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Show tmm Twenty Long Gasks in Vast 1 Ga Bag That Lifts Ma- . chine; World's Fair Officials Offi-cials to Investigate Case. I ST. LOUIS.; June 28. Some time during dur-ing the night the bag 'of Santos Du-mont's Du-mont's airship at the-' World's fair grounds was cut and slashed In such a manner as to preclude all possibility of its being repaired in time to allow an ascension of July 4. There are at least twenty long rips in the bag, and Prof. Carl Meyers, who has charge of the aeronautic contests, today said that it will take at least, two weeks to repair the damage. ' j . Work Was Quickly Dene. The. big gas bag had not yet been taken from the crate In) which" it came from Paris. . The cover had been removed re-moved by a customs ir spec tor and the crate was rolled into the center of a big shed prepared for the airship. Being Be-ing .of an adhesive material, the bag was hung in folds from slats nailed near the top of the crate, and in this way was prevented f rem becoming a so! Id mass because of Its own weight. There were several folds of the bag over each slat, and the vandal drew his knife across these, cutting through from two to four thicknesses of the material with each slash; ; The work evidently was done In haste. There were about a dosen slats covered with folds ' or the bag and only four or five of them were cut. - c :. Dumont Had Fears. When , the damage was discovered a J messenger was sent to Mr. Dumont and he hurried to the scene. After exam-bang exam-bang the bag he said: , n!11, iU"Ju!,t'M 1 tol1 th ' " v People. This place is not secure enough. , ' T " "What will you do V asked a representative repre-sentative of the Associated Press. V ' ' I do not know," was the reply, "it will be Impossible to get a new bag, ' and if an ascension Is made this one . must be repaired. I can think of no ' f reason why one should want to destroy my airship." . 7f- H? mae a careful exam-Ination exam-Ination of, the cuts, and saidt Halidoua Vandalism. . , wi'P feemrto have" been done ' with a dull knife. I can conceive of no retson why any one should want to de- V stroy the bag. and I believe the work was pure vandalism, with no other ob-Jecli ob-Jecli in view but the malicious destruc- . C tion of property." . WaJter B Stevens, secretary of the Worlds Fair company, said steps would be taken to apprehend the vandal van-dal and for the future protection of the . airship, - When the damage was done the -shed : that sheltwea the gas bag was patroled . i ' by a Jefferson, guard, and a. special ' watchman, who was one of Mr. Du- mont's employees. Netther saw the vandal, and the damage was not dls- " coyered unUI the workmen were about to take the bag from the box. . |