COUNT VON ZEPPELIN'S DIRIGIBLE AIR SHIP.' 



Much has been written of the huge air ship which Count von Zeppe- 

 lin is building- on a float anchored in the Lake of Constance; but 

 hitherto no trustworthy' description of its structure has been published. 

 The inventor has at last overcome his reticence and has given toUeber 

 Land und Meer enough information to enable us to form some concep- 

 tion of his contrivance. 



The new air ship is housed in a floating structure 500 feet in length, 

 80 feet in width, and 70 feet in height, anchored in the Lake of Con- 

 stance. Each side of the housing is pierced with eleven large windows, 

 which admit sufficient light to the interior. In order to oflFer as little 

 resistance to the air as possible, the housing and the float on which it 

 is built have been tapered at the front or bow. Offices and storerooms 

 are provided in the bow, together with sleeping accommodations for the 

 night watch. A passageway more than 3 feet wide runs around 

 the entire structvire and widens out into a platform at the bow. The 

 housing is built upon 95 pontoons, and consists of an outer and inner 

 part. The outer part comprises the walls and roof, and is held together 

 under water by a strong framework. The inner part rests upon sep- 

 arate pontoons and is entirely independent of the outer part. It is so 

 constructed that together with the air ship it can be towed out of the 

 housing and back again. In the interior, at one side, a staircase has 

 been built which leads to the roof and ends in a passagewa}^ beneath 

 the ridgepole. The passagewav extends the entire length of the struc- 

 ture, and ])y its means the workmen are enabled to reach the ship from 

 above. 



The question naturally arises: Why was the housing built on water 

 and not on land^ It is evident that the first voyages of the ship will, 

 of necessity, be in the nature of experiments, and should therefore be 

 made under the most favorable conditions. A large area without any 

 obstruction is therefore absoluteh'^ necessary. Such an open space is 

 found only upon a large sheet of water; and for this reason Count von 

 Zeppelin decided to build his air ship upon the Lake of Constance. 

 Moreover, the housing being anchored only at one end, shifts its posi- 

 tion as the wind changes, so that its longitudinal axis is in line with 

 the direction of the wind. Under these conditions the ship can ascend 

 without colliding with the sides of the housing. 



A structure so enormous in size naturally offers no little resistance 



'Reprinted from Scientific American Supjilemcnt, No. 1245, November 11, 1899. 



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