AN AIR DISASTER.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 August 1921, Page 2

AN AIR DISASTER.

HULL CITY HORRIFIED. BY SUDDEN COLLAPSE. LONDON, Aug. 25. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. The airship R, 38, whose completion on June 24th was cabled, came to an ill-fated end over Hull city with dramatic suddenness. With her fine silver coat glistening in the sun, she was sailing above Hull apparently in perfect safety, at a height Of 1000 feet. The whole city were looking bli: The spectators colnmehted oil her beautiful appearance. Engineers were observing that her engines were firing very evenly. . . . . ... The airship then disappeared in a cloud: When it emerged; the spectators were horrified to see it break into two portions. Both portions descended slowly. The nose portion, which was the largest came down first and as it did r -o a. large mass, believed to he the engine and one of the gondolas, fell from the airship. Two terrific reports followed. The foremost portion landed on a’sandbank. The rear part fell half a ( mile away in the Humber river. A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY. LONDON, Aug. 21. The airsliip disaster narrative shows that thousands of people rushed to the pier near the spot where the wreckage lay. Tugs and small boats burned to the assistance of the crew, despite the fact that fragments of the airship were burning on the sand bank and floating in the water; hut they were only able to pick up two survivors. They were Flight-Lieut. Warn, who is reported se r iously injured', and Bateman, a youth who was able to walk to an ambulance after a tug landed him. R. 38 developed ceVtain structural weakness a few weeks hack and the frame had to be strengthened. She went for an extended trial from Howden I.lst night, and wirelessed that her trials were most successful. The airship intended landing At Pulham, in Norfolk, but a thunderstorm raged there for two hours, and a wireless was sent ordering her to wait, owing to heavy clouds. At 'seven o’clock tbis morning, R. 38 was reported as flying over Howden and at 1.50 she was east of tbe Wash proceeding to Pulham. The vessel had been in the air 35 hours, when she approached Hull. Rudder tests wore being carried out at the time of the disaster. Batomann, who was saved was in the tail of the ship, 'taking photographs of the rudder tests. An eye witness on the ground says that when it was apparent the ship was cracking in the middle, her engines were working at a terrific speed in. order to get. clear of the city. Tho general opinion is that W,a mi’s skilful navigation alone prevented the ship from falling into the centre < t the city. As it was the force of the exnlosion wrecked windows and shop fronts in the main .streets. Many people on the quay were thrown to the .pound. Apart from Wann and Bateman, three Americans escaped. They took to araehutes. They were later rescued /ram the Humber. They are I. Danes, \V. Porter, and 0. Walker. The two latter are uninjured. Davies was sent to the Hospital. Lieutenant Little was taken from the debris alive, but succumbed "while being conveyed to the hospital. It is just possible some of the bodies are inside the envelope, floating ill the river, but there is no chance of their being alive. FURTHER DETAILS. The “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent at Hull states that as he watched the giant air-ship he thought its sylphlike appearance suggested a 'visitor from another world. He said to a friend:—“Tt makes one want to cheer.” A few moments later the airship’s nose rointed down, and clouds of green coloured vapour poured from her side. As the volume increased, the airship apreared to l>end or break in the middle. The rear portion detached itself, and began to fall. As it fell, bright red flames appeared. “I then realised that the airship that rode so proudly a; moment earlier was afire. Two loud reports in quick succession told the amazed spectators that R. 38 had come to Rbr doom. The-sticken monster crumpled up. Some of her crew were to be seen descending in parachutes. It was all over in less than a minute. The effect on the spectators was stupefying. Many women hurst into tears. V. hen T reached the -pier 'the vessel which had been in the aerial pride of the world lay in the water, a, twisted mass of fabric- and frame work, with portions of its length burning for a hundred feet along the top of the Water. The only part bearing any resemblance to an anship was the stem, which ballooned to a considerable height. The “Daily Chronicle’s” correspondent says he was watching the airship as its long graceful shape came cut from a light summer cloud, when suddenly, it buckled and broke in two, and flames shot from the ship’s sides with a loud explosion, when the mass fell headlong into tiie Viver. Many spectators were panic stricken, but it seemed that the navigating officers had a few seconds warning, and hv a supreme effort trot clean of the city. This last thought of man facing death averted an even more terrible disaster. Sergeant Busby, a member of .the American Air Force, who was a spectator, told me:—“l consider there was fire amidships. The airship collapsed in the centre when turning. It was God s mercy the disaster didn’t occur over the town.” The “Daily Express’s” Hull correspondent describes the explosions as like immense rockets. When the material touched the water, a huge column of flames and smoke went up. It seemed that nothing on earth could live in Ihis inferno. The river pilots who first reached the sinking airship say the fore end broke away 40 seconds before tbe after part. They said beds and blankets were dropping from her, but they fell into the other portion of, It he , wreck, which was a mass of flame. “We j had to cut sections of the envelope open I with Jack knives to get survivors cut, ( hut were unable to extriente the dead,”

The corresp'ondeht continues ‘that the lirst man brought ashore was unconscious, but the second was smoking a cigarette, and none the worse except * for a ducking. He said:—“l saved myself by climbing with the officers on to the rudder of the airship.” This man was Davies, the American, tv ho was picked up swimming, in the river. When landed he walked through !) 1000 people, who cheered him to the echo fbr „ his pluck. • Interviewed later, Davies said:— “We had a terrible time. It was all over in a minuto. Many, of the poor fellows hadn’t a cat’s chance. Some jumped overboard. I was one of the lickv ones.” . . OFFICIAL REPORT. • An, official communique states that the time of the accident wasl 5..45. The cause Is unknown. There was difficulty in obtaining information,' as.no member of the air force personnel was ih fir the scene. 'if The newspapers point out 'the loss of life is creator than in any previous- airship disaster. R. 38 was 695 feet long. Her cruising speed averaged a mile a minute, but her fastest was 75 miles an hour, and she had a, cruising'range of 6500 miles.. There had been rumours regarding her air worthiness in circa, ation last week that were serious enough to warrant a denial by the American authorities. • , , Some spectators state they . observed a diagonal crack *t the moment of the, disaster, which .rapidly developed until the ship broke in two. - . , \ wireless message was despatehe two minutes before the accident however and received in Howden. * —“Running in fine condition and added the vessel would reach Pulham Apathetic fact is that nd fewer than nine of the America* naval airmen s «- tioned at Howden had married Engl sh <rirls during their months of waiting for the completion of R. 38. The last ceremony took place at Howden on feu day. The bodies will be embalmed and sent to America. Lieut. Commander Boyd, who can from America to command tho airship during its Atlantic crossing, armed at Howden too late to take part m the cruise ,though ho watched the ascent, and was going to Pulham to board) the vessel when he heard of the disaster Bateman was a representative of the National Physiological laboratory. Tur bull, tho designer of the airship, an Warren, superintendent of the - Force Works, were also aboard. Commodore Maitland held world’s records for balloon flights and paraohute descents. He once left London and landed in a Russian forest. He was aboard U. 84 when she flew the Atlantic. Maitland was the firmest, believer in tho possibilities of a flight to Australia, and, was looking forward to taking part in it. THE AIR DISASTER. /Received This Day at 8 a.m.) NEW YORK, August 25. The New York “Times” Washington correspondent reports aviation experts agree that if Hilium instead of inflammaUle gas were used, the I? 38 accident would not have resulted in the destruction of the airship and such a loss of life.' The aero club of America has issued a statement suggesting that hereafter only Helium sfrould he used in \morican* dirigibles. ~ A hangar, costing three million dd lars and taking two years in construction has been erected at Lake Hurst. New’ Jersey, by the Navy Department to house the dirigible upon arrival m America. Government have built a bircre plant for the nrodnction of Helium” at Fort Worth, Texas, near the v' fields, the only natural source of supply of Helium. Mr D.enby cabled to the American naval attache in London—“ Navy Department of United States extends to \ir Ministry and British Navy deepest sympathy in the appalling disaster to Z.R. 3 (American nomenclature for R. 38). We hope our earlier reports w: 1 prove exaggerated concerning the loss of life.” ; Admiral Moffat head of the American Naval Air service, commenting on the accident regretted so many good aviation officers and men should have 10-= + their lives. He added —“We will carrv on and build and operate as many Wg Held dirigible as necessary in order that these brave men shall not have given , their lives in vain.” Commander Maxfield was thirty-eight : years old and was like Maitland, a pioneer, having received a heavier than ' air iicense before the war. He saw ! service during the war. i it is understood an agreement exists , between United States and Britain ( under which United States paid tiro ’ million dollars for dirigibles provided j that if an airship was lost on the Trans-Atlantic flight the loss should be i borne by Brritain. ; A VICTIM’S ACCOUNT. (Received This Day at 8.30 a.m.) LONDON, August So. Interviewed in the hospital Lieut. Wann, who is suffering from injuries to the head and eyed and severe burns aiul bruises on the body, says We was in control of the vessel in the forecar. Uliey had just passed over Hull when a violent crack wa s felt, the forecar falling and then rose at a high angle. He pulled over the water ballast to level the keel and then a terrific explosion occurred, which must have killed many of the prew. He did not notice any fire preceding the explosion. They had done a full trial and had slowed down for sixty to fifty knots before the explosion/ The snapping apparently was due to some structural weakness. The whole thing happened in five seconds. He denied turning the ship over the j river in order to avoid the city, f” 1 was running perfectly over the city. . . The accident happened over the river i Ho went down with the ship until ! f .]ose to the water when he jumped. He was caught in the wreckage and J oinned down there for fifteen minutes, j He did not know how he was rescued as *Le was unconscious. He woke to find . himself in the hospital.