Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-09-10
TWO SURVIVORS OF
WRECKED AIRSHIP
TELL OF DISASTER
33 Men on Broken Shenandoah
Ride Fragments to Safety
While II Die.


crew Of the Shenandoah, giant diri-
gible, were crushed to death and two
others were seriously injured when
the pride Of the United States navy
cracked during a severe storm on its
western cruise from its Lakehurst
IN. J.) airport.
Breaks in Three Sections.
The ship broke into three sections
when it was hit by a squat, blowing
nearly 20 miles an hour-a wind so
severe it rocked houses The gale
forced it upward from 5000 to 5000
feet, and then it began to break apart.
The first crash broke the great ship
in two almost at the point from which
the control cabin was swung, in which
Commander LanSdowne and his men
were working desperately to conquer
the storm.
All in Cabin Killed.
The cabin was torn from its faster
ings and dropped to earth like
stone. Every man in it was killed,
their bodies being found scattered in
wreckage, where they were terribly
torn and cut.
The main after-portion Of the ship,
carrying 33 Of the officers and men,
1oated away while those aboard it
and clinging to it released helium and
fought with every ingenuity they pos
sessed to control it. Fortunately it's
drop to the ground was checked Some
what by the amount Of gas remaining
in the uninjured bags and, although it
landed with crash, none Of its occu-
pants was killed.
Those in the nose of the great ship
were saved as if by a miracle, for
the gas bags in their section did not
rip and the torn, unwieldy remnant of
what had been before a graceful giant
OF the air drifted wildly before the
wind. The men inside clambered des-
perately up the Orders, chung to twist
ed bits Of metal and ropes as she
swung through the darkness.
They heafo their unfortunate com
panions in the control compartment
strike the earth with a great crash,
and the rest of their journey was a
nightmare of fear of what lay before
them. But they came safely down near
Sharon, seven miles away.
Survivors Tell Of Crash.
Col. c. G. Hall, United States army
observer aboard the Shenandoah, was
among the survivors who were car
ried across the country in the nose of
the ship.
Lieut.. G. 3. Bauch was in the main
He says there was no undue hurry or
concern aboard. The men, he said,
hurriedly realized their predicament,
and did everything they could to save
the ship.
The story Of the disaster is one of
heroism Of the crew, pioneers in the
interest Of the development of lighter
than-air transportation. 1t is best told
by Colonel Hail.
'We were travelling west at an alti-
tude of about 1000 feet when we en-
countered Storm Colonel Hall said,
ing our course a dozen or more times
we lodged it, only to encounter the
line squall which sent us to the alti-
tude Of $500 feet before we realized
what had happened.
eve opened the valves to let out
gas and lowered the ship and were
drawing away from the storm at a 80
mile-per-hour rate when the storm en-
veloped us and broke the ship into
pieces. / exclaimed to Commander
Lansdowne, Every one beat it.
when the crash came / was on
the ladder leading from the control
cabin to the rear portion of the ship.
AS / started to fall, cIutched girder,
to which / hung suspended, finally
swinging my body over it and crawl
ing forty or fifty feet back into the
ship"
When he reached the ship proper,
Colonel Hall said he found other
members. of the crew preparing to
open the valves in order to bring about
a descent
Lieut. Com. Zachary Landsdowne of
Greenville, Ohio, captain of the ship;
Lieut.. Com. Louis Hancock, Jr., Aus
tin, Texas, executive officer; Lieut. j.
B, Lawrence, st. Paul, Mimi; Lieut.
A. R. Houghton Aston, Mass; Lieut..
e. w. Sheppard, Washington, D. c.;
Chief Petty officer George G. Schnit-
ger, Touchdown, N. j.; Machinist's
Mate James A. Moore, Savannah, Ca.
Chief Rigger E. P. Allen, ST. Louis.
Mo-; Rigger Ralph g. Joffray, st.
Louis; Machinist's Mate B. B. O'Sul-
livan, Lowell, Mass. Machinists's Mate
w. A. Spratley, Venice, Ill; Chief
Machinist Charles H. Broom, Toms
River, N j.; Machinist's Mate G. P.
Mazzuco, Murray Hill, N. j.; Machin-
lists Mate James w. Cullinan. Bing-
hampton, N. Y.