Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-17
Ton of Gasoline ExpIodes,
Reducing Big Machine
to Atoms.
TRAGEDY SEEN BY MANY
Lone Survivor, With Both Eyes
Gone, Pleads With ReSCuerS
to Kill Him.

Berlin, Germany, Oct 1.-THE new
naval Zeppelin airship LIZ exploded in
the air near Johannisthal today and
was completely wrecked. About thirty
persons were aboard the airship. There
was only one survivor The party in
cluded the Real Admiralty Trial
Board headed by Commanded Behn-
isch. conducting final trials prior to
the acceptance of the new craft as part
of the new German aerial navy. The
crew was under command of Lieuten-
ant Prayer of the navy and Captain
Gluth, one of Count Zepnelin's veteran
dirigible pilots.
| All but one of the 81 military men
on board, including the entire admiral
! ty trial board, were killed. Lieutenant
/ Baron Won Bleul, who was making the
"trip as a guest, was the only survivor.
He is badly injured and his condition
is critical. The disaster occurred above
/ the main street in Johannisthal.
WITNESSED
Hundreds who had been watching
l4iAa. .aishk -fEnm. PARKS an nekshoHse>-sePs
rushed tosehe scene. Nothing could lie
done except take out the dead bodies
| of the victims from the wreckage.
Many bodies were buried and mangled
beyond recognition.
The admiralty trial board consisted
I
Commander Behnisch and Senior Lieu
tenant Prayer of the German naval
flying corps, Naval Constructors Neu.
mann and PietZler and Naval Engineer
Busch were among those aboard.
Behnisch is a close personal friend of
the emperor and was formerly navigat
ing ficer of the imperial yacht Hohen'
zoll1 4 later commander of the
!cruiser panther 1t was impossible fol-
some time to approach the flaming dir
Iigible beneath which members of the
crew were crushed and burned.
900 FEET Up IN AIR.
~Hc airship exploded at 1918 this
morning while it was over the out
skirts of Johannisthal, sailing at a
height of about nine hundred feet
The craft fell in the main highway
leading into Johannisthal, its wreck
of twisted aluminium framework block
ing the road. The exact cause of the
accident is unknown. 1t is said il
mad just left its shed and had travers
ed barely quarter of a mile in the
direction of Berlin. Spectators sud
denly saw a pillar of fire shoot from
the middle of the balloon and the
next instant the craft was a mass O
flames plunging to the earth, buryin,
those aboard beneath the wreckage. l
= was the latest and the largest of III,
= new craft designed for the German
. navy. 1t was about one hundred fee
long.
Sept 9 similar craft bein.
launched for the navy as LII was de
5 stroyed by a hurricane and loss of Il
men.
TON OF GASOLINE EXPLO3Es.
There we're two explosions, the sec
r ond and most violent occurring whel
: the fire reached the gasoline tank
= containing a ton of liquid fuel. Res
cuers with axes hacked at the wreck
) age two hours before they extricate,
the last of the victims. Two of tn,
crew were still alive when the res
: cuers reached the wreck. One die,
I after extrication. The other, Lieuteu
ant Baron Won Bleul, was desperatel,
r injured. His eyes were burned out
] He urged his rescuers to kill him.
The Zeppelin airships have beel
r regularly unfortunate ever since thei
4 invention by the aged soldier count
No fewer than seven Of them hav
been destroyed by fire or explosiol
or have been wrecked. Many acc
dents have happened to other airship
. OF the same type. involving a Iarg
list Of killed or injured.
SIX FALL FROM WRECK.
Six inmates OF the center gondol
we're blown through the sides of III
car by the first explosion. All III
? bodies fell a quarter OF a mile fror
0 the wreck of the balloon, which wa
,. travelling 40 miles an hour when III
!, accident happened. All the others e,
cept two apparently were killed by th
explosion Of the gasoline tank. Tn
commander and members Of the az
o mtrslity trial board we're seated in III
3 officers gondoia- After the fire brok
Z out they were caught inside a networ
:. Of red hot girdera