ay it circled
round and faced the wind, when it remained stationary. But not for long.
Shortly it began to descend and, sinking gradually, gracefully, and
in perfect safety, in about nine minutes it reached and rested on the
water, when it was towed home.

A little later in the month, July, another trial was made, when a wind
was blowing estimated at sixteen miles an hour. As on the previous
occasion, the direct influence of the sun was avoided by waiting till
evening hours. It ascended at 8 p.m., and the engines getting to work
it made a slow progress of about two miles an hour against the wind for
about 3 1/2 miles, when one of the rudders gave way, and the machine was
obliged to descend.

On the evening of October 24th of the same year, in very calm weather
and with better hope, another ascent was made. On this occasion,
however, success was frustrated by one of the rear rudders getting foul
of the gear, followed by the escape of gas from one of the balloons.

Another and more successful trial took place in the same month, again in
calm atmosphere. Inferior gas was employed, and it would appear that the
vessel had not sufficient buoyancy. It remained aloft for a period of
twenty minutes, during which it proved perfectly manageable, making
a graceful journey out and home, and returning close to its point of
departure. This magnificent air ship, the result of twenty years of
experiment, has since been abandoned and broken up; yet the sacrifice
has not been without result. Over and above the stimulus which Count
Zeppelin's great endeavour has given to the aeronautical world, two
special triumphs are his. He has shown balloonists how to make a
perfectly gas-tight material, and has raised powerful petroleum motors
in a balloon with safety.

In the early part of 1900 it was announced that a member of the Paris
Aero Club, who at the time withheld his name (M. Deutsch) offered a
prize of 100,000 francs to the aeronaut who, either in a balloon
or flying machine, starting from the grounds of the Aero Club at
Longchamps, would make a journey round the Eiffel Tower, returning to
the starting place within half an hour. The donor would withdraw his
prize if not won within five years, and in the meanwhile would pay 4,000
francs annually towards the encouragement of worthy experimenters.

It was from this time that flying machines in great variety and goodly
number began to be heard of, if not actually seen. One of the earliest