Evening star., 1921-08-25
Story yofRunge
Is Told bySole
L. s. Survivor:
RADIO NAN KEPT
POST IN DISASTER
Rush for Parachutes
In Vain as Flames
Swept Ship.

bv-tne Associated Press.
HOWDEN. England. August 25.-Nor-
man Walker, sole American survivor
of the wrecked airship ZR-2, today
gave the Associated Press the first
circumstantial account Of the disaster
which late yesterday destroyed the
great uper-dirigible and every
American member of the crew on
board except himself.
Walker was seen at the Howden
airdrome. near Hull, where he has just
been brought after the terrible expe-
rience through which he passed un-
scathed. He comes from Commerce,
Tex. and was a rigger on the ILL
fated airship. He Is of boyish ap-
pearance. twenty years old. and Of u
1--WE were all In the highest spirits
when we left Howden on the trial
flight" he said. I'VE sailed over the
North sea first and then started down
the north coast to Pulham. A thick
fog developed, SO it was found impos-
sible to land at Pulham. In fact the
fog was so dense we were more or
less lost. although We knew the gen
eral locality.
Flying at $500 Feet.
I'VE were flying at height of about
$500 feet, with the wireless keeping.
in touch with both Howden and Pull
ham. The ship was behaving finely
anywhere.
I'VE drove out over the sea again,
and as the fog continued bad we fiew
along the; coast until Wednesday aft
We then aew across .Howden. where
1t was decided to land at $50 p-In,,
so we sailed over Hull again. We en-
circled Hull twice. and tliessree6st TIL
was completed without Z hitch. Ssss'
began. I vas 1t the lower ruddst. pfos
ceeding back to the tail. and had Just
reached the cockpit when there was
tremendous crash. The glrders
afnidships broke and the ship spit In
Both the tail and the nose imme-
diately pointed downward and the
halves started to descend, toward the
Humber.
II certainly cannot describe my sem
sation. but thought my time had
come"
Made Rush for Parachute.
"I made a rush for the tail to get
parachute. but found two of my
English comrades, Harry Bateman
and Walter Potter. were already there.
the three of us. III.
Bateman had the chute and jumped,
but 1t fouled and he hung to the tail
Of the dirigible.
Both Potter and started to run
Just as I got in the keel there came
an explosion of either a petrol tank
or hydrogen, and flames Immediately
began to sweep the forward part Of
our half Of the ship.
What was happening to our COM
don't know. Most Of the officers
and crew were amidships. either
seated or lying in their bunk, when
the girders broke. At least one man
dropped through the gap made by the
ably most of them rolled forward
when the airship's nose went down.
Climbed Out ON Fabric.
II ran back to the tail to get away
from the fire in the bag Bateman.
Potter and I got into the cockpit. By
this time the gas was becoming de-
pleted and the ship was shooting
down rapidly. The forward half had
already beaten US toward the water.
we were too low-only few hundred
feet up.
"I saw we were going to land in the
water, SO I climbed on the fabric
forward Of the tail cup. couldn't
tell how fast we were falling. but
strike I jumped.
II was surprised to find my feet
striking the bottom. had landed
In four feet fwater, near the shore.
Both my comrades stuck to the ship
struck. managed to scramble aboard
the wreckage, and the three Of us
were picked up by tug"