Evening star., 1933-04-06
AKRON. SURVIVORS
VISIT ROOSEVELT.
Three Men Describe DirigibIe
Crash-Doubt Cause Will
Be Determined.

Received by their commander in chief
as only heroes are, Lieut.. Comdr. H. v.
Wiley and two bruised and SCARED en-
listed men who survived the Akron dis
aster told President Roosevelt today
they doubted whether the actual cause
Of the crash of the great airship ever
would be known.
After shaking hands with the Presi-
dent, who said, I'm thankful you're
here" each of the grim-faced survivors
gave a laconic, gripping account Of
night off Barnegat Light.
All joined in declaring that none is
more anxious to learn the whole truth
regarding the catastrophe which cost
the lives of 73 men than the Navy it
self. Because of the suddenness of the
tragedy and the difficulty in salvaging
remains of the giant airship, however,
they felt 1t would be extremely difficult
TO ascertain the real cause of the
wreck.
Trouble Came Quickly.
\ Comdr. Wiley, dressed in new blue
uniform of his rank, informed the Presi-
dent actual danger to the ship did not
develop until about three minutes be-
fore the dirigible plunged into the sea.
Wiley, with Richard E. Deal and Moody
e. Erwin, enlisted men, were intro
duced to Mr.. Roosevelt by the latters
cousin, Assistant Secretary OF the Navy
Henry Latrobe Roosevelt.
The President leaned forward in his
chair and shook the hand Of each Wig
sprously, asking them to sit down and
stell me all about it."
Wiley, speaking in slow, firm tones,
iSaid it seemed that Providence had
been "miraculously kind" to him. He
described how he went down in the
scontrol car until the sea poured through
1.-The window; how he was swept out the |
$window and came up bobbing on a |
Fough, fog-blanketed sea, and how,
FINALLY, the German tanker Phoebus |
lFescued him.
Praises German Skipper. g
Wiley paid high tribute to the skip
per of the German ship, declaring Capt. |
Dalldorf handled the situation with
perfect seamanshir." President Roose- |
svelt turned to Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt and said he desired that the |
Navy Department should do something |
fitting for the captain of the tanker
and his crew. He remarked that he was |
writing a personal letter Of commenda- |
ton to the skipper.
The President turned to Seaman Deal, |
who was in civilian clothes and whose |
hand was wrapped in bandages, and !,
congratulated the sailor who escaped |
from two major airship disasters-the |
loss of the Shenandoah and the Akron. |
Both of the enlisted men gave brief |
stories of their escape from the falling |
ship. Deal said he jumped before the |
doomed dirigible hit the water and |
Erwin said all he could remember was |
going under the water and coming up
dazed
He could not recall how he got out |
of the wreckage and remarked that he
does not recall any detail Of his rescue
except that he remembers coming to"
on the German ship with half dozen /
men working over him.
Urges Leave for Men.
The President turned to Assistant /
Secretary Roosevelt as the 12-minute
interview was concluded and said he
thought the trio deserved everything /
tionel particularly that they should be
given any leave they desired.
The Akron survivors refused to an
swer any questions by newspaper men
after they emerged from the Presidents
Office, but consented to pose for cam
era men.
Quietly entering the White House, the
trio found themselves a center of un-
usual attention. !. Things stopped mo-
inentarily at the executive Office as
the girl stenographers, the clerks and
the secretaries all went to the main
hobby to- see the men
The three survivors gave their stories
verbally to- Secretary Swanson and
Admiral William v. Pratt, chief Of
naval operations, at the Navy Depart
ment yesterday.
Deal and Erwin spent the night at |
the Naval Hospital for treatment for
slight injuries, while Wiley stayed at
the home of a friend.
1t was a touching scene when the
three survivors, showing traces of their
Drdeal, came up to the Navy Department
after hurried fight from New York.
A crowd of officers and civilians Of the
department was there to see them.
Secretary Swanson grasped Wileys
hand and congratulated him on being
one of the survivors of as gallant a crew
as ever constituted the personnel of the
Navy"
He shook hands with Erwin and Deal,
and made a little speech in praise of
those who went down in discipline
and courage"
Then, with Assistant Secretary Roose-
welt, Admiral Pratt and others grouped |
around, Wiley and his companions |
poured out to Swanson the fragments |
of the story they knew. The doors were |
locked and what they said was kept