South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-08-25
BRITISH LOSE
II In CRASH
OF DIRIGIBLE
One Yankee Escapes From
the ZR~2. Built for Amer
lean Uses.
Ship Was Flying at 1000 Feet
When 1t Broke in Two and
Fell Into River.

! teen olll'tlo anu men OF Lln e. =.
Navy and q officers and men OF th5
| British navy met dea.h today ln the
collapse Of the great dirigible zE-e
over the city Of Hun
only one of the Americans ca
I board the Inflated craft escaped 50
far as could be asserted at mis-
night tonight.
Norman O. Walker. a riEeer. was
the only American 10 escape when
ZR-2 was destroyed here last even
ing. It was reported early in tho
night that he had died. but inquiry
has established the fact that he IS
still alive. His home is in Conn
merce. Tex.
I Only five men OF the 40. who were
making the trip IN the diriEihle
prior 10 the vessel being turned over
10 the L. s Navy are known 10
have been saved.
The American officers who started
the trir included Commander Louis
II. MaXfeld, Lieut. Commander
Emory con. Lieut.. Henry w Ho5t.
Lieut.. Marcus IT. Es,erly LeU-.
Commando Valentine y. Bieg AMI
Lieut.. Harris G.. Little
The American enlisted men who
went up with the craft from How
den were c. I. Aller. Robert Coors.
J. z. Crowel. J. T. Hancock. William
| Gulius. NJ. Lay. A. T.. Isoftin. A. Pet
| tiet, W. J. Steele. NeeI oxen and
George Welsh
British Lose General
The British losses Included tho
! famous air veteran Brig Cen T. IT.
| Maitland and all the other officers
! on board, except Lieut. Wann. ths
| commander Of the ZR-2
Starting from Howden Tuesday
morning on a test flight to Pullman.
! the big air craft had been adoat for
"a hours at times I'm bad woather.
and was returning TO the Pullman
! airdrOme at the time of The disas-
! ter. which constituted the most ter
rible OF its Ike i'm peace times
The ZR-2. which was a sister ship
! OF the famous R-34. The first dir.--
! ible TO cross the Atlantic. was ON
her final test trip prior 10 being oc-
cepted by the United States Navy
and taken across the Atlantic by oa
American crew especially trained
for that purpose She was COS faet
long. and was built 10 carry "a crew
OF 30. Her speed was estimated ~
20 miles an hour. The America
Navy was 10 pay S2.000.OoO for the
| craft.
While flying AZ about 900 feet
over Hull, spectators saw the ZB-2
seemingly plunge onward over the
One theory Of the disaster was the
ships rudders were being tested ou
the giant craft when % took a sharp
turn. when the frame work buIked
up. The cause. however. never may
be known. a rumor has been af0at
for some days that the ZR-2 was
structuralIy weak but this was
stoutly denied by all 70 authority.
Thousands See Spectacle.
Tens of thousands of spectators
saw several men climb outside the
balloon and drop from the falling
mass. which was envelope5 n
smoke and others jump into the
Humber as the crippled craft came
over the water As the d.r.zttle
struck. the wreckaee above water
was burning and there was slight
chance for any If the men caught
inside 10 escape.
Tugs Immediately pu- our into tine
stream and brought ashore and pick
ed up - survivors who were taken
ia amoulauces 70 hospitals Among
these was the American quartermas-
ter y. o. Walker. who died soon
after reaching the hospital frcm