Imperial Valley press., 1933-04-05
Cause Of Catastrophe Mystery
NAVY SILENT ON AKRON'S
LOSS PENDING INQUIRIES
Majority Of Opinions Against Government
Building Any More Dirigibles In View Of
Numerous Tragedies Experienced.

termined until after the inquiry
but he expressed doubt as to their
value.
Swanson promised that the Ak
ron's sister ship, the Macon, now
nearing completion at Akron, o.,
would be given doubly thorough
inspection before being put into
service.
When it takes the skies, it will
be the navy's only dirigible. The
Akron has gone the way of the
Shenandoah in 1925 and the armys
Roma in 1922. The veteran Los
Angeles, obsolete and decommission-
ed, is to be sold.
Swanson said the navy probably
would adhere to its plan to assign
the Macon to the west coast, where
the most of the U. S. fleet is sta
toned. A hangar has been built
for her at Sunnyvale, Calf.
The secretary considered it pos
sible that the Lakehurst, N. j., air
station, the Akrons gloom -shroud-
ed home base, might be abandoned
Navy officers were doubtful as to
how much they might ever be able
to learn about the cause of the
Akron's crash. Only three men
who went down with her live to tell
against thunder storm, a broken
rudder control, steady. loss of al
titude, and then the plunge into
the surging waves off Barnegat, N.
j.
The crew of the German tanker
Phoebus, which picked up the three
and flashed first news of the dis
aster, saw the Akron's plunge
from a distance. AS the Phoebus
proceeds toward Tampico, Mex,
where it is due April II, its men
are preparing confidential affidav-
its for the navy department.
Little Wreckage Found
Only scattered bits of wreckage
have been found by the fleet of
h|vy and coast guard boats and
airplanes which today continued
their search along the coast from
Atlantic City, N. j., down to the
Virginia Capes.
Even if the main part of her
metal skeleton should be found, it
seemed doubtful that investigators
would be able to deduce much from
the wreckage after it has been bat
tered and twisted by the waves.
Atlantic City was designated the
center of the rescue operations
when it became evident that the
currents of the ocean had carried
bodies and wreckage rapidly south
along the coast while cruisers, des-
troyers, surfboats and planes hunt
ed fruitlessly yesterday off Barne-
gat.
The body of Lieut.. Commander
H. E. Mcclellan was brought here
on coast guard cutter 213 which
found it afloat 80 miles off Allan
tic City.
AT Lakehurst, the flag at the
naval air station flew at full mast
though the New Jersey town was
in deepest mourning. Most of the
victims lived near the town, and
many left widows.
Adding to the sorrow of the town
was the tragedy of yesterday when
the blimp J-3, joining in the search
for Akron victims, crashed into the
sea. Lieut. Commander David
Erwin Cummins, 81, commander,
and Pasquale Bettio, machinists
mate, were killed. Five others were
rescued by a New York police sea-
plane.
Henry L. Roosevelt, assist sec
retary of the navy, pledged .uat a
complete investigation of the Ak
ron's crash would be held here.
When the investigation is held
the star witnesses will be the three
Akron survivors, Lieut.. Command
er Herbert Victory Wiley, boat
swain's mate Richard Deal and
machiniSt's mate Moody Eugene
Erwin, all of whom are recovering
in Brooklyn naval hospital from
cuts, shock and immersion.