Evening star., 1933-04-04
73LOST AS AKRON .
CRASHES INTO SEA
Lightning Believed Cause of
Disaster: Moffett Among
Missing.

Continued From First Page.)
Tucker and climbed to the front seal
of one of the three ambulances which
awaited arrival of the Tucker
Richard Deal, another enlisted mar
and the third survivor, was carried
ashore on a stretcher and placed in ar
ambulance Face scratches were the
only visible injuries and DR.. T. j. Smith
of the Navy. who made preliminary
examination on the Tucker said Deal
was apparently not "in bad shape"
All three survivors declined to make
any statement before completing their
Tucker the body of Robert Copeland
enlisted man, was brought ashore
Copeland was taken from the sea alive
but died shortly after.
Jacket Is Shrunk.
Condr. J. Whitbeck of the Tucker at
first refused to say anything but later
expressed the opinion that there is
no doubt the Akron has sunk"
Comdr. Whitbeck said the Tucker
arrived on the scene at daylight, took
the survivors and Copeland's body
from a rescue ship. and started back
as soon as convinced that further
search would be fruitless He said the
sea was very rough at the time and
while numerous pieces of wreckage were
seen no bodies we're found in the water
These are probably the only sur
vivors," he said, indicating Wiley and
the two enlisted men.
Comdr. Wiley arrived wearing his
own uniform jacket, shrunken so it
barely covered him, and trousers and
shoes he had borrowed from Coast
Guardsman.
Il can't talk" he said, and climbed
up to the front seat of one of the am
balances.
How do you feel?" some one in the
welcoming crowd shouted
"Oh, I'm all right" the officer re-
piled and the ambulance drove of.
Terrific Explosion.
Erwin walked from the Tucker wrap
ped in blankets and only shook his
head in response to all questions.
Comdr Whitbeck said that all his
crew had been ordered to maintain
strict silence concerning all they had
seen until a full official report should
be made.
Some time after the Tucker arrived
Comdr. Whitbeck said that he Judged
there had been a terrific explosion" on
the Akron. He based this opinion, he
said, on the small size of the scattered
pieces Of wreckage.
Life Boats Sent Out.
Following the report Of wreckage
near Atlantic City life boats were sent
out from Coast Guard stations at
Longport, Townsend Inlet and Stone
Harbor. Several airplanes, held back
during the darkness because of low
ceiling, took off after dawn to assist in
the search
The Tucker reported by wireless that
1t sighted wreckage at the scene of the
crash. The message was timed at 6:C4
am. An hour later the cruiser Port
land could find no wreckage at the
same place and Navy officials for
time assumed the ship had gone to the
bottom -
At Akron, Ohio, where the Akron was
constructed by the Goodyear Co, off,
cials predicted the accident would affect
the future of lighter-than-air craft. A
sister ship, the Macon, was recently
completed and is about to undergo tests.
Admiral Moffett christened the Macon
few weeks ago.
Survivors Of Crash.
The survivors of the Akron, besides
Wiley, are Moody E. Erwin and Richard
e. Deal. both enlisted men. Deal also
survived the crash of the Shenandoah
in 1925. The dead man was Robert
w. Copeland, chief radio operator of
the Akron.
The tanker Phoebus, flying the flag
of the DanZig Free State and bound
from New York for Tampico, was
within few miles of the Akron when
her wireless spluttered an S o S
through static-choked skies at 80
O'Clock There was no. further word
from the aircraft, which apparently
descended rapidly, either falling or
crippled to the point of a forced
descent.
Capt. Dalldorf of the Phoebus flashed
word OF the tragedy to shore as he
r turned his slow-moving tankship from
its course to the spot where the Akron
had dropped.
A severe thunder and lightning
storm ragged.
81 saw aircraft lights flashing" the
captain wirelessed the Associated Press
shortly afterward
Then I saw lights flashing on the
water. changed my course to ap-
proach the lights, and soon heard men
hailing me from the water"
1t was Capt. Dalldorf and his men
of the Phoebus who rescued the four
reported picked up.
Took Of at 1880 Last Night.
None of the reports either to the
Navy Department or Coast Guard made
any mention of the airship's COM
mander, F. C. McCord
In addition to Admiral William A.
Moffett, chief of the Nays aero
nautical division Comdr. McCord and
Lieut.. Comdr. Wiley, there were aboard
the Akron when she took off from her
Lakehurst hangar at 7:30 o'clock last
Berry and Col. A. F. Masbury, United
States Army.
The Akron was on test fight which
was to have taken her along the New
England Coast. She was to have re-
: turned tomorrow. Such test flights are
frequent. The Akron returned two
weeks ago from an extended cruise to
Panama
There was no definite information as
to what happened aboard the ship
The intensity of the storm was noted
fought to reach the scene of the
Akron's fall. Lightning whipped across
the black skies and rain poured down.
while strong winds tore at the huge
ship whose powerful motors challenged
them.
Last Report at 8 pm.
The last word from the Akron to
reach the station at Lakehurst was at
pm last night at which time the
airship reported "all well" aboard.
An S o S was picked up at 1:30
O'Clock this morning. and the craft must
already have been disabled. No further