The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-02-09
INVENTOR PAINTS
ZEPPELINS AS FUTURE
= ARGOSIES OF COMMERCE


W. VhAy k0ootbAts bat Rho~NAtabANs
This war has interfered with my
plans. l know that aerial travel will
become the quickest and safest
method. zeppelins. In their develop
ment, have. In my opinion. great fu-
ture before them. Few people know
the delight and safety OF travel there
In. They will become great factors
for quick passage and mall service"
How long do you believe that Il
would take q Zeppelin to make the
flight from here to New York;" l ask
ed.
Three or four days, perhaps more.
perhaps less. II would depend on the
wind and the weather. Anyhow, II
could hardly be expected that the
first voyage would be made In the
shortest time any more than that the
first steamers established the record"
what will be the trend Of develop
ment In the Zeppelins In the future"
Where they are to be utilized for
war craft form Of construction that
will permit them to ny much higher
than ut present. For commercial pur.
poses they must have greater carrying
capacity, and greater speed. As COM
pared with the years II took to de-
velop the railroads my aircraft are
merely beginning their careers. AT
present they are too much dependent
upon wind and weather.
with the exception Of the first
flight that made cannot conceive
a more inspiring moment than when
can pilot one Of my cruisers into
New York and then go on TO Wash
ington,"
There was no doubt that the vet
eran inventor was keenly alive to the
defects that are still TO be overcome
before his airships are completely
successful. Plainly he had no doubt
that there were many problems still
unsolved and he did not seem to be-
lieve there would ever come great
battles Of the air on the scale so lur.
IDLY pictured by imaginative writers
of fiction.
Perhaps there won't be wars when
the stage. of perfection Is reached"
the count said.
81 suggested that he might have
sent one Of his Zeppelins to San Fran
cisco for exhibition at the Panama
Pacific exposition.
"No," he declared emphatically. mo.
I do not want q Zeppelin to make her
first voyage across the Atlantic In the
freight hold Of q steamer. She Will
make II under her own power"
He then explained to me that the
reason he has broken his lifelong rule
never to be interviewed was because
he recalled with appreciation the cor
diality and hospitality extended TO
n hx, artn half
and because II was In the United
States that he conceived the idea OF
aerial navigation. He will be n in
July, but he does not look over 60. He
Is short, but his well knit athletic hg-
ure shows astonishing elasticity and =
quickness Of movement. He has very
clear eyes and rudy face with a
snow white moustache. and when ]
saw him he had a pair OF beautiful
sinners" both eyes being discolored
and almost swollen shut. Calling my
attention to them. he said: ~.
1T looks like had been In tight.
doesn't 1T"
He explained that 1t was the result
Of Q tumble In the air while conduct.
ing an experiment at Johannisthal. He
declined to go into the nature OF the
experiment at the time, but 1t was
plain from his attitude that It was an
important one. A friend, who made
the third at the dinner with the count.
here announced that he was COM
PEELED to leave to see his friend, q
popular German dancer, OF from the
railway station.
Perhaps your excellency knows her
and would accompany me-" he sug-
gested.
The Zeppelin smile was again in evil
dence mo, but II ! were trifie
younger. would wager that would"
was the reply.
For several hours afterward the
count related to me incidents Of his
experience I'm America during the Civil
war. He told Of meeting President
Lincoln as a military attache and rep
resentative OF the king Of Wurtem-
burg.
"The president was sitting at his
desk very busy His private secre-
tary, young Seward, son Of the secre-
tery OF state, was sitting on q table
dangling his legs in the air. Lincoln.
tall and gaunt. greeted me very cor
daily. He made the impression on
me that the kaiser always makes on
me when I meet him. Lincoln in par.
ticular was deeply concerned about
the cruelties of the war, or what you
now refer to as atrocities. People
had the same impressions then as they
have now. This was best shown by
popular song, the refrain of which
goes. II I remember right:
"'When this cruel war Is over
The president gave me a military
pass with his signature and still
cherish It as one Of my best priced
possessions"
As a lieutenant OF cavalry, Won Zep-
pelin declared that he had had many
amusing experiences with Generals
Carl Schurz, Hooker. Gilmour. Mead
anG Pleasanton. He laughingly de-
scrited Pleasanton's long locks, like
q woman's. which he attributed to q
IRISH declaration that he would not
cut his hair while the war lasted. The
count told me how he narrowly es-
capped capture while watching q
battle between the union cavalry
and Zeb Stuart's slashing troop
ers. As a neutral he could not
draw sword or pistol, he said,
and had to depend on the speed
OF his horse to get away. The count
told me that he swan across tho
Niagara river below the American
falls To get n view of the full circle Of