Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-31
SETTLE BORN IN D. C.
He and Lieut.. Bauch Were Among
Nays Leading AIrship Experts.

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Lieut.. Charles e. Bauch. who was
killed. and Lieut.. Thomas @. W. Settle,
injured, in an automobile crash near
Akron, Ohio, were Two of the Nays
leading airship experts. Lieut.. Settle
was native Of the District Of Co
lumhia.
Lieut. Bauch was the first officer as
signed by the Navy for duty aboard the
u. 8. s. Akron, giant Navy dirigible
now under construction at Akron. He
had been at the Goodyear Zeppelin
dock at Akron for about two weeks,
familiarizing himself with construction
details Of the great ship. Lieut. Settle
has been on duty since August, 1929, as
naval inspector Of construction Of the
Akron.
Both men have been on active duty
since the World War and both we're
outstanding figures In international
balloon competition as members Of Navy
balloon teams.
Settle Helped Expose Plot.
Lieut.. Settle was instrumental in un-
covering the alleged sabotage plot In
Connection with the attempted destruc-
ton of the giant Navy dirigible Akron,
at Akron, on March 10. He ordered a
recheck Of all parts on which Paul r.
Kassay, said to be responsible for the
plot, had worked.
Lieut.. Settle was born January 4,
1895, and attended the local public
schools. In 1915 he was appointed by
the President as midshipman and
went to the Naval Academy.
Lieut.. Settle began his aviation ca
reer in 1922 In July, 1924, he went
to Lakehurst for duty aboard the
Shenandoah and served on this ship
with Lieut.. Bauch until the dirigible
was destroyed. He then served aboard
the Los Angeles in various capacities.
He established an of1cial distance
record for balloons in a flight from
Lakehurst to Northern Maine in Feb
ruary, 1927. He placed third in the
Gordon Bennett International Balloon
Trophy race in 1929 and in that year
was winner of the national balloon race,
setting world records for distance and
duration.
Naval Observers Aboard Graf.
He also was q naval observer aboard
the Graf Zeppelin on her first eastward
crossing Of the Atlantic.
Lieut. Settle is the second man to
make glider descent from an airship
Lseut. Bauch entered the service at
the outbreak of the war with the pro-
visional rank of ensign in the Flying
Corps, He attended ground school at
the Massachusetts, Institute Of Tech
noGgy and qualified as a free balloon
ana airship pilot at the Naval Avia-
ton Detachment School at Akron, Ohio.
Lieut.. Bauch was aboard the first
Navy airship to be inflated with helium
on its initial flight. He became as
sistant manager Of construction at the
Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, ". j.,
during the construction OF the u. S. S.
Shenandoah and was one Of the test
crew on its first flights, in the crash of
which he distinguished himself by his
skill and courage. He made the trial
flight in the Shenandoah to st. Louis
in 1928 and the transcontinental fight
in the same dirigible the following
year. He was one OF the officers OF
the Los Angeles on her flight to Ber-
muda In 1925.
Lieut. Eauch was one of the naval
observers aboard the Graf Zeppelin ON
her flight from Lakehurst TO Fried
richshefen, Germany, in 1923. He was
decorated by the Italian government
with the Commandante di Dirigible
Esploratore.