give sufficient power to make any
headway in the gale. The alrshlp
drifted, swaying in the violent gusts
and sometimes leaning to an angle or
fortv degrees. All the while the en-
ginemen were at work repairing the
disabled motor. When this was done
all four screws were driven at their
full power. Under normal condltlons
the engines were capable of driving the
airshin at a speed of forty miles an
hour. but the helmsman was unable
to keen his course and the great craft
was swung about at the mercy or the
winds.
Colesmann did not dare to come
about for fear of overturning, and de-
cided to drift with the gale toward
Osnabruck, also garrison town. IL
he missed that he expected to continue
to Senne. ,.a
coming and ascended to neight OF
nearly 1000 feet to avoid the center
of it,
with the whirlwind came heavy
downnour of rain. After half an hour
the Deutschland came down to permit
observations and it was seen that the
Teutoburgian forest lay below.
The forward motor stopped again
and ColeSmann sent nVe Oh Inc Col
RESPONDENTS to the aft gondola to pai-
last the vessel.
WRECKED ON TREE TOPS
The Deutschland sank rapidly, hav-
,no lost much gas in the high altitude,
and dragged along the top OF the
dense forest. A heavy branch or
tree broke through the bottom OF the
cabin amidships, throwing two of the
Guests to the floor. Other branches
Tinned through the gas compartments
and the whole great structure settled
down thirty or forty feet from the
ground. - zo,,v,
svsteu' - exclaimed Herr Colesmann;
chat is all right. 1t is our own fault
our benzine ran out"
The airship, for which Herr Coles
mann's company had Just paid $751;
looked like wreck. Ihe frames were
hrolxen. hut the motors were not dam
aged. The silk was ripped and had
fallen in a torn mass on the tops of
the trees.
Reports of disaster, explosion and
daath were widely spread. A party Of
officers and surgeons came by auto
mobile from Iburg and the district
governor and his wife arrived at the
scene within half an hour by special
train. 4
from Osnabruck and picketed the
wreckage.
The disaster occurred at $3.50 p m.
Tn the early part of the journey the
airship maintained an altitude or ABOUT
5OO feet and the passengers enjoying
the new sensation expressed contempt
for the train rumbling down below and
spoke of automobiles as out of date.