Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-08-26

stGry:
was in the tail end of the ship
taxing photographs of the new tyne
Of rudder which had been installed
after the first trial flight" he said.
teit the ship take sharp turn to
lhe flght just as we were over the
heart of the city. We were going
paeK TO Pullman to anchor.
Ships Back Breaks.
Up to that time the ship had be-
haYed wonderfully. There were no
signs OF trouble. At that moment
began to realize what was happen
ing. One of the main Orders of the
snip had failed to stand the strain.
1 could almost feel the sickenine
pend OF the great girder as the back
OF the ship sagged.
L dropped my camera and iumped
form Where I was working. | saw
lew others trying to run forward.
linen l do not know what happened.
cannot remember what came after
that for time.
linen there was terrific explo-
slon' and as the Orders pierced the
gasoline tanks there were fiames-all
names and binding smoke.
Then the ship began falling. IRAN
PACK to the rear, because l could not
ger TO the front, and that saved nv
lie. | hung On back near the rudder
ana alighted safely in the river
a river tug picked Bateman up. His
clothes, which We're aflame as he was
Iaillhg' were almost entirely burned
from his body, but the fire was extin-
gulshed by his fall into the Humber.
Defects in Construction?
Among the Americans known to have
been aboard the ship were Commander
MaXheld, Lieut.. Harry w. Hoyt. Lieut..
commander r. E. Byrd, Lieut.. Marcus
Easterly, Lieut., Commander Emory
Coll. Quartermaster Walters, Walter
Porter Norman Walker and Ernest.
Layies. An official list of the Ameri-
cans aboard has not been compiled
and it is not certain that all those in.
the crafts advance roster were aboard.
The bodies of Easterly and Walters
are among those recovered.
According to the Observer, defects
in the constructor Of the dirigfble.
which had been kept secret by the
British and American experts. were
responsible for the disaster. 1t is al
legged some of the Orders had bent
and the lattice work had buckled. Civ
ing the bag a tendency to hump
Last Wireless Message.
The ZR-2 had been in constant com
munication with the land by wireless
during her fatal trial "trip. The last
official message wirelessed from her
read:
awful dry trip"
All of the survivors were burned.
ana one had broken leg.
Scene of Air Raids.
The scene Of the disaster is a point
where numerous German Zeppeins
had appeared during the war and
raided coast towns. Numerous spec
tacular air fights have taken place
over the Humber at the spot where
the ZR-2 fell.
The explosion was so violent8 that
many pedestrians in the streets of
Hull were swept from their feet. The
shock of the detonations was felt at
Grimsby, 30 miles distant
In addition to Commander Maxfeld
the other American air sailors on
board were made up Of navigating Of
! ficers. engineers, riggers and wireless
operators.
! The disaster upset all the elaborate
plans of the United States Navy de-
partment, which had bought the ZR-2
from the British admiralty.
British Are Overwhelmed.
The test flight was to have been
the last.
The jubilation of the British air
ministry officials was dashed by news
of the accident. The sorrow over the
loss of the big aircraft was over
topped by horror over the apparent
loss of life and the terrible manner in
which death descended upon the air
sailors.
The ZR-2 was to have left Pullman
for the United States within ten or
twelve days.
The dirigible cost 100000. In adj
dition the United States government
expended S4,000000 in the construc-
ton of a huge hangar near Lakehurst,
n. J.. and in sending a crew to Eng
land to bring the dirigible home.
More than a month ago a girder of
the ZR-2 buckled on a trial trip, and
the ship was laid up for repairs.
Frequent delays since t.pn have in
terfered with intended flights.