Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-17
70 ZEPPELIN
FLIERSDIEIN
EXPLOSION
New Giant of German
Air Navy Drops
900 Feet on Ofic-
ial Trial Flight.
ADMIRALTY TRIAL BOARD
AMONG THOSE KILLED
Only Survivor Begs Rescuers to
Kill Him-Army Loses Three
Aeroplane Pilots In Stimuli.
taneous Accidents.

Ianeous Accidents.
BERLIN, Oct. 1.-THE newest and
largest or the Zeppelin war a,nsh,
tne OIL was destroyed in midair by
an explosion at 10:15 o'clock this
morning. All but one of the twentv-
seven military men an board, includ-
Ing. the entire admiralty trial board
were killed
The disaster occurred Just above
the main street of the City of Johan-
nisthal, while the big dirigible, 500
feet long, was making trial trip
preliminary to its acceptance as flag
ship of the new German aerial navy.
The shattered hulk of the airship, a
mass Of blazing canvas and crumpled
aluminium, dropped 900 feet into the
public highway. Hundreds of people,
who had been watching the flight
from parks and housetops, rushed to
the scene. There was nothing to be
done except to take out the dead
bodies of the victims from the mass
of twisted wreckage.
One Man Alive.
Lieutenant Baron Won Bleul, of the
Queen Augusta Greandier Guards.
who was making the trip as guest,
was the only survivor of the wreck.
He was badly injured and his condi-
ton is critical.
Many of the bodies were so burned
and mangled as to be unrecogniaable.
The admiralty trial board consisted
of seven officers. including Lieuten-
Commander Behnlsch and Senior
Lieutenant Freyer. of the German
naval flying corps. The airship's
pilot was Captain Glund. a veteran
steersman. in the employ of Count
Zeppelin.
Naval Constructors Neumann and
Pietzler and Naval Engineer Busch
were among those on board the OIL
Victim Friend OF Emperor. 5;
nt-Commander, Behnisch
was close personal friend of the em-
peror. He was formerly navigating
officer of the imperial yacht Hohen-
zollern and later commander of the
cruiser Panther. w
Lieutenant Freyer was also a favor
fte of Emperor William. He was for
merly personal adjutant of Prince
Adalbert, one of the sons of the en-
peror. He served with the prince on
board a torpedo boat after studying
with him at the naval academy.
Spectators who had been watching
the impressive maneuvers of the OH.
from below. suddenly saw the great
gas bag burst into q glaring flame
and then fall. A second or two later.
the reverberating sound of the terrific
explosion reached them.
The dirigible before she left the bal
loon hall at Johannisthal took on
board her regular naval crew and a
number of officers. She headed for
Berlin, a short distance away, In a
light wind. About a dozen aviators
were circling the aerodrome at the
time in aeroplanes.
Motor ExpIOdes.
Everything was apparently in good
order on the airship., She was gra-
dually getting up speed when sudden
ly an explosion was heard by those
on the ground, evidently in one of
the motors in the centre gondola A
flash shot out and the next instant
the whole ship was afire and plunging
downward. Every inch of the cam
vas covering and the balloonets dis
appeared in moment
A second and more violent explosion
was then heard. the fire having
reached the gasoline tanks filled with
about ton of liquid fuel. Before
the echoes of the explosion had died
down the wreck of the most modern
of Germany's dirigibles lay flaming
mass on the ground.
Nothing Left to Save.
The fire departments of all the
neighboring suburbs with detach-
ments of the balloon corps, the Pion-
GERS and other troops were soon on
the spot, but there was nothing left
to save.
The balloon lay in great curve
like letter "S." a mass of glowing
wires and tangled girders. The
cylinders of the motors in the centre
gondola and one of the after propel-
lers could be distinguished. Other
wise there was nothing to indicate
that the debris was that of Germany's
proudest airship.
Pioneers armed with axes hacked
at the wreckage for two hours be-
fore they extricated the last of the
bodies of the victims.
The dead were borne on Stretchers
to the balloon hall and a company of
- soldiers roped off the place to keep
back the crowd.
The six inmates of the centre gon-
dola had been blown through the
sides of the car by the first explo-
sion and their bodies fell a quarter
of mile away from the wreck of
the balloon, which was travelling at
40 miles an hour when the accident
happened.
All the others except two were ap-
parently killed by the explosion of
the gasolene tank. and were probably
dead before the wreckage reached the
earth.
The commander and members of
the admiralty trial board were seated
in the officers gondola After the
fire broke out they were Gagged inside
network of red-hot girders.
Begs to Be Killed.
Two of the crew were still alive
when rescuers reached the wreckage
One of Them however died before he
was extricated The other. Lieuten-
ant Baron yon Bleul. was desperately
injured. Both his eyes wers burned
out He urged the rescuers to kill him.
Beside the officers already mentioned,
Lieutenant Trenk. who was second in
command; Chief Engineer Hauss-
mann and three engineer secretaries
from the admiralty board, were
killed The pilot, Captain Glund,
was the only civilian on board the
airship. He was the commander of
the Zeppelin balloon which landed in
France in April. this year
The rest of those on board were
officers of the German navy.