Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-26

AS the dirIgible was Still Brltlsl
property, not having yet been turnet
over to the American authorities, al
investigations of the calamity will
be supervised by the British ali
ministry.
Divers Explore Wreck.
Hull, England, Aug. 25.-(By The
Associated ess.)-Divers began a
dawn to explore the fire-twisted
wreck OF the dirigible ZR-2, which
last evening exploded above this city
and fell into the Humber river, car.
rying with it more than 40 Of its
crew. Only one American, Norman
o. Walker, a rigger, and four Brit.
ish, Flight Lieut.. A. Fl. Wanni
Ernest Davies, airman; H. Bateman
scientific assistant, and Walter Pot
ter, mechanic, survived the disaster
that in twinkling changed the trial
cruise of the airship into a CHASTITY
tragedy.
During the hours of darkness thai
followed the collapse and destruction
of the ZR-2, tugs stood by the wreck
age and keen eyes scanned the water
for any bodies that might have been
dislodged by the tide that flowed
over all that remained of what was
yesterday Great Britain's mightles'
dirigible, which officials expected tc
turn over to the United States navy
today. 1t was believed that the
ruins of the aerial dreadnaught held
the bodies of Is American and 2t
British officers and enlisted men
who were engaged in the final test
of the machine.
No More Survivors.
All hope that there might be other
survivors of, the disaster was dis
sipated during the night. The
wreckage fell only 200 yards from
the shore and the six gondolas it
which most of the airship's personnel
was riding, sank Immediately to the
bottom of the Humber. The mer
in the gondolas, it was believed
would have little chance to escape
after the dirigihle struck the water
as the weight of the engines and ma.
chinery quickly carried the ruined
structure beneath the water. Ex.
perts here were at loss to account
for this greatest Of peace time all
disasters.
Residents Of Hull who were watch
ing the ZR-2 when her cruise came
to its sudden and tragic end declared
that it seemed when the craft at.
tempted to make a sharp turn dur
ing speed test, some of her girders
buckled and broke, probably because
of strain too heavy for the struc-
ture to bear. Some members of the
crew appear to have this same idea
of the cause of the accident.
The body of Lieut.. Charles G.
Little, one of the American officers,
was today at the Hull infrmary,
where he died after being removed
from the wreckage of the ZR-2. The
body of Lieut.. Marcus H. Esterly,
another American victim, was at a
mortuary and both were being held
pending an inquest which probably
will not be held until attempts to
take other bodies from the ruins
have been made.
Harbor officials today expressed
doubt that many bodies would be re-
covered unless they were held fast
to the wreckage or were imprisoned
in the gondolas. They said they
feared the tide and the swift cur
rent of the Humber would carry
them away. ~
Immediately after the disaster
John H. Grout, the American con-
sui; Lieutenant Pennoyer, who be-
comes senior officer of the American
detachment, and Naval Physician
Taylor assumed control of the
situation for the American govern
ment. They are cooperating in the
work of recovering and identifying
the bodies and are preparing an OF
fetal list of the missing.
Most of the American members OF
the crew of the ill-fated dirigible
ZR-2 were killed by the explosion
which followed the buckling and
swapping of girders amidships, de-
clared Flight Lieut.. A. H. Wann,
in command of the craft as navi-
eating officer at the time of the dis
aster in a statement to The Asso-
ciated Press today.
Lieutenant Wann said the ship had
run beautifully at 90 knots an hour
and that he had reduced the speed to
50 knots, when there came a violent
cracking sound. He thought several
Of the girders broke. The whole
hing happened in five seconds.
"There was no sign Of anything
wrong when we passed over Hui"
ne added, "but everything happened
afterward; I was in sole control at
he time"
Before the moment of the acci-
lent" said Lieutenant Wann, whose
INJURIES are not serious, "the craft
lad been sailing perfectly. 1t had
,een passing through various diff
:ult tests and the speed had been
educed, when suddenly, while cross
ng the Broad estuary of the Hum
,er, I heard the grinding and crack
ng of girders, and the airship
,itched forward, from an even keel.
"As socn as humanity possible /
implied the water ballast to enable
he craft to resume its normal posi-
ion but at his instant tremen-
lous explosion occurred. The great
hip seemed to halt for a moment,
md then it dropped like a rock. The
,oncussion threw me down in the
,avigator's car, where l was pinned
~ the wreckage. The section of
he craft in which | was riding re-
NAMED above the water when it
plunged into the Humber, and was