Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-22
ZEPPELIN FLEET
TAKEN BY FRENCH
First Thot to Be Air Raid on
France Shown to Be Fail
ure of Entire Plan.
CREWS ARE HELD PRISONER
Absence of Bombs Shows That
Attack Was Intended for
England But Miscarried.

PARIS. oct. 2l.--Altho at first It
was believed that the visit of the Yep
pelins to France yesterday was an in
dependent raid and the first step
toward carrying out the threat made
In German wireless messages which
said IL had been decided to destroy
Paris In reprlsal for French air raids
on German towns. IL now liz generally
believed that these eight Zeppelns,
four Of which were destroyed OF cap
tured, were returning from England
and had lost their bearings owing to
fog and probably had lost touch with
their wireless communications.
The log book of the Zeppelin which
landed intact shows that she had been
to England and prisoners from three
other airships confirm this. One OF
the men captured said II was the lack
OF gasoline that forced his Zeppelin
to descend. The raid Is widely pro-
claimed by French observers as being
definite proof of the superiority of
the airplane over the Zeppelin. The
day of the Zeppelin for bombardment,
one expert says is over.
New Type Machine.
The sudden resumption OF the use
OF the German dlrigibles is explained
by the theory that the raiding Zeppe-
Inns belonged to n new type which
lately has been reported to be In
course of construction at Lake Con-
stance. No reports have yet been re-
ceived that any damage was done by
the Zeppeins or that bombs were
dropped anywhere in France.
The first Zeppelin brought down fell
at Saint Clement seven and a half
miles south of Luneville and not at
n ,nF ~ lar 81,
The Zeppelin was first seen at 6:20
a. m. travelling with two other air
ships against a wind blowing ten or
eleven miles an hour An anti-air-
craft post fired a volley and the Yep
| pelln arose with bound A second
volley pierced the envelope and the
aiiship, bursting into flames, took a
vertical position and crashed down
| at 6:43 a. m.
Bodies Recovered l,f
Five corpses were found around the
wreckage. The bodies of the other
| members of the crew remain buried
in the smoking mass. No bombs were
heard to explode.
About 2:2G p. IN. the Zeppelin LIS
was forced by chaser planes to lana
near Bourbonne-les-B Baines intact. A
naval lieutenant and his second OFF,
Ger with a crew Of 81 men were made
prisoners.
Somewhat later a third Zeppelin.
the I.-50. landed near Dammartin. not
far from Montigny-le- Roi. and two
officers and II men, including two
slightly wounded. debarked. The
crew detached ons car and destroyed
1t. The airship thus llghtened then
departed with four men aboard. ono
of the prisoners said this Zeppelin had
left Oldenburg on the North sea at
O'Clock Friday afternoon bound for
London It became lost In a fog ana
being unable to reach It's objective
started to return.
An official note issued by the war
office gives the following summary
Of the Zeppelin raid:
THE first Zeppelin was brought
down by artillery at St Clement.
THE second was forced bv an avia-
tor to land near Bourbonne-les-B Baines.
Crew Taken Prisoner.
"The third was forced down at La.
ragne. near Sisteron. Tho crew VI
four officers and 15 men were taken
prisoner after they had burned tho
8lrship.
The fourth Zeppelin was brought
down In the same region about y. IN.
The fifth and sixth airshlps We're re-
ported passing above Gap and were
cut of control
"The seventh landed at Montigny-
lcRoi. debarkcd its wounded occu-
pents. threw out ballast and then de-
Parted. II was chased by aviators In
the direction OF Eole and Besansot
and later was signalled. together with
I the eighth Zeppelin, as passing over
Pontailler In Cote dor making for
| Switzerland"
The Matln says the German air
snip fleet experienced the most COM
| plete disaster II has ever met when
II was chosen for the attempt AZ the
mist from the valleys favored concel-
/ ment.