The Mastery of the Air

language is spoken. For Count Zeppelin belongs to that little band of men who giving birth to a work of

failure. Their failure was both material and moral. Anti-aircraft guns and our intrepid airmen brought one after another of these destructive monsters blazing to the ground, and their work of "frightfulness" was taken up by the aeroplane; while more lament

ic guise of the inventor struggling against difficulties and disasters which would soon have overwhelmed a man of less resolute

untry, and it is not too much to say that the many disasters which overtook his

omething like a cheer went up from the British public at this theatrical episode. Little did the aud

re took him to America, and when he was about twenty-five years of age he took part in the American Civil War. Here he made his first aerial ascen

ar awaiting him-the Austro-Prussian campaign. Later on he took part i

e retired, a general, after twenty years' military service, he was free to give his whole attention to his

tle bit wrong in his head". Certainly his ideas of a huge aerial fleet appeared most extravagant, for it must be

e, he had to master the whole science of aeronautics, which implies some knowledge of mechanics, meteorology, and electricity. This in itself was no small

en, on the shores of Lake Constance, as his head-quarters. He decided to conduct his experiments over the calm waters of the lake, in order to lessen the effects of a fall. The or

st of these works and the necessary experiments. To continue his work he had to appeal f

one of his dirigibles for twenty-four hours. The Count did not quite succeed in his task, but he aroused the great interest of the whole German nation, and a Zeppelin fund was established, under the patronage of the Kaise

filled very difficult tests. One had flown 1800 miles in a single journey. Thus the East Coast of E