The _République_ also had a brilliant but ephemeral career, from July, 1908, to September, 1909. She surpassed the _Patrie_ not only in bulk and buoyancy, but also in power and speed. She had an 80-horse-power motor as against the _Patrie’s_ motor of 60 to 70 horse power. She could carry eight to nine men, had a speed of about thirty miles an hour, and a radius of action of 500 miles. She made a number of long flights and manifested satisfactory steadiness and stability. But on September 25, 1909, while maneuvering near Paris, one of her propellers broke and tore a great gash in her envelope. At once, with outrushing gas and collapsing hull, the great ship fell 500 feet crashing to the earth, a total wreck, and killing her crew of four officers. This disaster illustrated forcibly the advantage of the cellular system of balloon construction, and drew more favorable attention to the rigid type of air ship cultivated in Germany. The famous firm that produced the _République_ brought forth, in 1909, two other fine vessels patterned after it, the _Russie_ and _La Liberté_, built respectively for Russia and France. The _Russie_ made her first voyage on May 29th, ascending 600 feet with eight passengers, and maneuvering under perfect control. After her official trial, in June, she was sent to St. Petersburg, being the first dirigible furnished to a foreign government by a private concern. The _Liberté_ was launched the last week in August and, after various practice and official tests, was accepted by the French government two months later. On a notable voyage, made on September 20th, she sailed ten hours with her Panhard motor constantly working. The escape of the _Patrie_ was a loss keenly felt by the French people, but soon compensated by the generosity of M. Deutsch de la Meurthe. This liberal patron of aëronautics had a dirigible of excellent design, whose hull, based on the plans of Colonel Renard, was contrived and built by E. Surcouf, director of the Astra aëronautic establishment, along with H. Kapferer, while its other parts were built by Voisin, both of Billancourt. In September preceding the accident to the _Patrie_, he had offered the use of his air ship, the _Ville de Paris_, to his government, which accepted the gift with the understanding that it was not to be delivered except in case of war or emergency. When, therefore, in November, 1907, the disaster occurred to the _Patrie_, M. Deutsch at once placed his dirigible in the hands of the military authorities. [Illustration: FIG. 21.—_La Ville de Paris._]