NEW ZEPELIN'S VOYAGE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 258, 22 March 1913, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEW ZEPELIN'S VOYAGE

1005 AIILES IX 31 HOUES.

A book entitled "Aerial Cruisers in Peace »vd War," which has been published in Berlin, contains an interesting description of the recent North Sea voyage of the naval Zeppelin LI. The author of the book is "fierd Fritz Leberecht." the assumed name of a well-informed authority, who, under the title of "Lookout," published a remarkable pamphlet on the Anglo-German naval situation, which attracted international attention last spring. • The chapter describing Lis 31 hour cruise states that the vessel started from Friedriebshafen at 8.30 a.m. on October 13. After an all-day cruise through northern' and western Germany in almost' impenetrable fog the vessel reached Norddeich, on the mainland, near Nordenev. in the early hours of the eventaft. fhe heavens were now quite clear, and, fanned by a fresh south wind, the vessel proceeded seawards at the rate of 62V» miles an hour. She was sailing so rapidlv that greetings could no longer be exchanged with the steamers beneath, as they disappeared from sight almost as soon as seen. The airship travelled straight towauls the giant revolving searchlight of Heligoland until the outlines of the loomed ahead. Then Count Zeppelin turned about. It was now midnight, and LI was travelling serenely through the night at an altitude of nearly, a mile. The course was now made for a coast point charted as "Kibe- 3." Present y the airship was again soaring above tin. mainland. Then Schleswig-TTolstein was crossed and the line of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal followed until the Baltic was reached at Fchcrn.o Frde. A slight tietour brought LI over Kiel, where the noise of her propellors beard from afar alarmed the hiarh seas fleet anchored in the war harbor. The crews were called to quarters and then began an exchange of enthusiastic searchlight messages with the men-of-war. whose lights gleaiiictl below the Zeppelin like a piece of fairyland patchwork. * , A few minutes late LI attained the western entrance of the Great Belt, whence s"he steered east-south-east to War n emu tide, and thence at dawn back over Fehmarn to Lubeek. Here, it now bein« after midnight, LI announced by wireless to the Admiralty that she would arrive in Berlin at three o'clock in the afternoon. She was punctual almost to the minute, having covered about 10fi» miles within the 31 hours. At the end of the flight, she still had enough petrol .left for live hours' further travelling.