The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-06-30
HAS HARD LUCK
=
zsppeIin's Great Auship Is Wrecked by
Treetops.
NO one INJURED
After unavailing Contest With Ter
rife storm and Whirlwind the
Disabled Monster Falls Helpless.
All the Passengers Lowered to

All the Passengers Lowered To
Safety.
A dispatch from Dusseldorf, Ger,
saws Count Zeppelin's passenger air
shin Deutschland, the highest de-
yeloped of all the aeronauts models,
lies on top of the TeutoDourgain
forests, pierced with pine tree
stem. a mass of debated silk and
twisted aluminium. The % persons
aboard, after wild contest with a
storm, escaped uninjured, climbing
down a rope ladder from the wreck
on the pine tops.
Herr Colesman, general manager
of the new, airship company, Chief
engineer Durr of the Zeppelin conf
pany and Capt Kannenburg, who per-
sonally had charge of the crew OF
ten and twenty newspaper men hail
ed from Dusseldorf at $50 o'clock
Tuesday morning for a three hours,
excursion. The objective point was
Dortmund, about 35 miles from Dus-
seldorf, but a high head wind pre-
vailed and an effort was made to
reach Munster, a garrison town, so
that a landing might be made on. the
parade ground.
It 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 motors
refused to work and the other two
were not powerful enough to make
any progress in the gale. The air
ship drifted, swaying in the violent
gusts and sometimes leaning to an
angle of 40 degrees, and all the
while the enginemen were at work
repairing the disabled motor. When
this was done all four screws were
driven under full power, with which
under normal conditions, the ship
was able to make 40 miles an hour.
But the helmsman 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 shin around for fear Of overturn-
ing. and he decided to drift in the
gale which was now blowing at the
rate of fifty miles an hour toward
Osnabruck, which is also a garrison
town. If he missed that he would
continue on to Senie.
Suddenly he perceived whirlwlnd
coming and ascended to a height OF
nearly 1000 feet to avoid the worst
of it. With the whirlwind came an
avalanche of rain. After an hour
the Deutchland came down to permit
of observation aud it was seen that
the Teutobourgian forest lay below.
The forward motor again stopped
and Colesmann sent five of the cor
RESPONDENTS to the aft gondola to
balance the vessel. The ship sank
rapidly, having lost much gas in the
high altitude and dragged along the
top of the dense forest. A heavy
branch of tree broke through the
floor of the cabin amidships, throw
ing 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.
1T is not the fault Of the ,Zeppe-
lin SYSTEM declared Herr Cole
mann; 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 S137,-
500 looked like a wreck. The frames
we're broken but the motors were
not damaged. The silk was ripped
and had fallen in torn mass on
the tops of the trees.
a rope ladder was swung down and
everyone was mustered below unin-
jured except for 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-
sultant disaster. Reports of death
were widely spread. A company OF
infantry was sent from Osnabruck
and picketed the wreckage.