Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-10-10
zEPPEL|NS seen
IN THEIR Lair
German Writer Tells Of Waek's
Visit TO Air Giants.
ISSUES WARNING TO FOES
First Description Of the Homo Of the
Big Air crsft--Hss Been Carefully
Guarded Since Outbreak Of War;
Have . Confidence Inspiring Number.
Fsndrieh Asserts.

Anton Fendrich, who IN about TO pub.
iish book on the war, IL giving 10
tho German public Its first real view
Of the German air feet, which he Wis.
Ned among the sand dunes" Here
In his story In part:
Somewhere amid the white sand
dunes and the salt meadow weeds
dwell the mn nrincrs OF the air who have
brought some notion 10 Albion that II
no longer is an island. was taken to
a group Of buildings. dark nirship halls.
sIhouetted against the sunset clouds
In great lines OF modern steel construc.
tion.
"'How many?' ! hear the question
asked. Quite n confidence inspiring
number.
"rhc commanders were sitting at a
flower decked horseshoe supper table
not all Of them, for some were under
way From the wall smiled the Sua.
bian Count Zeppelin. without whose
decade OF struggling all this would new
er have been.
These men were mostly between
thirty and forty years and already had
many a time participated IN Il Wild
hunt through searchlights and bursting
shells, and. though they lived among
tlcsc peaceful meadows. the same keen
look of The hnntsman which one finds
at the front WIS stamped on their
faces.
1T was midnight ps' we approached
the dark structure with brightly illu.
minated windows. which. at first broad
and red. soon shrnnk TO narrow shin.
ing slIis M the whole ball turned
on It's axis in order 10 bring the air
ship into line with the wind.
Hurricane From PropslIers.
The turning of single screw on
the ochcr yellow body Of the air cruls.
or filled the giant hall with The roar
ing and howllng ~ n hurricane
I'm front Of the almost unhelievab,y
thin steel rods a. which were aniSe |
tho screw propcllcrs were high wood.
on platforms an which mechanics COW.
cred nnd wat hcl the whlrlng pro.
pellcrs, These wooden propcliers. eacb
as tall as a man. soon became visible
again. turned awkwardly few times.
then stopped A mechanic adjusted II
few screws hammered few bolts.
-,
blades again roared. The mechanic
notes the faults first always with the
ear only, but aftcrwarl discovers
them with the eye. '"o
"Scw they had caught the right tone,
The ship is clear for sailing the en-.
gineer reported TO the commander. g..
But outside waited the night wind.
One knew II well from past experience.
Therefore n hundred hard seamcn's
fists grabbed It outside to prevent cap.
sizing.
Tho Air Giant 10 OH.
"A shylll whistle >nnd all the screws
began their storm song. A few men Of
the landing battalion shook themselves
like wet dogs, They had got on their
heads spout OF the water with which
tho air cruiser lightens itself. Lightly
the slender colossus iioatcd upward
aud It seemed swallowed up by the
night, dark shadow against the
Great Dlpper.
1--WE flew. The dcafcning noise max
Ing conversation impossible, at first
noticed nothing. The commandanl
showed me the manipulation OF tho
steering gear for elevation and dlrcc
iion aud all the other technical equip
mcnt,
we few over wood and meadow
and over airshlp halls and barracks
aud the canopy Of green~was soon lost
To sight,
"ThOugh small horizontal trans
parent pane, built like an alcove IN
the glass wall VI the commandant's
gonodolu, your eyes can see straIrl
downward Into the depths below.
"Durlng the week was With the
air cruiser In which one OF the com
mandnnts had In Ave days spent
cighty.cight hours IN the mir and had
slept only twenty.four IN his bed.
"Another officer. commanding one OF
the older ships with open gondoNas. re-
turned no frozen that II was necessary
urst to knock or with sticks the Ice
from the fur clothes OF him and his
men before they could undrcss.
"But, in my mind, took of my hat
most Of all to the one whose tlrs,
words as hc leaned out OF his gondolr
were;
"'I haven't been able TO get rid OF
my eggsr lie meant the bombs Will
which his Zeppelin was provided.
"Hc had orders to attack an lrol
foundry From afnr he saw Il CLEAN
Ing below, but the increasing stormy
west wind prevented HIM from gcttlnl
over IT,. The home Journey led hin
over many town anu village OF thu
land which socks TO starvc ont Ger
man women and children, but hc few
over them with all his bombs,
Down on the wnter front every