New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-18


she would be sent to the San Francisco
exhibition. but two minutes were all
that was needed to turn the magnih-
cent air cruiser into a melancholy mass
! of debris.
Soldiers See Catastrophe.
An account of what happened comes
from party OF soldiers crossing Johan-
/ nisthal plain at the moment of the dis
aster.
The LIZ scared in the air 1000 feet
and apparently had just settled down
, for her flight to Hamburg when burst
Of flame was seen in the forward. or
pilots. gondola. 1t is believed that an
electric spark, touched the benZine res
eryoirs. An instant after the flame
tremendous explosion thundered across
the plain. while the airship turned into
a gigantic fireball. 1t flew hundred
yards and then dashed 10 the grouhu
with a fearful crash.
The soldiers called To the rescue
could reach the passengers only by
driving axes and swords through the
white hot framework. Most OF the VIC
tins we're terribly burned In the race
and body. The bodies were taken 10
tho morgue. wrapped in the German
| flag
Hundreds Of people witnessed the ac-
cident and were appalled, when they
saw the eat structure burst into
glaring fame and then fall from
height Of 800 feet. mass OF blazing
canvas and molten aluminium across
| the public highway.
Another Eyewitness Account.
director Of one OF the aviation COM
panies at the Johannisthal Aerodrome
was an eyewitness Of the disaster lie
described 1t as follows:
Il was working in my office, about
five hundred yards from the scene OF
the accident, when / was startled oy
an explosion Of extraordinary violence
Nv first tho hit was that an aeropiane
had landed on the roof of building
and that the gasolene had exploded.
"I rushed to a window and saw the
new dirigible in flames and plunsing
toward the earth. The outer covering
e the aircraf. had been already burned
off and the inner ballonets containing
the gas had disappeared.
THE naked aluminium framework,
with it's long centre pieces, It's inter-
laced ribs and its tapering ends and
with the gondolas containing the mo-
tors beneath, fell rapidly, bow foremost.
When the skeleton Of the immense
craft struck the earth the heavy gon-
dolas buried themselves in the ground.
II rushed Immediately to the scene
after ordering the fire department from
the aerodrome to follow, but when ar
rived there was nothing left to be done
except to take out the dead bodies of
the victims from the great mass Of
twisted wreckage."
Aviators Close BY.
The dirigible before she left the bal
loon hall took on board her regular
naval crew and a number Of officers.
| She headed for Berlin. short distance
off in a i. ht wind. About a dozen
giving men were circling the aerodrome
at the time In their aeroplanes.
Everything was apparently in good
order on the airship when she started.
Then suddenly an explosion was heard.
A fash shot out. and the next instant
the whole ship was on fire and plung-
ting downward. Every inch of the can
vas covering and the ballonets disap-
neared in a moment. A second and
more violent explosion was then heard,
and in another instant the newest and
most modern Of Germany's dirigibles
law a flaming mass on the ground.
The fire departments Of all the neigh
boring suburbs, with detachments OF
the balloon corps, the pioneers and
other troops, were soon on the spot. but
there was nothing left to save.
| The balloon lay in a great IS" curve,
q mass Of glowing tangled girders and
wires Pioneers armed with axes
hacked at the wreckage for two hours
| before they could extricate the last Of
Continued on fourth page. fourth column.