R101 DISASTER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 October 1930, Page 5

RlOl DISASTER

THE ENQUIRY OPENS

[United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright].

(Received this day at 10.80 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 28.

A public inquiry into H1(7.l disaster opened at the Institute of Civil Engineers, Westminster.

A fifteen foot model of tin/: airship occupied a prominent position on the dais.

Sir John Simon presided, and said lie thought it .fitting if all stood a few moments to express a sense of the poignancy of the tragedy and ’sympathy with the relatives of the dead.

RUGBY. Oct. 27

In bill opening speech to-day, at a public inquiry into RIO] disaster, which lie had not concluded when flue Court adjourned until to-morrow, the Attorney-General, Sir William Jowitt, said every possible factor which could throw light on the tragedy would lie brought out- publicly. He mentioned that among the documents to be produced was a report prepared for the Imperial Conferenceby the late Lord Thomson. It was a secret document, but be bad obtained special permission to band a copy of it to the Court to read material passages from it. He added: ‘‘The Departmental letters and Departmental Ministry are always most jealously guarded, but I have thought it right, wfihotiU minikin® ariv precedent, to put before you and the public every scrap of documentary evidence which exists. Whether that evidence exists in 'the files of the Air Ministry or any other quarter, I propose to put it before you and make it public. ’ LONDON, October 28.

An examination of the wreck revealed a breakage in the wire controlling the airship’s elevation. A microscopical examination may show whether this occurred before the crash or after the fire.

Sir John Simon emphasised that the flight was entirely experimental. Such experiments were neessary as preceding an attempt to inaugurate inter-im-perial airship services. She was given four trial flights prior to the fatal trip. The middle .section was inserted in the airship because the lift bad not previously fulfilled expectations. The material employed in tbe construction pass_ tU elaborate tests. The inquiry was adjourned.