alloon. The idea for the big
airship did not originate with Count Zeppelin, but with David Schwartz,
a young Austrian, who built his first dirigible in 1893. He tried to
arouse interest in his aircraft in Russia, but failed and finally went
to Berlin, where he interested the then Baron Zeppelin. A balloon was
made, but Schwartz fell ill and died. Zeppelin was later accused of
attempting to steal the young Austrian's patents, and the courts made an
award to Schwartz's widow of $18,000.

Count Zeppelin's first airship came out about 1898. It was 300 feet long
and had an aluminum frame. Short cruises were made in 1899 and 1900, and
the craft maintained a speed of about sixteen miles an hour. A second
airship was completed in 1905, and later a third aircraft was finished.
This dirigible made a cruise of 200 miles at an average speed of twenty
miles. The success led Count Zeppelin to make his most ambitious attempt
and he tried to cross the Alps carrying sixteen passengers.

IN THE AIR THIRTY-SEVEN HOURS.

He succeeded and passing through hailstorms, crossing eddies and
encountering cross-currents he traveled 270 miles at an average speed of
twenty-two miles an hour. Subsequently he made a flight to England,
remaining in the air thirty-seven hours. Fate played him false, however,
in many of his ventures and he returned home after making remarkable
voyages, only to have his craft destroyed at its very landing place.

The German Government and the Kaiser joined in giving him a grant of
money to carry on his work, and a plant was built at Frederichshafen.
But while Count Zeppelin's name will be forever identified with
aeronautics the successes which he attained were not enduring, for the
Zeppelins proved not entirely satisfactory in military warfare in
competition with the aeroplane.

In the counsels of Greece the outstanding figure from the beginning of
the war was Eleutherois Venizelos. He is credited with being responsible
for the national revival in Greece when the country seemed doomed after
the Turkish war of 1897. He was the leader of the country in the
movement to join the Allies in the fight against German domination and
he swayed the nation and held them as few men have. He was born in the
Island of Crete in 1864, and according to tradition, his family
descended from the medieval Dukes of Athens. He was educated in Greece
and Switzerland and became active in Cretan politics, and won
recognition as the strong ma