COUNT FERDINAND VON ZEPPELIN.
Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin was born in 1838, on the shores of the Lake Constance, where his great airships have had their initial trials.
It is an interesting fact that Count von Zeppelin made his first balloon ascension in a war-balloon attached to the army corps commanded by his friend, Carl Schurz, during the Civil War.
It was only after years of absorbing study of all that human knowledge could contribute that Count von Zeppelin decided upon the type of dirigible which bears his name. Under the patronage of the King of Würtemberg he began his first airship, having previously built an immense floating shed, which, swinging by a cable, always had its doors facing away from the wind.
The successful flights of the series of magnificent Zeppelin airships have been marvellous in an age crowded with wonders. And the misfortune which has followed close upon their superb achievements with complete destruction would long ago have undone a man of less energy and courage than the dauntless Count. It should be borne in mind, however, that of the hundreds of passengers carried in his ships of the air, all have come to land safely—a record that it would be difficult to match with any other form of travel. The accidents which have destroyed the Zeppelins have never happened in the air, excepting only the wrecking of the Deutschland by a thunderstorm.
The indefatigable Count is now constructing another airship with the new alloy, electron, instead of aluminum. He estimates that 5,000 pounds’ weight can be saved in this way.