ice were manned by crews qualified to operate them.

Commercial Operations Resumed

The real work for which the "DELAG" was created, "to develop commercial
air transport" was of necessity put aside during the period of the war,
but these activities were resumed early in 1919 when it was decided to
start a regular daily passenger service, at first between Berlin and
Friedrichshafen, a distance of 373 miles (600 kilometers) and afterward
extend it to Switzerland, Italy, Spain in the south and to Sweden in the
north. The pre-war personnel of the "DELAG" was assembled at
Friedrichshafen and the route to Berlin started by the new Zeppelin
"=Bodensee=" on August 24th, 1919 (Plate 38).

The "Bodensee" an Improved Type

The "=Bodensee=" was designed and built in six months (January to July
1919), by Luftschiffbau-Zeppelin. She was the same size as the pre-war
Commercial Zeppelins, _but had twice the engine power, carried twice
their useful load and maintained a speed equal with the former ships
using only one-half of their engine power_.

[PLATE 51: 20-30,000 Cubic Meter Fast Passenger Zeppelin
"Bodensee" Type.]

The "=Bodensee=" was 426.4 feet (130 meters) long, after she had been
lengthened by 32.8 feet (10 meters). Her diameter was 61.3 feet (18.7
meters) and she carried 794,475 cubic feet (22,500 cubic meters) of
hydrogen. Her useful load normally was 25,353 pounds (11,500 kilograms).
Her four motors were of 260 horsepower each. They turned three
direct-driven propellers, one in each of the port and starboard motor
gondolas which hung from the sides of the ship. The third propeller was
driven by two engines in the rear motor gondola. The propellers averaged
from 1,300 to 1,400 revolutions a minute. The "=Bodensee=" was capable of
making 80 miles an hour. Her cruising speed was 75 miles an hour.

Carried Thirty Passengers

At this pace she could carry thirty passengers comfortably. They were
seated in a luxurious salon (Plate 41) built in the pilot car under the
forward part of the Zeppelin. Nearby in the same car were a kitchen and
lavatory.

The "=Bodensee=" was maintained on the Friedrichshafen-Berlin route to
experiment further in commercial air transport. While the "DELAG" did
not attempt to make a profit, expenses were kept as low as possible and
the prospects of monetary returns were generally favorable.

One Hundred and Three Flights in Ninety-Eight Days

From August 24th until December 1