The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-09-10
Dirigible IL Caught in Hur-
ricane During Trip to
Helgoland.
WRECKED BY WAVES
German Warships Rushed
From ManGuvres Pick Tn
Seven Survivors.
COMMANDER AMONG DEAD
Twelfth Accident to Bcfall Zen.
pelin Ships, hut First With
Loss Of Life.
Specioi Gable DespotcA to THe srx.

sps'fof toote Desp0rCf 70 THE SCS.
BERLIN. Sept. 9.-The worst pf tho
numerous disasters which have overtakcn
Germany's airship fleet happened this eve
ming when the new naval Zeppelin ship
III was wrecked while on n voyage from
the mainland to Helgoland, twenty-eight
miles away. Thirteen OF the crew of twen-
ty were drowned. This is the twelfth
accident to befaii the Zeppelin airshirs
and the first to he accompanied with loss
of life.
Details OF the voyage have not vet
reached Berlin. but it was apparently
without incident until the disaster came.
This was about : o'clock tonight when
the lei was struck by a hurricane eigh-
teen miles north OF Helgoland. The great
almost amidships and hurled to the sur
face of the sea. where she was pounded
To pieces by the wind and the waves.
According to the incomplete reports
which have been received up to the present
the big ship fioated for about an hour and
then buckled In the middle before she
sank
The Ii had been ordered 10 partc-
pate in to-nights battle manpuvrcs Of
the battleship feet. and although there
was strong wind and much rain the
officers and crew had such confidence
in their airshp that they left tho island
about o'clock without he slightest hosi-
tston or doubt
Wireless Calls for HELP.
About an hour later wireless sigisaa
calling for help were received from tn.
airshp and were heard by the military
station Oh the island
The German high sea feet Is now assem-
bled at Hegoland for mannuvrcs and i'm
mediately the news reached that island
full speed to the rescue.
Torpedo boats rushed out at full speed
and found huge waves sweeping over the
aluminium framework OF the airshir
which had broken in two 4 number az
men could be seen cilnging to the wreck
age. Men from the torpedo boats bucklcd
life belts on themselves and with lines in
their hands jumped overheard. They
made the lines fast to the exhausted men.
Of whom seven Were rescued These in
cluded I.ieuts. Wendt nnd Grimm
The work OF rescue IN high seas and A
heavy rain was most dramatic and very
difficult.
Other ships followed them and the So,
l. being searched over a wide area for
other possible survivors, but 1t Is feared
that the prevalence OF the storm preclud =
hope that any more members OF the crew
will he found alive.
Mrn Caught IN Cabins ~ Airshtv.
From reports received here II appears
that the L-l ran into n storm OF hurri-
can" proportions eighteen miles north of
HelieolanI which together with a sud
den drop in temperature and the severe
cold caused the gas to condense and the
weight of the crew, which was larger
than the airship is capable of sustaining
in bad weather, forced the shin down
INTO th" water where the high wave.
quickly put the motors out of commits
sion, The ship was completely disabled
and the cabins were submerged so that
the men who We're in them were caught
like rats in trap.
According to other reports the skin had
been cruising AT an altitude of 5000 feet
and was theoretically keeping out of gun
range Of the manruvring fleet below.
This caused loss of 24O0 cubic meters
of gas through condensation by the cold
and the ship dropped rapidly The crew
discharged the water ballast of IL 0oo
pounds in vain efforts to check the dirig-
ib'e and she fell iTo the water at con-
siderable speed.
The main facts OF the catastrophe ara
officially confirmed. but there are no ON.
cial details AT present
4 peculiar coincidence is that at the
time when Germanvs first naval acria,
cruiser was meeting hor doom the second
naval a!rship which was completed ar
Friedrichshafen on Saturday. was start.
ing on nifty hour endurance test. ,rh.
ship is known as L-2. She 10 b3s fa.,
long and is the largest ever built