GERMANY
The progress and development of the airship in Germany must now
be considered; it will be seen that, although the production of
satisfactory ships was in very few hands, considerable success
attended their efforts in the early days of the twentieth
century.
In 1812, Leppig built an airship at the cost of the State at
Woronzowo in Russia. This was of the shape of a fish with a
rigid framework beginning at the height of the longitudinal axis.
The lower keel-shaped part of the same formed the car. Two fans
were attached to the sides and a tail piece was provided behind
to act as a rudder. The ship was inflated, but structural damage
occurred during this operation and rendered it incapable of
flight.
In 1836, Georg Rebenstein, of Nurnburg, was considering the use
of the fall of inclined planes to obtain horizontal motion.
Nothing of importance was produced until a much later date. when
in 1885 M. Wolf constructed an envelope of 26,500 cubic feet. An
engine and propeller were fixed in a triangular framework in
front of the airship, supported by the steam pipe of a steam
engine fixed under the body of the envelope. The framework
lacked rigidity, and the envelope tore during inflation and the
airship failed to ascend.
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