The reason was
speedily forth coming. The captain of the craft which had been
captured forgot to destroy his log and other records of data
concerning the vessel which had been scientifically collected
during the journey. All this information fell into the hands of
the French military department, and it proved a wondrous
revelation. It enabled the French to value the Zeppelin at its
true worth, which was by no means comparable to the estimate
based on reports skilfully circulated for the benefit of the
world at large.
Recently the French military department permitted the results of
their expert official examination to be made public. From close
investigation of the log-book and the diagrams which had been
prepared, it was found that the maximum speed attained by
Zeppelin IV during this momentous flight was only 45 miles per
hour! It was ascertained, moreover, that the load was 10,560
pounds, and the ascensional effort 45,100 pounds. The fuel
consumption had averaged 297 pounds per hour, while the fuel
tanks carried sufficient for a flight of about seven hours. The
airship had attained a maximum height of about 6,230 feet, to
reach which 6,600 pounds of ballast had to be discarded.
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