Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-10-18

 only survivor of the wreck. He was badly injured.
 Many of the bodies were so burned and mangled as to be unreco sni2- able.
 The admiralty trial board consist ed o1 seven officers, Including Lieut.. Commander Behnisch and Scntor Lieut.. Freyer of the German naval flying corps. The airship's pilot was Captain Cluth, a veteran steersman in the employ of Count Zeppelin.
 Naval Constructors Neumann and Pietzler and Naval Engineer Busch were among the victims.
 Behnisch Friend Of the Emperor. Lieut.. Commander Bchnsch was a close personal friend of the emperor. He was formerly navigating officer of the imperial yacht and later con- mander of the cruiser Panther. Lieut. Freyer was also favorite of Emperor William.
 
 the impressive maneuvers of the L-2, saw the great gas bag suddenly burst into a glowing flame and then fall
 A second later the reverbrating sound of the explosion reached them. It was impossible for some time to approach the flaming dirgible, be- meath which the members of the crew had been crushed and burned
 Description by an Eyewitness.
 A director of one of the aviation companies at the .Johannisthal aero drome was an eyewitness of the dis aster. He described it as follows:
 s'I was working in my office about 300 yards from the scene of the wreck when ] was startled by all ex- plosion of extraordinary violence,
 ''I rushed to a window and saw the new dirigible in flames and plua ging toward the earth. The outer cover- ing of the air craft had already bee. burned off and the inner halloonets containing the gas had disappeared. Naked Aluminium Frame Work. 'The naked aluminium framewsAk with it's long center pieces, it's inter- laced ribs and it's tapering ends and the gondolas containing the motors beneath fell rapidly, bow foremost. When the skeleton of the immense craft struck the earth the neavy gon dolas buried themselves in the ground"
 Headed for Berlin.
 The dirigible before leaving the balloon hall at Johannisthal. took on board her regular naval crew and a number of officers. She headed for Berlin, short distance away, in a light wind. About a dozen of the aviators were circling the aerodome at the time.
 Everything apparently was in good ly getting up speed, when suddenly an explosion was heard by those on the ground, evidently in one of the motors ill the center gondola. There was flash of flame, and the next instant the whole ship was afire and plunging downward. Every inch of the canvas covering and the balionets disappeared in a moment.
 Second Explosion Heard.
 A second and more violent explos ion 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 Ger man dirgibles lay flaming mass on the ground.
 The balloon lay in great curve like the letter "S," mass of glowing wires and tangled girders. The cylin- ders of the motors in the center gon- dola and one of the after propellers could be distinguished. Otherwise.
 
 debris was Nhat of Germanys proudest airship.
 Recovery of Victims Bodies.
 Pioneers armed with axes hacked at the wreckage for two hours before they extricated the last of the bodies. The six inmates of the center gon- dola had been blown through the side of the car by the first explosion, and their bodies fell quarter of mile away from the wreck of the balloon, which was travelling forty miles an hour when the accident happened. All the others, except two, were killed by the explosion of the gasoline tank. and were probably dead before the wrckage reached the earth. The com mand6r and other members were seated in the officers gondola.