Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-10-06
NATIONS PROBE
Continued from page -

which were charred beyond recog-
milton. I'M Of them only bones
with scraps Of tendon attached. So
intense was the heat that rings in
some cases were melted about the
Fingers OF the victims.
The R-1o1, big sister OF the Rico.
which successfully crossed the
Atlantic and returned last July,
was seven hours out OF Cardington
IN route to Karachi. India. on an
8,000-mile journey when the crash
occurred. After hours OF fighting
the violent storm which ragged over
northwest France Sunday morning,
the dirigible lost altitude. and some
time after ? a. n. failed to rise
above an encircling row OF hills
about a valley south OF here.
II. j. Leach. engineer OF the
Royal Airship works and pilot OF
the ship at the time. gave the most
coherent account OF the tragedy:
I'VE got into a terrific storm with
high winds and the dirigible simply
would not rise. I gave her more gas
70 get her up into the air, but she
did not respond.
Rain In Torrents
"Rain was falling In such tor
rents that our ship was blown down
TO earth. She bumped twice slight
1y and then with a terrific impact
she buried her nose into the ground.
Immediately there came a tremend-
GU explosion, followed by two
User ones, and flames engulfed
NE airship.
Il was shot outside my pilot
window do not know how-and
found myself On the ground. At the
moment OF the catastrophe every
body aboard except myself and
assistant navigators were asleep.
The motors we're turning TO perfec-
ton. II vas the tempest which
caused our destruction"
Residents about Beauvais were
awakened first by the -sors Of
the ship as IL passed low over
their heads. perhaps 400 or SO feet
high. Many remarked that the pilot
did not seem in absolute control of
the ship, that ii wobbled unneces-
sarily and did not seem to respond
to his handling.
Shock Shakes Countryside
The shock Of the explosion which
Followed the impact with the hill
side shook the country for miles
around. Peasants thereabout. n
mindful OF the torrential rain and
wind. ran across muddy fields and
through woods TO the spot. where
pillars OF fire ross into the skies
Ind illrimined a vast area.
The heat stopped them dead a
considerable distance away. Much
nearer the flames they could see
men running about frantically. At
tempting 10 break through the walls
Of the cabins where Their comrades
Of the flight were imprisoned. one
man could be seen ~ @ window
with a spanne- IT. his hand at
tempting to break through and
out. TIE RICH. hand Of one OF the
bodies recovered afterva-d. and
unidentified. held a spanner tight
".
Ev daybreak the fire had settled
sufficiently TO allow rescue meas
ures to proceed. but there was no
hore OF finding anyone alive on
the ship. Metal Orders had to be
sawed through 10 get az some OF
the bodies which we're taken out
and laid in q dell not far away.
eovercS ty sheets furnished by Tie
pea<ants, and tagged according 70
ASHTON IN the dirigible with the
hSpe tina. this would aid In ident-
ificati0n.
Peasants Bring Flowers
1t vas noon before all the bodies
were recovered. The bodies later IN
sht day were taken 70 Allonne. q
VILLAGE near here. and placed in an
smpromptu chapel. The peasants
am With flowers and kino.
Frenchmen found several unis<
lacks to adorn the walls and make
4 fitting temporary resting place
for the remains.
LeBourget. French airdrome. had
a graphic account OF Its own Of the
Inflated trip 10 tell. From the start
Of the fOfdkC hb lou y. III. t1.oo
=. m. SSH Saturday the radio
Station there was in contact with
the dirieible. AT i:50 a. m. SUNDAY
the dirigible asked its position and
sscertained It was about half a
mile south of Beauvais.
A message vas then sent that at
that moment the passengers after
enjoying an excellent dinner ant
smoking many cigars, were pre-
PAIRING to go to bed. The R-l0l
duc to extensive fire-proofing, Is
fhe first lighter-than-air craft on
which smoking has been permitted
n was q few minutes after this
message that the end came.