Evening journal., 1913-11-18
COUNT ZEPPELIN
CRUSHED BY FATE
MAY YET COME / ACK
B, KarI H. Yon Miegand.

the cetnury." is undaunted IN the I
evening of his life and mistaken in (
his confidence in<his aircraft by the
destruction of the navy's two aerial !
cruisers Il 1" and Il g." It is the {
sad loss Of life IN thes two disasters
that for the first time has bowed the
White-haired old man. Never oasy of /
approach. he is almost inaccessible /
now in his home at Stuttgart or at
the Zeppelin works in Friedericks- /
hafen.
Count Zeppelin's unbroken spirit /
challenges the worlds admiration /
He is 75 years of age Few inventors
have encountered such relentless OBJ !
stacles and ocervome them by so in !
domitable a spirit. To none has fame
come more tardily and reluctantly.
For years he has wrestled and strug- /
gled increasingly with the air of
which he desired to be master. Once
more. in his old age he is down .
Will he stay DOWN" Those who
know him best, say not.
over confidence begets weakness,
u rs the irony of fate that as Zeppe-
lin was at the very height of his
fame, and the world was almost con-
vinced of the success of his system
for aerial navigation and England
trembled at the growing. German aer-
ial feet when the severest blows of
his career were struck. highr ele-
ments sent the L /" into the North
Sea near Heligoland The backfring
Of carbuereter an accident that has
robbed many an enthusiastic automo-
billst Of his car. sent the majestic
Il e" and IS lives to their doom.
Zeppelin has buckled down 10
work again. With every accident he
pores over drawings and specihca-
tons. seeking to find and eliminate
the weak point. One after another he
has found and conquered.
His friends say he will not admit
the loss of the nayy4 two aerial
cruisers was due to any inherent
weakness in the system. They ques-
tion the Judgment of those who sent
the Il ?" out over the North sea on
that stormy day. They declare that
Zeppelin cannot be he'd responsible
for the proper working and adjust
ment OF a carbureter. They point
out that all the recent disasters were
tC military or navy cruisers, manned
by army or navy crews. and not by
his own men. They point 70 ne fact
that the passenger aerial fleet oper-
ated by the Hamburg-Americar
steamship company. has carried ap-
proximately 5000 passengers without
injury TO a single one
Il is not generally known that
Count Ferdinand Won Zeppelin made
his first fight in the United States
Az 25 years of age Zeppelin, as a
/ lieutenant of cavalry. was Wurten-
burg's military attache and observer
with the Union army in the American
Civil War. Joining the army OF the
Mississippi. he was attached to Cen
eral Carl Schurz's brigade Zeppelin
with the daring that has character
lied him all his life, was never con-
tent to play the part Of an observer
He had a habit Of getting into the
fray where sparks danced like ire
flies, when sabres met sabres. Near
! Fredericksburg daring horsemanship.
capturing and escaping on Confed-
crate mount. is all that saved him
from a Southern prison.
1t was during the civil war that
Zeppelin had his first taste of aero
lnautics." He went up in a balloon
sent up by the federal troops to SPY
out the position Of the Confederates
Zeppelin not only volunteered. but
begged to be allowed to go up AS
Everybody al headquarters was fond
Of the young German, he was per-
mitted to go. And, as a writer puts
it: "Germany's future in the air was
born In Dixie"
Zeppelin returned to Germany I'M
time to participate in the war with
Austria IN 1866 A few hours after
the declaration of war with France
on July "a. 1870. Count Zeppelin. in
command of four other officers and
|, seven cavalry scouts. dashed across
the frontier on a darign reconnoiter-
ing ride Zeppelin was the first to
Invade France. AT the head of his
lllittle column he went 20 far that at
first the very daringness took the
/ breath of the French And then II
was a mad ride for German territory
with the valuable information gatl.-
cred. N
! Coming to a village. they found
i their way blocked by superior num-
4 lbers of French troops. "Cut your
! way through" shouted Zeppelin. The
Il ~ men dashed through the thick of
4 lit Zeppelin's horse was wounded by
\ q French lancer. Zeppelin sent the
U French cavalryman out of his saddle
l with a vicious swish Of his sabre and
4 mounted the Frenchman's horse. Az
U lReichshof a squadron of French Chas-
seurs were ready to receive the little
i column. Lieutenant Winsloe, the first
Y German killed in the war. was shot
/ out Of his saddle. Zeppelin ordered
4 charge
] His other three officers and the sever
men were captured Zeppelin alone cut
4 his way thru His horse went down anc
Y again he emptied French saddle anc
\ made his escape on the enemy's horse
Il When the war was over Zeppelin was q
y colonel. In 1891 he became general o.
u cavalry. Not until 1892 did he starr
|l work on his self-assigned task of con
\ quering the air. Not r1anv years age
] he practically offered to mortgage hi
4 future TO an American millionaire news
i paper owner for a loan of $4,000 witt
\ which to -ntinue his work.
II Zeppei has built thirteen aeria
i cruisers 80 far. he thirteenth, the Il
!. l2," which exploded near Johanniste