IN MID-AIR.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1885, 20 October 1913, Page 7

IN MID-AIR.

4 AIRSHIP EXPLODES. BLOWN TO THREADS. t TONGUES OF FLAME. i DEATH-ROLL A HEAVY ONE. ) ■ . Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright , , Borlin, Octobor 17. The airship L 2 exploded while in tho air at Johannisthal, at a height of tlireo .hundred metres. All aboard were killed, including Oommandora Bohhischo and Frcyer, Captain Gluth, and several members of the Admiralty Commission. Tho L 2 was tho newest and 1 finest Zeppelin. When sho was a quarter of _ a milo from tho shed and at a height of 640 ft., the spectators saw a tongue of flamo shoot ironi the'middle, the firo . being duo to an electric spark lighting some benzine. Tho flames leapt along, and the noise of the balloonists' shouts • were heard, thoso being immediately followed by an explosion, which blew the envelopo of tho dirigiblo to threads. Tho flimsy aluminium steel being weighted down by three cars, tho occupants and tho motors fell like stones. Six of tho occupants seated amidships were blown out. They fell clear of tho debris. Tho others wero incinerated or suffocated. 1 All happened in a few seconds. No trace of tlio cars is visiblo among tho crumpled mass. The death roll is twenty-seven. The victims include Hcrr Neumann and Herr Reitzer, Advisers to the Naval Construction Department, and Chief En- | gineer Busch, of the Trial Board. ' With a view to showing unabated • confidence in airships, tho Hansa was 1 ordered to fly over tho scene of tho dis- ' aster. Tho people loudly cheered her. ; shrieking with agony. ; BALLOONIST IN EXTREMIS. Berlin, October 17. Tho Zeppelin was sailing beautifully i when a batallion of sappers on an ad- • jacent highway was alarmed by a terrii fie oxplosion. > Windows were broken 1000 ft. away. Tho airship was a sheet of flameß, i the blazing mass plunging to earth bofore tho sappers roached tho scene. The , destruction was complete, and tho airi ship was a smoking pile of aluminium, i The grey-canvas envelopo burst into thousands of fragments, resembling a i Yorkshire pudding. Tho benzine tanks ' wero flaming madly. Baron Voublemon was dragged out alivo, shrieking with agony. lie pleaded with his rescuers to kill him. _ Another balloonist was still alivo, In extremis. Souvenir huntors were soon picking up fragments of the twisted aluminium and pieces of tho envelope. Tho Navy is liow without a Zeppelin. Lieutenant Freyburg was incinerated in the wreckago of tho aeroplane. SOLE SURVIVOR DEAD. MANGLED BODIES PICKED UP. Borlin, October 18. Baron Voublemen, tho sole survivor, is dead His eyes wore literally burned out. The mangled bodies of twonty-seven victims nave been picked up. END OF AN ALTITUDE TEST. K HEAVIER CREW THAN. USUAL. (Reo. October 10, 5.5 p.m.) Berlin, October 18. ■As thS airship was making an altitude. test she carried a heavier crew than usual. At six hundred feet a tongue of flamo enveloped the structure with tho. rapidity of lightning. Then followed a mighty detonation, the envelope was scattered into thousands of blazing fragments, which fluttered earthwards. For a moment the framework stood out against the sky, and then in a ghastly tanglo foil head downwards. A second explosion ocourrcd, wholl the car was 130 feet from the ground, and a third when she struck tho earth Tho men were seen writhing in agony and screaming. Tho helpers, regardless of bums, cut through the scorching metal. Four wero drawn,out alive, but quickly died. Tho human remains amongst tho wreckage presented a horrible specta- 1 clo, some heads and limbs being out off hy the framework. THE KAISER'S SYMPATHY. Berlin, October 18. The Kaiser, in a sympathotio tele- 1 gram, expresses the liopa that tho 1 Navy s affliction will act as a spurr to ! the development of the airship as a ro- • liahlo weapon of war. . \ INCOMBUSTIBLE GAS WANTED. I (Rec. October 19, 5.5 p.m.) '■ London, October 18. < In view of tho recent airship disasters, tho attention of the National Physical Laboratory has been called to the . urgent need or discovering an incombustiblo gas. ' THE AIRSHIP DESCRIBED. "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. 1 Berlin, October 18. , . The destroyed airship L 2 was the ( largest ever constructed at tho Zeppe- i lin Works. Sho was 525 ft. long, and 1 54ft. in diameter, with a cubio capa- \ city of 943,000 ft., and a carrying capa- t city of 25 tons. KILLED WHILE BIPLANING, Berlin, Ootober 17. Lieutenant Koch and Sergeant Manto wore killed while biplaning .at Noundorff. j ANOTHER FATALITY. Berlin, October 17. Captain Haeslor was killed in the t explosion of an aeroplane tank at Pots- i dam. ; , p