Evening star., 1925-09-24
.SHENANDOAHPARTS
STUDIED IN PROBE
of WRECKS CAUSE
Commander Did Not Pro-
test Against Trip, NaW-
gator of Ship Testifies.
RECORD OF BAROGRAPH
is PRESENTED COURT
Lansdowne Correspondence With
Chief Held Irrelevant to
Navy Probe.
By the Associated Press

~@oHS'
By the Associated Press
LAKEHURST, \. j.. S@otember
24.-The Shenandoah fought the line
squall in Ohio on September 3 for at
least half an hour before she broke
up, the barograph instrument record
introduced before the naval court OF
inquiry shows.
This record establishes that the ship
began its first rapid ascent at 4:26 am.
central time, rising from an altitude
of 1850 feet to an altitude of 1850
feet in 8 minutes
The craft leveled off but minutes
later. At 4:36 she shot up almost like
rocket from 3,O1s feet to 6,O65 in
approximately 10 minutes.
Her ascent halted at this altitude
at 4:46 am. The Shenandoah then
fell abruptly 1,7S5 feet in 3 minutes,
bringing up at an altitude of $3.50
feet.
At this point the barograph ceased
to function consecutively.
Lieut. Clinton H. Havill, who was
introduced as an expert, said il was
his judgment that it ceased as a re-
suit of the instrument itself receiving
violent bump or else the whole CON
troll car in which it was located re
ceived such bump.
There were blotches on the record
made of the same ink as that in the
barograph but it was not possible for
| the office.S accurately to interpret the
blotches
Whether the barograph ceased to
function when the control car broke
off the ship could not be determined
Comdr. Sidney NJ. kraus, another
expert, estimated that the control car
fell about 900 feet and if that be cor
rect the Paragraph ceased to record
before the car fell.
Made No Protest.
Testimony that Lieut. Comdr. Lans-
downe, captain of the Shenandoah,
never expressed any protest or re
/ luctance TO proceed TO the West with
the Shena ndoaal on the Western trip
was given TO the court by Lieut..
Comdr. {. Z. Rosendahl navigator of
the aircraft.
The only observation Capt. Lans-
downe made" Comdr. Rosendahl said
was in casual conversation with me,
in which he said il was TOO bad the
Shenandoah had not been able TO make
the trip during the 10 days immediate
ly preceding September 2, when wealth
er conditions were wellnigh perfect, as
shown by the weather maps"
Can you say whether Comdr. Lans-
downe understood and approved the
changes in itinerary us ordered by the
Navy Department" asked Capt. Paul
Foley, the judge advocate.
Anxious for Trip.
Yes, sir Rosendahl replied adding
that when he returned from Detroit,
where he tested the mooring mast to
be used by the Shenandoah. he stopped
at the Navy Department and was
shown a chart of the trip. Three
routes were charted; that originally
proposed by the Navy: that proposed
by Lansdowne. and that finally de-
cided upon by the department. kosen-
dahl said he explained the reasons for
the change to Lansdowne when he
returned to LakehurSt.
Within your knowledge was any
one connected with the Shenandoah or
the naval air station at Lakehurst OBJ
jecting to the flight" asked Capt
Foley
NO, sir" Rosendahl replied. "On
the contrary. several student officers
asked if any student officers could be
taken on the trip"
Rosendahl added that one officer
who was TO have been taken was
stricken i'll just before the fight, but
objected to being left behind. despite
the fact that his temperature was 10S
degrees.
II think his attitude was indicative
of the spirit of the whole crew." he
said.
Wreckage Studied.
Wreckage of the airship was in
spected by the court of inquiry here
today so that the members might form
a clearer idea from the testimony of
survivors just what happened within
the big ship when she broke up.
Survivors explained to the court de-
tails regarding the ships construction
and the function of the various pieces
If wreckage which had been laid out
on the floor of the hangar here in the
relative position in which it was in
the original hull.
All Parts of Ship.
Included in the salvage were the
five engines of the air fighting craft.
all of them considerably damaged as
a result of their fall; parts of the
framing, much of it twisted; control
and other wires: fragments of the con-
troll car: some of the automatic and
maneuvering valves for releasing hell 4,
UNI. some of them damaged by the
fall, as we'll as parts of the covering
bag, the gas cells and even blankets
used by members of the crew.
The inspection consumed virtually
all Of the morning and there was no
taking of evidence. Later in the day
the barograph record showing exactly
how the ship bumped about in the
storm was to be presented to the
court to amplify the testimony of the
members of the crew as to the ships
position when the breakup came.
There was discussion here today of
the possibility of calling Admiral
Eberle, chief of naval operations, and
Rear Admiral Moffett, chief OF the
Bureau of Aeronautics. for question
ing regarding the confidential CORE
spondence introduced yesterday con-
cerning plans for the fatal fight of
the Shenandoah, but members of the
court said there had been no decision
on this point.
No Mention of Weather.
Some officers attach comparatively
little interest to this line of evidence.
since the inquiry has to do with the
causes of the disaster and the relation
of weather condition to it. 1t Is point
ed out that Lieut.. Comdr. Zachary
Lansdowne. commander of the ship
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