Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-22

a the White House.
possible for any member OF the Shen-
ardoah crew to perform his duties
constantly wearing any type of para
chute yet devised
In concluding his lengthy argument.
Comdr. Rosendahl emphatically de
clared that Comdr. La nsdowne eX-
hausted every possibility and used the
utmost skill toward sa wing the vessel
in danger that was not Ia he appre-
hended. and that there the reSpon-
sibiliry Of the comma nding office
ended. Nor can there he any added
responsibility for the loss Of life in
cidental to this disaster. for such is
insepa rably connected to the loss nj
the vessel. The only possible point
that can he raised in this connection
IL the question of whether parachuteS
would have been Of any value undet
he circumSta noes in saving lives. W..
believe ii suffitient merely to call a.
teniion here to the prepondera mt AMI
positive testimony of a number Of wit
nesses. well qualified To know. as
opposed to the fanCies of other wit
nesses whose testimony was not
hased on a knowledge Of operating
conditions. that paraChutes not only
would have failed in this case TO save
lives. but might easily have imperiled
the lives of others who were actually
saved by staying with the ship.
Although we are survivors Of one
Of the worst air accidents that has
ever occurred. We nevertheless have
not lost faith in rigid airships, and are
still of the opinion that rigid arshipe
are Of a great deal Of value for naval
and commercial purposes as well. Il
would ne in keeping with neither trsdi-
ton nor sound business To aha ndon
at this stage an enterprise on which
such an immense amount Of effort has
already been expended. and which
with slightly more expenditure along
the present lines. will brine forth the
potential value and poeSihi'itieS Of
this type Of aircraft.
We therefore take this onnortunitv
IF stating that We are ready to DO and
give nnr utmost toward the continue
ton and furtherinc Of this project
And we urge upon this court the ad-
Visibility of its recomme nding the re-
tention. continuation and furt herance
of rigid arship development and
operation in the Navy
Arguments Summed IN.
The Government interest In The
inquiry was closed YESTERDAY after
noon with the surnming.up argI-
ments by Maj. Henry Leonard. l. :
Nj. C.. retired. Judge advocate. and
his technical assistant. Prof William
Hovgaard of the Massa chusetts Insti-
tute OF Technology. Mai. Leonard
rested his case without summation
without argument. without comment"
and declared the Government has mo
person or persons whom il desires 10
inculpate or exculpate." Prof. How
| p,v@
andoah broke up primarily because
OF an excessive saeeinE movement
caused by violent upward gust
The inquiry officially was closed
Yesterday afternoon when Charles L.
Burgess. one of the designers Of the
diriaible. was recalled to correct tech
nical data given by him on his first
appearance before the board Of Off
GERS. Maj. Leonard then rested the
case for The Government. and rrof.
Hoveaard began his technical arcu-
ment.
Seeks Only Facts.
The court Judge advocate. after ae-
sertins that there are those who will
decry the results Of your lahors. Do
clared the Government has no one
aspect OF this case which II seeks TO
establish: no state Of facts as contra.
dlStlnS ulShed from any pthtI Stdtr Va
facts which It desires to set up no
nbase OF the testimony upon which it
especially relies or places emphasis;
no person or persons whom 1t desires
to inculpate or eXculpate.
Small glory to him. If any there
be" he continued. who for seiflsh
or Interior purpose shall traduce
those (the SHENANDOAH dead or sub
tract from the honor accruins to
those who survive.
In the language of regulation TINS
is truly case where the facts are
va rious and complicated. grea
airship of the Navy set out from her
base in New jersey on a mission 20
the West. In few short hours she
Law on the ground, tangled mass OF
wreckage, with IA of her crew, in
Guiding her gallant commander cold
in death, and the remaining % saved
for careers Of further usefulness in
their chosen profession by that dar-
ine skill and devotion to duty which
have ever characterized men of the
Navy in the hour Of peril.
40 your lot has fallen the onerous
task Of determining the causes of
this tragic event and of assessing
and apportioning the blame. If any,
which shall attach 10 persons In the
naval service by reason of the un-
happy occurrence. To that end you
! have heard at the bar of this court
SIS witnesses and have received in
evidence Iii documents"
Prof. Hovgaard expressed the belief
that no excessive gas pressure was ex-
perienced, although some Of the auto
matte gas valves apparently did not
function properly, permitting an UNI
even condition to develop in several OF
the cells. He urged policy Of auto
matte gas valves for future construc-
tiol., not because the hand valves were
not sufficient to assure proper pres
sures or that they were not properly
manipulated on the Shenandoah, but
on the theory Of eliminating the
human element so far as possible. He
also advocated building OF control cars
into the body of airships.
"A for corrosion from calcium
chloride In the radia tors as an anti
freeze solution, mentioned by Col. Will
liam Mitchell az a probable cause OF
the structure disirtse"atins, Prof.
Horsaard said none had oeen found
that had weakened appreciAbly the
frame. although in time this might