New Britain herald., 1925-09-04
SURVIVORS TALES
 OF AIRSHIP DROP
Many Thrilling Escapes Are
 Recorded by Crew

No. 5, the alt starpoaru car ol the dirigible Shenandoah, was blamed by some of the survivors of the wreck for the tragedy yesterday Tn Ohio.
 When the IS survivors, who came by special car from the scene Of the wreck en route 10 their home station, arrived at Philadelphia at 1850 a. m' today, some of them agreed that this accident, in conjunction with the terrific storm, was responsible for the wreck and it's ensuing loss Of life.
 The storm was described by the survivors as a western twister,' a miniature cyclone. Some of the men said they had been able 10 see the storm coming. but that the ship had been powerless to get out of its way As the men trooped from the train at the North Philadelphia sta- tion of the Pennsylvania railroad to take another train to Lakehurst, all of them were carrying heavy bags.
 Are they your effects?" someone asked one of the men, pointing to the bags.
 No" he said. "They are the things that belonged to our com- rades who are dead"
 Richardson Wilson of Louisville, Ky, seaman, second class, listed yesterday as injured, was among the survivors, unhurt.
 The IS men came on the train In charge of Lieutenant Hendley. They were stiff and sore from the leaps they mad made from the airship as it neared the ground, They were srimy and very tired. Few slept either last night or at any time yes- terday,
 A number of them described how they clung to the outer envelope and the framework and worked their way from the top of the airship- almost a hundred feet--to a hand hold near, the bottom where they were able when the broken sections of the airship dropped near the ground, to let go and drop 10 or 15 feet to safety.
 Ran For Lives.
 We had to run for our lives" " Wilson said, "because the portion of the bag in which we were, the up- per portion, was rolling. sagging and twisting from side to side"
 Several members of the party said that not only did the control cal fall, but that No. 4 and No. power cars fell also a few minutes later Wilson said the control car mus have dropped off when the dirigible was 1000 feet in the air. He coulc not figure how high they were wher the power cars fell away.
 Wilson added that he was awak ened by the rolling of the shenan doah,
 Tt was rolling terrifically fore ant aft. up and down." he said. "Th ship seemed to plunge down thou sand feet or so. It was swift, loni descent. Then instantly 1t was jerke' upward at an angle of 45 degrees f about 5000 feet or perhaps 6,0O feet. That was when I heard tn crash, I knew that we were goini down and looked below. I could SC that we were dropping fast.
 T made flying leap for the seal ing ladder that goes from the cat walk to the top of the bag Othe men all around me, up and dow the ship, were climbing the ladde to get away from the dangerous bot tom of the bag, for they all kne7 that when she struck the tendenc would be for the frame to buck and kill anyone who was near,
 "After we got up to the top o the bag we began terribly difGicul job of climbing over the outside 0 the frame, tearing away portions o the covering to get handgrip, anr working our way downward am around underneath or nearly under meath. Then we watched for ou chance and jumped"
 Wilson said that his duty on tn ship was to do the clerical worI and almost the minute he fell [ the ground he ran into Lieutenan Bosch, who ordered him immediate ly to start search for the contro ear. It lay quite a distance oi across a little valley, he said,
 Dead in Control Car
 Tt was a spintered wreck" sal Wilson. with mangled bodies insid and lying around outside. We iden tified twelve of the dead there, Late we found Lieutenant Sheppard an Cullinan, who had fallen separatel when the Shenandoah was still we LID in the air. No men fell in th two power cars that followed th control car to the ground, so far 9 know. The men were in the car because everybody in the ship ha been ordered 10 stand by about tiT minutes before. but Clambered ou and clung 10 the framework hefor the two power cars were ripno away.
 John J. Hahn, the diriEible's cool said he was getting breakfast read when the crash occurred. Tt Va preceded by a spinning around ( the ship from one of thcso wosier twisters. It was awful. l could nc hold my feet. Then | felt it dror ping. climbed into the upper Dal of the bag. Ralph Jones and B, Hereth were near me.
 We began climbing down II side" he said. "I didn't see 'hel drop. fell about fifteen feet an I am all twisted and sore
 The survivors vent from Nort Philadelphia by train 10 the mai station in Philadelphia where th' took a subway train 10 the Delawal ferry. After breakfast in Camde x. j., the party left for Lakehur on Reading railroad train at 2,l a. m, and were due in Lakohur at 1o:S3. The survivors attract' little attention in the quick passal through Philadelphia.
 It. Hrndlcy'S Story