The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-09-02
HUGE AIRSH|p
DESTROYED BY
BLAST; 43 DIE
Eighteen of u. S. Crew on Dirigi-
BILE ZR-2 Perish in Disaster
Near Hull, EngIaM.
CRAFT PLUNGES INTO river
Commander Louis r.. MaxfieId, Who
Had Charge Of Machine, Is Among
the Dead-Huge Snip Breaks in
Two After Explosior-Most
Of Victims Burned 10 Death.

London, Aug. ZG.-The United
States airShip ZR-2, the largest air
craft in the world, ana valued ut 81
1900, plunged into the River Hum
Der, near Hun, England, after being
wrecket by an explosion. Eighteen of
til. LWCnty-Oue Americans who were
81 pilot her across the Atlantic TO the,
United States, are believed to have
persisted.
OF the - officers and enlisted men
in the huge dirigible'S crew, % OF
whom were British, all but six lost
their lives when the ship exploded
over the city Of Hun at six o'clock il
the evening.
Twelve bodies have been recovered
among them that Of Commander
Louis IL. Maxfield of Washington, ID,
c., who was in command of the HR-2
Cause of Blast Unknown.
Air Commodore Maitland of the
Briti>s air forces, who pilotcd the
dirigiblc ana was Britain's foremost
pilOr, also Was killed.
None of the six survivors has been
able To advance a theory of the cause
of the disaster. The ZR-2 had been
in the air 80 hours on her trial flight.
The dirigible was floating easily over
Hull in plain sight Of thousands Of
people on the streets, when suddenly
the crowds saw a flash and heard n
tremendous explosion.
Ship PIunges Into River.
The %concussion shook buildings and
broke windows in Hull. The airship
burst INFO flames and appeared to
break in'two. While the panic-stricken
popnlace rushed to and fro to escape
the debris, the 700-foot bag, laden
with heavy engines, great gasoline
tanks and cabin equipment, plunged,
burning, into the river.
As it touched the water, another
explosion occurred. Many Of the vic
tins were burned TO death after the
balloon fell. Eyewitnesses saw at
least four men leap in parachutes
The six rescued were all delirious.
A description Of the ZR-2 disaster
was given by James Phipson of Birm-
ingham, an eyewitness.
81 was just opposite Victoria pier
when it happened" said PhipSon. ]
could see the propellers turning
slowly as the ship disappeared into
a cloud bank.
Airship Breaks in Two.
The airShip seemed to stand still.
gradually broke apart, descending
slowly, the nose portion at first seem
ingly under control.
Then / saw portions of the gon
! dolaS falling away. The nose portion
fell on Il mud bank in the Humber
which was at low tide. After bury
ing its nose in the sand that portion
Of the ship continued to burn fiercely
There was no sign Of any one or
that part of the ship.
"The tail end fell in the middle OF
the river half n mile away and was
also blazing.
Three Drop in Parachute.
when the nose landed there were
two further explosions. The gasoline
tanks burst with the impact.
Il saw three ~parachutes leave tho
front part of the ship rs ii broke. II
looked to me as if three men were
hanging to one of the parachutes
but | could not see where they landed
LAS far as | know only two men sur
vived. They, were Mechanic Batemar
and Lieut.. \. III. Wann. who com
manded the ship. / saw Lieutenan
Esterly's body taken away. 1t wa.
all burned and charred. Wann wa
terribly injured, but Bateman was abb,
to walk. Both Wann ana Batema;
were rescued from the wreck1ge IL
the Humber"
Planned Flight TO U. S.
The ZR-2 was to have left Pulhan
for the United States within ten o
twelve days.
The dirigible cost S2.OoO.OOO In al
dition the United States government
expended $4,O00,OO0 in the construc
tiOn Of Il huge hangar near LakehurSt
y. j., and in sending II crew to Eng
land to bring the dirigibIc home.