Evening star., 1925-12-04
MITCHELL COURT
REBUKES COUNSEL
Demands That Chickering'S of
Maj. GulIion and Representa-
II tive Reid Stop.

raiIing to keep the peace as ordered
"Wednesday by Maj. Gen. Robert L..
Howe. president of the Mitchell court
martial. opposing counsel yesterday
afternoon drew from the court another
demand that the continued pickering
and wrangling between themselves
should be stopped. and that any re
marks either side had to make should
be addressed to the court.
After a heated discussion between
the counsel on the question of exam
lining some papers brought TO the wit
ness stand by Lieut.. Comdr. {. T.
Rosendahl senior surviving officer
of the Shenandoah, during which
Representative Frank r. Reid. chief
defense counsel, told Maj. Allen w.
Gullion, the assistant trial judge adVo-
cate, that things get to your ears. but
they never reach your brains, Presl-
dent Howe again read the notice he
served Wednesday, and asked Please
take notice"
Col. Winship Aroused.
Col. Blanton Winship. the law mem
her. also had to put his foot down hard
and assert himself during the argu-
nent about the papers. Il tell YOU
both" he declared. Il don't want any
further argument about those papers.
Comdr. Rosendahl had brought some
documents TO the stand which Maj.
Gullion hadn't seen. Mr.. Reid took
them from the witness and began an
examination of them. and Maj. Gullion
IN turn relieved the defense counsel
of them. This caused the argument.
Comdr. Rosendahl occupied the
Rtand almost the entire day. He was
followed by Lieut.. Roland G. Mayer,
construction officer of the Shenan-
doah, whose testimony was continued
over until today.
Lieut.. Mayer, survivor OF the
Shenandoah crash, declared that all
was well with the Navy at the
present time. so far as he knew. He
defended the removal of 10 of the
Shenandoah valves before her Ia st
fight. asserted her breakup was not
attributable to expansion of her gas.
and denied that nonfreezing COM
pounds used in her ballast had ocr-
roded her structure.
The witness disclosed that it was
he who wrote the letter, signed by
Comdr Landsdowne, recommending
to the Bureau of Naval Aeronautics
the reduction In number OF the Shen-
andoah'S s valves Ito save weight He
said Comdr. Lansdowne fully ap-
proved of the plan. Mr.. Reid brought
out under cross examination that
Lieut.. Mayer is not a qualified flying
officer.
Valve Change Experiment
The reply Of the Navy Department
regarding the valve recommendations
was to the effect that the changes
might be made. but that they must be
considered in the light OF an expert
ment and viewed with added caution"
for that reason.
Lieut.. Mayer testified that only
alcohol was used in the radiators of
the Shenandoah on her fatal flight,
but that a corrosive mixture was In
her ballast bags. The entire hull Of
the ship, for that reason. was var
nished. he said, and special care was
taken in pouring the mixture into the
bags. He admitted that some Of this
compound had spilled once, but that
1t was Immediately wiped up.
Mr. Reid endeavored TO have the
witness say that Capt. Anton Heinen
brought the Shenandoah back to her
hangar after she broke from the moor
ing mast during a severe storm, but
the witness insisted that Capt. Pierce
was 'fn command" He admitted that
Heinen had as much to do with bring
Ing her back as any one else. how
ever