Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1921-09-03

include Lieut.. Marcus Esterly, u. S. i.
and Capt. Montague of the Royal Fly
ing Corps. =.
Several people who witnessed the
disaster say that four pnrachutcs
were used but if this is correct tho
men who descended in this manner
were not saved. a Mr.. ellis Of the
Minerva Hotel was OH II tug Off tho
pie when the explosion occurred. ne
says that tho shock was severely fot
on t.hc river.
Two water men who have bceu
searching tho wrcckage have Just
come ashore. They say there cannot
have been more than five survivors.
Only one body was visible when they
left and it was ineXtricablc. The I'll IL
rose rapidly and at $50 o'clock every
vcstigc Of the airship had been ohlit.
era ed
Crowds fingered along tho water
front until dark ID though all that
could be seen was Il buoy light mark
ing the wreck. An engineer who watch
cd the progress OF the craft from It's
appearance over Hull until its end
said that it's behavior convinced him
the fire broke out at the stern ant.
that the subsequent nose dive was Il
manoeuvrc to keep 1t from spreading.
a flow seconds later the ship broke in
two.
A large number Of American and
British airmcn with naval ratings hur
learn the fate Of their friends ana to
t,yk Il k1t1 ~, 60, a H.
disaster.
EiE",l MSS TELL STORY OF
TRAGEDY
The whole terrible incircnt was wit
messed from start to finish by David
Ernest Phipson of Birmingham, who
tod the story to the correspondent
of The New York Herald in the fol.
lowing words:
Il was just in front of the Great
Central Railway offices perhaps 800
yards from the pier. About half past
5 O'Clock the noise Of engines caused
me to look upward and there coming
through the clouds was the huge ali
ship. She fell into clear view perhaps
1000 feet up and seemed to be run
ming pcrfecsdy.
What beautiful object was my
remark TO bystander. Then almost
immeriately-two minutes after had
first seen her-the airship made q
sudden dip, and I thought Just for q
moment that she was going to fly low
er SO the inhabitants of the town
might see her more distincly. Almost
at the same instant I saw her back
crinkle in the middle like q piece Of
paper.
Good God! It's gone!' sprang from
my lips, and in what seemed no more
than a couple OF seconds the airGhlp
broke IN two and the engines seemed
to drop into the river just underneath
one after another.
While the two parts were suspended
in tho air just Ike that at least one
parachute detached itself from the air
ship. There may have been more but
l saw one open and begin gradual
descent. Fifteen or twenty seconds
elapsed after the breaking of the ship
when the front part exploded with
frightpd. foroe and a terrific flash OF
flame. Very soon afterward the back
half Of the airship burst with equal
violence.
"All that was LETT of the vessel fell
flaming straight down from the sky on
TO the River Humber. where it sat like
a mass Of block smoke and fire.
1 saw one parachute rock under tho
force OF the explosion and what lookeI
like another fen Oh the Lincolnshire
side Of the river. The catastrophe WAS
appalling in it's sudden violence and OK
tent The town was shanen by terrific
explosions, and window glass seemed
broken everywhere. A piece flying fr
behind narrowly missed me. For mo-
q moment 1t looked as If the burning
airship would fall on the pier. l had
camera in my hand, but the shock,
and suddenness of the whd.e affair pre-
vented me from using 1t until the air
ship had descended. Then l took three
snapshots Of the big airship resting
in the water.