New Britain herald., 1925-09-03

Ambulances and other convey ances which carried physicians and others to the scene, immediately following the accident, were trans4 porting the dead and injured to nearby towns. Those who met death in the unsuccessful fight against the elements were taken to Belle Valley while the injured were scattered in the various hospitals of the com munity.
 Hcroism Evident The story of the disaster Is one of heroism of the crew. pioneers, in the interest of the development of light CT than air transportation. It Is best told by Colonel c. G. Hall, U. s. Army observer aboard the ill-fated ship
 We were travelling west at an al- titude of about 5000 feet when we encountered storm," Colonel Hall said In describing tho accident. By changing our course dozen or more times. we dodged 1t. only to en- counter the line squali which sent us to an altitude of $500 feet before we realized what had happened.
 We opened the valves to let out sass and lowered the ship and were
 drawing away from the storm at . fifty mile per hour rate when the storm enveloped us and broke into three pieces. I exclaimed to Com
 mander Lansdowne: Everyone beat
 it. When the crash came I was on
 the ladder leading from the control
 cabin to the rear portion of the ship.
 As I started to fall, I clutched a
 girder to which I hung suspended,
 finally swinging my body over it and { crawling forty of fifty feet back into
 the ship"
 When he reached the ship proper,
 Colonel Hall said that he found
 other members of the ship preparing
 to open the valves in order to bring about & descent. Here he found Lieutenant Roland c. Mayer, load ] Ing officer. and Lieutenant J. B.
 Anderson, Aerologist. The later, l Colonel Hall said, had made his way to the rear on the catwalk. All three r descended safely. No Defect in Ship Colonel Hall said that the catas- trophe was in no way attributed to any defect in the ship. Meteorologi- | cal advices, warning the navigators
 of the storm, would have saved the ship, he said. Since there were no meteorological stations in the vicini- ty these advices were not available. At the time of the crash, Hall said. , four of the six engines which propel- ] led the air monster, were going full speed. The craft simply met air cur
 rents which she could not survive. Colonel Hall voiced high praise for . the navy crew of the dirigible Even
 immediately after the crash, he said,
 the crews behavior was remarkable. Each man took the situation quietly,
 deporting himself as If he were on .
 free balloon and attempting to bring
 the craft to the ground in the best
 manner possible.
 In all there were eight men whc l made the perilous ride in the portion
 of the ship on which Colonel Hal = found himself. It drifted for the bet,
 ter part of q half hour and covered
 a distance of ten miles or more be. 'F fore coming to earth.
 It Guard Wreck 'o Intense excitement prevailed 1T 'e the mining community where tht "a ship fell. In an almost unbelievabl, h short time news of the disaster had u spread over the entire countrysid,
 and roads were black with automo of piles carrying doctors. undertakers ,e officials and the curious to th' tr points where the various portions o 1- the ship fell.
 h Each portion of the ship wal
 wrecked by the impact with thi k ground and early arriving souveni . hunters were making off with bits c
 the bag, splinters of wood and othe " portions of the mechanism, A vol ie unteer guard finally was throw S- around the debris and s reques at wired to Columbus for fifty men ani ne three officers for guard duty. al At Belle Valley. where the hodie he of the dead were being assemble
 under direction of Lieutenant Com in mander Charles R. RosendahL grie it prevailed. Villagers, the quiet rou
 tine of their existence interrupted hn stood about almost unable to com To. prehend the catastrophe. Soon sfte e. word of the disaster reached her.