AIRSHIP DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1930, Page 6

AIRSHIP DISASTER

CAUSE OF THE CRASH.

LOSS OF ALTITUDE. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) " LONDON, October 5. The latest messages, considerably strengthened the belief that the riirshifrßlOl was losing altitude. , /It is understood that the airship sent a ■ wireless message to Cardington to the effect that, just before reaching ißetaunaiy, arid also when over Beauvais, a great deal of the weather ballast was dumped. Loss of altitude, whatever the cause seems to have led tot he, crash. The cause of the” fire afterwards is a, matter; for, conjecture. v TOO SUDDEN RISE ATTEMPTED. LONDON, October 5..

The “Daily Herald’s aviation cor-, respondent comments that the, surprising low altitude off the airship was probably kept on the advice of the Navigator, who may- have thought that the storm would be less violent at a lower level. When .the hill loomed up an attempt to force up the nose of the airship may have imposed; a sudden, strain, "which . was tail t?d‘collapse. ■ “

The correspondent says that . the. wa4 \,aiio);Heri /respeOt; The- ship-carried' ‘tons* of fuel and several tons of water ballast. The movement ,of v .twp or three :? 'devefs' in -tfie"- " cabin Would have jettisoned a lot of the ifuel and water, arid'''thfer ■•tiibuTtl ■ sh'ot'-'iip’'4'eVerfi't'-thbhS' warid^feht. 1 -' ■ , ' ' : ■ r '*' ‘ A PRESS VIEW. ' LONDON, October 6. The “Morning ‘Post,” after recalling other airship disasters, says: This latest one' is not surprising . The State is unwise to hazard so much life and treasure so periousiy and so costly on an enterprise which promises so little achievement. The loss of such distinguished ihen in tragic, irreparable' and heartrending ; but. jpg, feuh 1 that the Biriiish a position a fife” ■feienfef j | %jpf f $ '

a,- ' f Received sthir .day/at SH-a/jaYIM.; LONDON, Ootober 6. f Ifoe ; Minastry, Officially.;. Vsitaifesri fifty four were on board the airship. There/ were.doubly checked.

It is reported from Beauvois, however, that forty-eight bodies were found, and the position of the hands a.nd arms indicated tha death was not immediate as all fought hard for life. All tfie bodies were charred beyond rea .physicial identification. • "ffThe' fact that the oil was fouhd‘ ! ariccm-‘ siderable distance from the, . q.irship ptrives that some might hrivri J ‘' been dropped'in an attempt to ligbtep.the at the last ihmtxte in an "erideavi our to gain altitude..

An inquiry has. opened a,t Beapyji'is. xAi/UoTfipiodore Holt stated the dqfirifte cause of the accident was the breakage ;-ciff!|he not., njbtor, failure. .Parts found which fell five miles from the wreck indicate, something happened five or ten minutes before the crash.

THE LOSSES. BEST.. AIRSHIP BRAINS. LONDON, Oct. 5. The aeronautical exjperts are nowengaged in speculation as to the cause of the disaster, which comes just when airship development had reached an era Qf {safety, enabling dirigibles to be of"commercial value throughout the Empire. 'Searching inquiry will follow, 'but it is tt doij))tfrij, jj&the cause/,of■. uliose fljtsii knowledge was unsurpassed, are dead.

Among of the puzzling feaJowflS'eUhigllier the safer’’ is the aerdhantical rule in storm weather.

The reports that the ship was not riding on an even keel indicate that there must have been some difficulty, but, curiously, there as no mention of this in the last wireless message that v'as sent before bhe crash, which occiired as the passengers, after an excellent.meal,'were enjoying cigars before going to” bed! The theory that the smoking caused the explosion is scouted, as the smoking was confined to a special cabin where the danger was nil. It is, however, regarded as in no wise probable tb at the recent add iti on of a complete new bay that was made at Cardington, might have affected the airship’s air-worthiness. AIR-POCKET LIKELY. LONDON, October 6. It is a possibility that the Commander, finding himself in a storm centre, decided to keep low and slow .down, and that the ship then drifted, arid suddenly struck an air pocket, causing terrific pressure on the bottom arid the rear, and throwing the elevators out of action, and that the craft’s r nose was thus forced down. , It i/3 recalled that R.IOO, when going to Canada, was struck :by a variation of pressure, and that she suddenly rose to a few thousand feet. That pressure, however, caught the wliole ship, arid not merely the toil, as seems to have been likely in the case of R. 101."

Five years’ work, at a cost of one

million pounds sterling, have gone, but tho greatest loss is that of the best airship brains in the world.- .It will be at least a decade before England can hope to train other men of their standard.

PUBLIC INQUIRY PROMISED. LONDON, October 5. The British Air Ministry announces that a public inquiry into the airship disaster will lx? held in England, subject to co-ordinating with arrangements which the French Government are making. Major Cooper, the British Air Min- ' istry Investigator, arrived .at the scene this afternoon. An expert inquiry will begin tomorrow. Other arrivals a.t the scene include both the Captain of RHOO, the Chief Draughtsman of “RlOl,” the Shed Manager of Cardington, and other experts, ' Mr Collins in a statement said that it was impossible as. yet even to hint at the cause of the disaster. PROPOSED AMERICAN HELP : NEW YORK, October 6. The “New York Herald-Tribune,” in its leading articale, says : “There is something about this dirigible disaster that shocks the imagination more powerfully than any comparable tragedy. Yet we should be on our guard against Emitting this 'stunning catastrophe to shatter our faith in dirigibles. It is interesting to not© that oiii own airship" “Shenandoah,” which crashed Ohio., was .also a' : spliced ship. The whole World will 'condole with Britain in her’’, agony;. : It’ is suggested that American' sympathy might take the form of a grant of helium, or of the right to import it from- United States. 'This bright well receive serious consideration.

NO “5.0.5.” SENT.

LONDON, October 5

The French aviation headquarters at Le Bourget, reports that it did not receive any “5.0.5.” from the airship.’

THE LESSON.

PLANES SUPERIOR. TO DIRIGIBLES.

i -t: ’"' -'EONDONf' ‘October ‘ ! 4.-. The “Daily iNewsiChronicie” in -an : -feay^i—l < hrit' ; Ori ; Ty v < appalling cihlclusiohL’frorii thfeHadk ofn evidence, j|||hat showingrthat airships have been, rjfqaten out oif th'e field 'by aeroplanes.! tfuestdreverencetq. the .memory of' the victims is:-to 'find' a- super means of attaining': the*' ends ■ t ‘for which they fdifed. ; " •" '/'■' l v... LEADERS’ SYMPATHY. f (Received this day at 10 a.m.) LONDON, October fi. Standing in silence the leaders of the Imperial Conference passed a motion of sympathy. Messrs MacDonald, Bennett and Scullin recorded their sorrow at the loss of the RlOl, andi paiej homage to the gallant pioneers in the cause of expressing sympathyf with, bereaved families. * .: ~.,..0:.v.,v

In connection with ; Lord. 'Thomsons .iJgath at the opening of • the- Labour "Conference, Hon. Arthur Henderson paid a tribute to those who,.peri shed in the RlOl and the delegates,, stood in slince for ,a minute. , ,: . , i; .. , commander’s apprehensions; LONDON, October 6. Major Turney, the “Daily Telegraph’s aviation correspondent, recalls a long conversation-; that he had with the Navigator, Irwin, and also with the Commander, Colmore, lelcre the departure. Colmore said that he did not like this half so much as an Atlantic crossing. He said he was riever liappy when over the land. Bending over .a big map of Europe,, he said: “6yer the sea, the. wind is merely! a factor affecting the travel speed, but look at, the. these hills I i t isn’t easy'!”' ‘

FAITH JN Air SHIPS DAMPED 1 .’ LONDON, October 5,

The f‘Daily' Express” . in an editorial, states; ‘Out of the. ashes of RlOl something greater must come, if these JjVes 'are hot to, he. called wasted. lii one second, .the, arguments of those urging the development of the airships seem to be swept away. We appear to stand where we began. Every detail must he known. The inquiry must cover the issue of whether the airship is a practical invention.” A BAD DESIGN. The “Daily Telegraph” says that the searching question will be asked if ever airships can lie vindicated. The -special design of RlOl will he challenged more sharply than ever. AMERICAN . REGRETS, HELIUM THE REST . GAS. ,n; y. WASHINGTON, Oct. 5. The ’/United States is' profoundly shocked at the RilOl disaster. The newspapers are filled with expressions of sympathy from official and private circles.

The principal reaction to the disaster appears to lie the belief that helium is the gas that is necessary to further dirigible development. Rear-Admiral Moffet lias proposed that the United States should make its helium supply available to British and German airships. Admiral Moffett urged. Congress to repeal the law forbidding the export of helium. He added that his confidence in the rigid airship had nol: been shaken one iota.

Mr Adams (Naval Secretary) sent a message, to the .British Admiralty as follows: “We of the American Navy express the deepest sympathy and concern in the loss of RlOl and her gallant complement. We deplore tho disaster, which has lost valuable, lives of those in the van of, scientific advance, appreciating that bhe .pioneer work of conquering the air must be carried forward.” AMERICAN COMMENT. NEW YORK, October 6. The “New York Times,”: in. a leading article, states: The destruction of RlOl comes with the special force of a cruel tragedy. The loss of .so many precious lives, including useful public men, adds poignancy to this major air calamity. The advance of .aviation cannot be checked, but, just at sent, it must be confessed,, there\is, an impression of the national forces, grim and ruthless, delighting ip the frustration of the pride of man. . FRENCH SYMPATHY. PARIS, October 5. The newspaper “Le Temps” is strongly sympathetic in the disaster. Its editorial expresses,the,opinion that Britain, recognising the necessity ..for linking up her Empire by all,.means, is not likely to renounce., airships, though they iare most costly to build and most delicate to handle. It says that the whole of.--Francesbows* in fraternal respect to, these newest,victims :of ae'rialeduty./, ' ■: p/’ijti tf. ONE OF THE VICTIMS., FORMERLY RESIDENT:/OF WAIROA. l WAIROA, October 6. : '/Major Watt one wof. -RlOL'Victims resided iat Wairoa several-years ago. He formed a trawling company but afterwards gave up the' busirife&s'‘aridwent to Auckland, later returning td England. He was a. likeable fellow' and greatly impressed the Wairoa. people with his vast knowledge of airships. He made many friends in the district, who regret his untimely end.

A SUPPOSED PASSENGER

GISBORNE, Ootober 7

• Though a cable aoteaSaturday- .• staled* Cohrinaiider. Watt-WfoLTobe a-.passeng> ■ erf. on RI01; •he ftold'a Gris borne Arieortb who’" saw diim on-Jhlyrißfth ftlr&t'hfe'-witso ‘ leavirig-oni'August'HriD by: a P. "'a-ndqDD sfeamfer-: for- KfUrilchttytaking-, five s'm©.»? as a‘ground staff' fch s 1 Eafttehii 'base. 'His - marriage was hastened to enable hifri* l to Ifeave, - arid r 'ri ;; sttD«tfqueW%'*' Written 1 "front ■' ’ * -Scotland 1 made rio“ reference! of plan'■ Napier papers strife ft letter has'sidfe 1 been received from himf tyfitten’' 'frioihBombay. NOT ABOARD. '• 7 NAPIER,; October-7. Definite advice was, receivedn.by li.is sS ister, Mrs C. Vigor Brown that''Lieut... Commian.der H. W. Watt was not.'om. the RlOl when is crashed:.:,.-He isßafeKarachi. ri . iv> wun • i-WMI 5 -I ft as ; . (Received this day at 10 aim.)u .«< LONDON, October 0. A , national

victims will be held at St Pauls on Oct. 10th.. The bodies are now lying in state in a room in the .Town/felErtttr Beauavis. Each is surrounded ißritish flag. —*- Mi Tardieu proclaimed to-morrow ns a day of mourning, throughout France.