100 KILLED in Zeppelin Explosion

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 94, 7 May 1937, Page 5

100 KILLED in Zeppelin Explosion

i— Pre#» AmA.

HINDENBERG IN U.S.A. Flames Consume Ship While Landin^ SEEN BY HUGE CROWD

(By T^!«ai«pl

— obpyrigtitj

(Received 7, 1.25 p.m-) NEW YORK, May 7. The German Zeppelin Hindenberg exploded wliile undergoing tbe 'process of being tied to her moorings at Lakehxirst. It is believed that from 125 to 150 passengers on board the airship were killed while they were preparing to land after a flight. The Hindenburg had tosefed her fcose lines to the ground, aioid light rainfall, when Suddenly there was a terrihc burst of flame at ihe stern, the explosion being heard for miles. The ship coliapsed fifid Cfashed t6 Oarth, and ih a few minutes there was only the twisted steel frame left on the ground. There eeemed no possibility

that any of those on hdard could be alive. Latest reports state that 39 pasgengers and 61 mefnbers of the crew were aboard* . The ship was iess than 560 feet above the grotind at* the time of the explosion. There were shrieks and soreams from the large crowd gathered to witnesa the landing. The M4W gigAiitic LZ 120, thC lafgCst aRfship itt the World, WAs bhilt by the DeutsChe Zeppelin Reederei, atid was named HihdCnbui'g. It Wfts built mainly for the South AmeriCan pafesftge, and flights Were to be mide fdfthightly. Th# passengere' ■ acCornmodatioh and the envelope's gas capacity, 7,000,000 cubic feet, Was double that of the Gr&f Zeppelin Which pxoneefed the Atlahtic flights. The total load, including g&s, Ijassengersi, crew and freight was i20 tons. Chxtstanding features are; Dimeneions, 972ft. long by 162ft. in diameter; power, f our engines developing . A,2(50 horse-powef; speed 84 miles aiunour and cruieing speed of 75 miles anhour. AeconimodatiOn Is provided for 50 passengers dn tWo-befth cabins with quafterS for a crew of 40. The fittings inclUded an air-conditioned reetaurant, iounge, bar and upper deck as wide as an ocCan liner. A few days ago, ifi ihe course of i fiight, this airship crossed the Swiss frontier, but imiiiediately retired when waridag shote wero fired by SwisS aUtiair'craft gtmi. The initial ffight of the vessel Was ir.ade on March 4, when it was an* nounced that the zeppelin would take up the irahsatiautic service on March Sl.

(ReCeived 7, 2.15 p.ni.) NBtV YORK, May 0. It is believed that SO esGaped alive from the Hindenburg, includ"ing the oommander; says a later message.