The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-29
Storm Causes Motor TrOu-
bic and Great Vessel
Strikes Forest Trees
ALL THE PASSENGERS
ESCAPE WITHOUT HARM
Airship Is Caught By Hard Wind and
Driven From Course and Is Final
Iy Wrecked In the Tops of
Forest of Pine Trees

Dusseldorf, Germany, June &.-Count
zeppelin's passenger airship Deutschland.
the highest developed Of the aeronaut
models, lies tonight on the top of the
Teutobourgian forest, pierced with pine
tree STEMS a mass of Debated silk and
twisted aluminium. The 80 passengers
aboard, after wild contest with a storm,
escaped unnjured, climbing down a rope
ladder from the wreck on the pine tops.
Herr Colesmann, general manager of the
new airship company: Chief Engineer
Durr of the Zeppelin company. and Cap
tain Kannenberg, who personally had
charge of the crew of 10, and 20 news
paper men, sailed from Dusseldorf at
$50 o'clock this morning for three
hours excursion. The objective point was
Dortmund, about 30 miles from Dussel-
dorf, 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. 1t was
dangerous to attempt 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 drfted swaying in the violent gusts
and sometimes leaning to an angle of 40
degrees, and all the while the engine
men were at work repairing the disabled
motor. When this was done all four
screws were driven at their full power,
which under normal conditions the ship
was capable of attaining a speed of 40
miles an hour. But the helmsman was un-
able 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 overturning, and
he decided to drift in the gale which was
now blowing at the rate of so miles an
hour toward Osnabruck. which is also
garrison station If he missed that, he
would continue on to Senie.
Suddenly he perceived whirwind
coming and ascended to height OF near
ly 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 observations and 1t was
seen that the Teutoburgian forest lay
below. The forward motor again stopped
and Colesmann sent five of the cores
pondents to the aft gondola to balance
the vessel The Deutschland sank rapid
ly. having lost much gas In the high alti-
tudes, and dragged along the top of the
dense forest.
A branch OF a tree broke through the
floor of the cabin amidship, throwing
two of the guests to the floor Other
branches ripped through the gas COM
partments and the whole great structure
settled down 30 or 40 feet from the ground
1T is not the fault of Zeppelins sys-
tem," exclaimed Herr Colesmann. That
is all right. 1t is our own fault and
our benzine ran OUT
The airship for which Herr Colesmann's
company had just paid s137,5OO looked
like a wreck The frames were 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
every one was mustered below, uninjured.
except for a bruise or two. Two natives
identified the spot as near to Wellendorf
east of Osnabruck.
Many persons of the countryside must
have seen the descent and reports of dis
aster, explosion and death were widely
spread. company of infantry was sent
from Osnabruck and picketed the wreck-
age.
The disaster occurred at $50 o'clock in
the evening. The early part of the fight
was delightful, much like automobiling
without the iarring. The ship maintained
an altitude of about 800 feet