THE ZEPPELIN AIR SHIP. 221 



and wa.s sent up a few feet into the air in order that its propelling 

 power might, be tested. Night then intervened, and the real trial was 

 again postponed. 



The next da}-, July 2, proclaimed the success of the aerial monster 

 over which so many months of mental and mechanical labor had been 

 spent. There was a touch of romance about it too, for it was not 

 until sundown that the trial trip began, and it was then that the graj'- 

 headed inventor, courageous and conlident of the success of his plans, 

 ventured on a voyage in an untried ship into the darkening night. A 

 light wind prevailed. Punctually at half past 7 the balloon was taken 

 from the shed, and, held in position by several ropes, was allowed to 

 rise about 75 feet* At 8 o'clock it was released, and with Count Zep- 

 pelin, and four assistants in the two cars, began slowly to ascend. 



Zeppelin himself, as we have said, is a man of 70, who for man}^ 

 years has devoted his whole time and energy to the stud}" of aerial 

 navigation. It has been said that the Schwarz balloon, which was 

 described in this magazine in March, 1898, gave him the idea of the 

 present air ship; and those who ha\'e read that article will note man}" 

 points of similarity in the two pieces of mechanism. Schwarz died 

 prematurely, and his idea had to be carried to fruition by his friends. 

 The balloon, for this reason, was, as time proved, a failure; but Count 

 Zeppelin, noting the great ingenuity of its construction, decided to 

 improve it, upon the lines of its lamented inventor. The Count lives 

 in the line castle of Ebersberg, near Constance, and he looks back on 

 a distinguished career in the Franco-German war. He made an 

 extremely daring ride at one time through the outposts of the enemy, 

 and it is said that the desirability of having some quicker and safer 

 means of scouting than that in use appealed to him strongly, and sug- 

 gested at once an aerial machine. He consulted and took the advice 

 of various authorities in aerial navigation, both of his own country 

 and a))road, and tinally succeeeed in floating, at Stuttgart, the company 

 already mentioned, which has so successfully built the balloon. 



The best account of the short and exciting trip of the Zeppelin bal- 

 loon has been given by Captain-Lieutenant I), von Bethge. steamship 

 inspector of Friedrichshafen, who may briefly be quoted: *• It was an 

 exciting moment," he writes, ''when the first command to let go the 

 cables sounded from the raft, and the air ship, which, up till then, 

 had been held by the hands of the firemen, laborers, and soldiei's, rose 

 slowly into the air, and suddenly, at the height of 25 meters (82 feet) 

 was released and soared upward. At first the vessel descended some- 

 what before the light easterly breeze which was blowing; but when 

 the engines began to work it steamed against the wind, then turned to 

 right and left, and afterwards traveled with the wind, turning occasion- 

 ally hither and thither until it reached Immenstaad." The distance 

 traveled was about 3i miles. 



In the early part of the trip an accident to the steering mocliuiiism 



