ZEPPELIN, FERDINAND. (1838-1917). German engineer who built the first dirigible. ALS. (“Gf. Zeppelin”). 2pp. 8vo. Berlin, March 19, 1901. To his secretary Ernst Uhland. In German with translation.
“Drygalski is unlikely to give 55 M. How much? – That I will find out from Major Klessmann. I reserve the right to decide whether we will accept his offer until after I have discussed it with you. I have no objections to giving away another 6–800 bottles, as I will have more containers from the department of aviation at my disposal in case there are further trials. But the rest I want to hold onto for the time being. I don’t foresee any news for the next few days. The anchors must not be raised. If the buoy has to be brought to land, it is crucial that precautions be taken that the cables not get lost on the bottom of the sea… Mr. Sigsfeld says wherever the document of the Aviation Dept. mentions ‘liter’ when referring to a material’s density, it should read ‘grams’ instead.”