Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-31
ZEPPELIN FLEET IS sunk"
BY YOUNG NAVAL OFFICER
Practically All of Gcrmany's Great
Dirigiblcs Are Made
Worthless.
Won REUTERS ACT EMULATED
German Foreign Office Much Worried,
II Is Said, by Unauthorized Act,
Governments Policy Being to
Meet Treaty Terms.
BY KARL n. Won wIEGANp.

BERLIN August so. = Germanys
Zeppelin fleet Will not swell The allied
air forces. 1t has been destroyed. De-
termined that the victorious allies
should not have Gcrmauy's great aerial
fleet. notwithstanding The provisions
of the peace treaty. a young naval OH
Ger. according 20 what seems a relta-
bic report. cmulated the example OF
Admiral Won Reuter- At Scapa Flow by
causing the greater number of Zcppe-
lins, which were 10 be turned over to
the allies. 10 be "sabotaged" in the
sheds.
About sixteen Zep7elins are left OF
the ninety built during the war. The
peace treaty provides for their eurren-
der.
Article 2o2 of the peace treaty pro
vides tina; on the coming into force
of the pac; delivery shall be made by
as ass. ,;;i.,;; powers Of ali adirisibles
able 10 take the air being Inanufac-
;ured repaired or assembled. In the
meantime these craft were 10 be main
tanned AT Ge-:nanys expense.
is still in,ac, a the zeppelin works at
are in various air harbors chiefly in
Northern Germany, IN the vicinity of
the, North Sea and Baltic coasts
OF the latter. ten or twelve are said
TO have been sabota sed"-to all in
tents and purposes as good as de-
Acting. It is alleged. upon his own
initiative and responsibility a young
naval officer, whose name not yet re-
vealed. is said to have ordered the
cables. by which the huge Zeppelins
are suspended in their sheds, 10 be cut
causing the airships TO crash to the
: glnes and twisting the whole frame
. work tina; they can be considered
sunk"
There is reason to believe that the
plan 10 prevent the allies from getting
the Zep0elins has been in contcmpla
ton in certain circles for some time
, ment had no knowledge Of the plan,
and that it Was carried out withou, it's
: know edge.
The officer responsible for the de-
, struction is reported to have disap
I reared. but this is not yet confirmed.
Three Of the oldest and most obsolete
type OF zcppclins in sheds near the
:, Baltic sea are reported unframed. 1t
: is not certain tina: S7l. the last and
= that attacked London, is among the
=. "scutted" airships.
I. Foreign once Worried.
CONSERVATION was apparent az the
: Foreign Office when the report first
became known there. 1t was promptly
/. and enphaticaIly denied that the gov
:. eminent could have had any knowl-
]. edge of the plan: on the contrary,
!. made TO avoid further trouble for the
. government from certain elements
: an ohciaI OF the Foreign once said
!. that Immediately upon the matter be-
= coming known there the government
: began an invcstiGation. 1t was added
y that Of some irresponsible indivdual'
:. who would be proceeded against a:
: soon, as ii were asccrtained who wa:
= involved.
= In nationaIistic circles II ie consid
Z cred "A patriotic act whatever the con.
= sequences may be. II is compared &c
! the scut;linE of the German feet Al
. Soap Flow.
= Through the inauguration of air
!, travel between Berlin and the Swiss
!. border. there has just come Il lively re-
newal OF interest in Zeppelins.