er was made of metal. On its first trial flight it was
compelled to land, due to engine trouble and the fact that the framework
of the ship was not strong enough to stand the stresses of the landing,
caused it to go to pieces and this failure was quickly seized upon by
the then existing adversaries of the rigid airship as an argument
against the construction of rigid airships with a metal framework. This
was unfortunate to the cause of rigid airships, because while Zeppelin
had not been identified with that attempt, all experimenters were
included in the popular condemnation.

Zeppelin's improvements were beginning to be recognized and admitted,
but the money necessary for the development was not forthcoming.

Financing the First Zeppelin Company

[PLATE 4: Zeppelin "LZ-5" On an Excursion With Members of the
German Parliament Aboard. Autumn 1908.

Zeppelin "LZ-6" and "Deutschland" in the First Double Shed at
Friedrichshafen.]

Zeppelin, in spite of many difficulties, succeeded in enlisting the
necessary private capital and in 1898 organized a stock company
(Aktiengesellschaft zur Foerderung der Motorluftschiffahrt) to promote
motor airship flights. It had a paid in capital of one million marks
($238,000).

With his characteristic sound judgment and thoroughness of purpose,
Count Zeppelin chose the Lake Constance (Bodensee) country for his
initial efforts. He had known the lake and local weather conditions from
boyhood and was convinced that the smooth ample surface of this
beautiful lake offered the best facilities for the handling, starting
and landing of these extremely large craft, though it was not long
before enough had been learned to alight with them on land.

Now the giant Zeppelins can land at will with perfect safety on either
land or water.

Today Lake Constance is recognized as the best place in the world for
the training of airship personnel.

The eyes of the entire aeronautical world were focused on the floating
airship shed (Plate 1), which Count Zeppelin built and anchored in a bay
close to his workshops at Manzell, near Friedrichshafen. During the
months that he was making the parts in the shop and assembling his ship
in the shed, there was much speculation as to its appearance. It was
generally thought by others who had experimented with aircraft that
Zeppelin had some very laudable ideas, but as a rule persons were
skeptical concerning his ability to produce a practical ma