The New York herald., 1921-08-26
DIVERS FAIL TO FIND Al
BODIES IN AIRSHIP WRECK
Continued from First Pasc.

an hour. the time came to test the
controls. The rudder was thrown
over 10 degrees for a sharp turn. This
revealed faults in the airship.
Tonight there is among the men in
/ the flying business no longer any
question OF what happened.
Orders Failed Amfdships.
Commander Wann. who IS lying in
hospital here with his eyes bandaged
but not permanently injured, said he
heard a crash and saw the airship
break in two at the tenth frame
In the last test the girders failed amid
ships. They had been strengthened but
only the sixth, seventh eighth and
ninth of the fifteen frames were
strengthened. The reinforced area ended
with the ninth.
The severing of the huge hull snapped
the gasole le leads and fuel poured over
the engine carriers and caused the fire,
which probably burned through the
bags and caused tho gas to escape, the
intense heat driving the highly charged
fumes into the open air, which caused
the explosions. That is how a chemical
I
here
These things happened much more
quickly than It takes to tell them. Com
mander Wann figured that it all hap
pened in five seconds. He denied that
he turned the airship toward the river
In order 20 save the city lie said that
was not humanity possible. He saw hcr
| lift her nose Then he grabbed the
water ballast releases and tried TO level
her. Immediately afterward the for
ward section Of the ship dived. her nose
downward and in flames
Commander Wann was powerless to
ac; He remained in the control car
until just before she hit the water and
then he jumped into the wreckage. At
once he became unconscious. However.
he recalled distinctly that the explosions
occurred in the forward section while
the ship was falling. one OF the explc-
sions coming just before she struck the
water
Men Killed by Explosions.
He thought that most of his men were
killed by the explosions. that they prob
ably never fully realized what was hap
pening, because some of them were lying
down. tired after thirty-six hours Of
constant work.
Commander Wann did not know where
Big. Gen. e. NJ Maitland, Air Commo-
dore; Col. Campbell, who directed the
designing OF the ZR-2, and Flight Lieut..
Pritchard were when the accident oc-
Cured. He said he thought Commander
l.. II. MaSfield. q. S. N, was In the con-
troll car with him, but he was not sure
of this. 1t all happened so quickly he
could not take look around.
At 5 o'clock this afternoon, when the
tide was so low that there was only
seven feet OF water around the wreck.
nothing could be found of the forward
section of the airship. Nobody seems to
know Just where 1t fell and everybody
agrees that 1t was entirely in flames
when it fell. 1t is likely that whatever
remained OF 1t was washed away.
Great efforts were made to find the
control car. because of Commander
Wann's statement that he thought Com
mander Maxfield was with him there.
However, no trace Of Commander Max
field was found; nothing save the flying
suit which he wore.
All day to-day this city has been agog
with reports or new discoveries. but all
OF them were without foundation. Moth
ing OF any value In leading to the re-
coveries Of tho bodies has been found.
Americans In Rescue Work.
Americans under Commander White
undertook rescue efforts in one boat.
while Commander Byrd, who missed be-
ing aboard the ZR-2 because he refused
to take anothers place when he arrived
at the starting point too late. directed
the work from another boat. Rowboats
with sailors aboard raised the frame of
the airship, but found nothing They
were aided in this work by few officers
and several men belonging to Com
mander Maxfield's original unit, who
had not slept for two or three days, but
still were not willing TO quit.
In Howden, where the Americans are
stationed, there was a scene OF sorrow.
Navigator Pennoyer, who gave his place
aboard the ZR-2 to another officer, so
that all might have experience aboard
the giant air craft took charge there.
He said there was nothing left to do but
wait for orders from Washington to go
homo.
And in Hull there is no dividing line
OF nationality to-day. Americans and
Britons stand together. knowing the
same spirit that inspired the mixed
crew OF the ZR-2. The flags OF the two
nations are at half mast. In several
cases the two flags are in the same
mast The spirit Of old days. when
Zeppelins levelled all classes and
brought them together, prevails.
Plans are being made for an elaborate
funeral service for the Britons whose
bodies are recovered. Every honor the
city can show the men who perished
aboard the ZR-2 will be accorded.
Steel caskets ere being shipped here
by the American authorities. II IS ex-
pccted that the bodies OF the Americans
will be taken home aboard the battle
ship Utah, Rear Admiral Niblack's flag
ship.
Explaining the Cause.
The cause of the break was explained
as being due to the fact that the air
ship was not evenly balanced. This
caused so much pressure on the girders
that they snapped when the strain OF
quick turn was placed on them. Ex-
perts insisted that rough weather prob
ably would have caused the wreck OF
the ZR-2 later IL 1t had not occurred
when 1t did.
These accounts are backed up by the
three men who were aft when the
wreckoccurred and was rescued. One OF
them is Harry Bateman, a scientist and a
keen cut man about 80, who was max
ing scientific observations from the rear
cockpit. or machine gun pit, at the ex-
treme tail OF the ship. He observed tho
quick turn, because he saw the rudder
move. He was only a few feet from it,
Then suddenly her back broke" he
said. she split In two. Her forward
section plunged downward in flames