The Washington times., 1921-08-28
HORROR Of zR-2
TRAGEDY TOLD
BY SURVIVORS
81 Heard Cirder Snap, the Ship
BuckIed, Then Exploded,
Says Com. A. H. Wann.
AMERICANS LEAP SAVES HIM
Norman Walker Tried to Get
Parachute, But Jumped
Without Using One.


wann, commander Of the ZR-2, was
brought ashore at Hull about an hour
after the disaster to the airship. De-
scribing the tragedy. he said:
THE whole thing happened in five
seconds.
my ship was running beautifully
at sixty knots as we swung over the
city of Hull Our tests were nearly
finished. We hoped to be down soon.
II had just signaled that the speed
be reduced to fifty knots when sud
denly / heard a terrific crack. / be-
lieve that several Orders must have
broken. The ship buckled and the
explosion followed"
The cause Of the explosion will prob.
ably never be known, the commander
said.
Her Crack Amidships.
IT was in sole control Of the ZR-2
when the disaster occurred" Lieuten
ant Wann continued. II felt the for.
ward car, from which I was command
ing the ship, falling swiftly through
the air. Immediately after the loud
crack amidships.
Then it rose sharply at a high
angle.
II pulled the water ballast for the
purpose OF leveling the keel.
Suddenly there was a terrific ex
plosion, which i felt and heard in the
forward car. / think many men wers
killed outright by the blast. for they
would have been inside the envelope
amidships.
Some Of the crew and officers Jump
ed when the ship caught fire.
81 remained on board until we were
close to the water. Then / jumped
but was caught In the wreckage an.
pinned down for fifteen minutes. Tn.
flaming pieces of the ZR-2 fell al
about me. and l was burned about tn,
head and face. j lost consciousness
and when I woke up was in the hos
pitaL
Americans Story.
Norman Walker. sole American
survivor Of the wrecked airshiI
ZR.2. gave a circumstantial accoun
Of the disaster.
Walker was seen at the Howder
sirdrome, near Hull. He come,
from Commerce. Texas, and was &
rigger on the fated airship, He is o.
boyish appearance, twenty years
; old, and of a wiry built which car
ried him through the ordeal withou
a scratch. He said:
I'VE were all in the highest spirits
when we left Howden on the fata
trial trip. We sailed over tn
North Sea first and then startet
down the North coast to Pulham.
"A thick fog developed, so II wa
found impossible to land at Pulham
/ In fact. the fog was so dense w
were more or less lost, although W.
knew the general locality.
I'VE were flying at a height o
about $500 feet, with the wireless
keeping In touch with both Howder
and Pulham% The ship was behavin,
weakness anywhere.
His Dash for Life.
I'VE drove out over the ses
again. and as the fog continued bat
we flew along the coast unit
"Wednesday afternoon. when w
sighted land at Hull. We ther
flew across TO Howden, where !
was decided to land at $40 p. m.
so we sailed over Hull again. W.
encircled Hull twice, and then tn,
speed trial was completed without I
hitch.
"A test of the ships control ther
began. I was at the lower rudder
proceeding back to the tall. ant
! had Just reached the cockpit wheI
there was a tremendous crash. TIL
Orders amidship broke and tn
ship split in halves.
Both the tail and the nose i'm
mediately pointed downward ant
the halves started to decend to
ward Humber.
II certainly cannot describe my ser
sation. but l thought my time ha
come.
ct made a rush for the tail to &c
a parachute, but 1 found two of m
English comrades, Harry Batema
!, and Walter Porter, were already thert
I knew there was only one chute ther
for the three Of us. Bateman had tn
chute and jumped, but It fouled an
he hung to the tail Of the dirigible.
Runs for Parachute.
Roth Potter and 1 started to ru
forward for other parachutes, but jus
as / got in the keel there came a
explosion of either n petrol tank Q
hydrogen. and flames Immediately b
gan to sweep the forward part OF on
half OF the ship.
"what was happening to our con
rades in other parts OF the dirtgibl
/ don't know. Most OF the officer
and crew WeTe diIllisnAps, ti'he
seated or lying in their hunks, whe
the Orders broke. At least one ma
dropped through the gap made b
the break. Possibly others did, BIT
probably most of them rolled forwar
when the airship's nose went down.
81 ran back to the tail to get ava
from the fire In the big bag. Bat
man, Potter and I got into the cool
pit. BY this time the gas was becon
ing depleted and the ship was shoe
ing down rapidly. The forward ha
had already beaten us toward IN
water. We couldn't use a parachu'
then, as we were too low-vonly a fe
hundred feet up.
"I saw we were going to land
the water, 80 climbed on the fahr
forward of the tail cup. couldn
tell how fast We were falling, b,
when thought we were going
strike / jumped,
81 was surprised to find my fe'
striking the bottom. ! had lande
In four feet of water near shore. Bot
nv comrades stuck to the shi
and continued 20 cling to her as sh
struck. | managed to scramble aboar
the wreckage. and the three of L
....,.. ,,l,Iy.I nm nv A tnH.