Germany First In Airship Building.

New York Times 100 years ago today, December 1, 1912:
Herr Leberecht Tells of Recent Progress Made in the Construction of Zeppelins.
NEW TYPE TO FLY FOUR DAYS
To be Able to Carry a Ton of Explosives and to Cover a Distance of 1,500 Miles Without Alighting.
Special Cable to The New York Times.
    BERLIN, Nov. 30.— British fears of Germany's progress in the realm of military airmanship seem to be well justified, if one may believe the statements as to the Fatherland's present and future aeronautics as given by Fritz Leberecht in his new book, "Aerial Cruises in Peace and War."
    Herr Leberecht, who uses an assumed name to conceal his real identity, is an extremely well informed personage who has confidential relations with the German War and Navy Departments.
    His book supplies graphic evidence of the steady progress that Germany has made in assuring herself of a foremost place in air navigation. He participated in the recent thirty-one-hour thousand-mile trial trip of the new Zeppelin naval airship from South Germany across the North Sea and Baltic to Berlin — the mysterious flight which set England by the ears and gave rise to the belief that the German airship had been prowling around over Sheerness on the night of Oct. 14.
    Herr Leberecht gives figures destined to cause a chill among the more timid Britishers. He tells of successful experiments, recently carried out at Count Zeppelin's dockyards with explosives, which prove that a Zeppelin airship can easily carry and discharge nearly a ton of dynamite on a hostile warship, dockyard, railway line, or Government bank.
    The newest type of Zeppelins, he asserts, will be able to remain aloft four days, and will have an action considerably greater than 1,500 miles, which the present type can negotiate with ease.
    Herr Leberecht pleads eloquently for the passage of an aerial fleet law on the basis of Germany's naval programme, whereby twelve Zeppelins should be laid down at once and substitutes and additions be made at regular intervals, as is done with the navy.
    The book is attracting wide attention in Germany and is certain to stimulate the interest of the Reichstag, which will soon be called upon to pass an aerial fleet bill.
    It was announced this week that the national subscription for the promotion of military airmanship now exceeds $1,625,000, which is almost double the amount raised by the French people.
    Half the amount will be devoted to the purchase of aeroplanes for the Army and Navy, the other half to the training and support of aviators.