Evening star., 1933-04-05
AKRON'SSURVNORS
TO FLY HERE TODAY
Wiley, Dean and Erwin to
Report on Disaster to
Admiral Pratt.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page.l
formation OF five planes was In CON-
naand Of Capt. Benjamin Reisweber oi
the Marine Corps.
Seven Navy amphibian planes roareo
sloft from the Philadelphia Navy Yard
today to continue the search for posi-
BILE survivors.
They were to be joined in the hunt
later by land planes. The pilots had
orders to press the search as inten-
Nvely as yesterday" Hope for sue
cess was at low ebb, however.
The Navy tug Kalmia is on its way
10 meet the cruiser Portland at sea,
In hope of recovering bodies Of the
missing men and OF bringing to the sur
face parts OF the hulk for inspection.
She carries graphing equipment and
hosting apparatus and staff OF ex-
perts in salvage operations. Capt. H.
Fairfax Leary, commander of the Port
land, flagship of the rescue fleet, will
direct the work.
Saw Akron Before Crash.
Joseph H. Nuke. second officer OF
the Clyde Mallory liner Algonquin, ap-
peared at naval headquarters here today
to give an official account of passing
below the Navy airship a few minutes
before she crashed.
At 1910 o'clock yesterday morning,
% minutes before the Akron crashed,
Nuke said he was on the bridge and
heard the Akron's motors and saw her
lights.
"She was headed southeast" Nuke
said II should judge she was about
1000 feet up. I couldn't see the ship
except for her lights because of fog.
The engines sounded steady and per-
feotly all right. We watched her three
9 miles south southeast OF Barnegat
Lightship.
"The lightning was very bad and
there was lots Of it. and thunder and
rain and fog"
Nuke said that the Akron did not
seem to be losing altitude, but because
of the weather he asked the Algonquin's S
wireless operator II any message had
been picked up from the airship. the
operator had received nothing and the
Algonquin continued toward New York,
not picking up word Of the crash until
1 o'clock in the morning.
Immediately after making his formal
written report at naval headquarters
Nuke returned to his ship to sall at
once for the South. 1t was indicated
he might be called as witness at the
ofiicial investigation Of the crash.
Stood by for Crash.
Even before the great airship smash
ed down upon the waves, those in COM
nnand knew that she had lost her battle
with the elements. This was disclosed
by the story told by Lieut.. Cordr.
wiley, second in command of the Ak
ron. He gave an account of what hap
perled shortly after his arrival at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard.
stand by for the crashl" was the last
order shouted. The ship had been
losing altitude steadily and was without
the use of its main rudder, whose con-
troll wires had been carried away.
The airship, largest in the world,
smashed into the sea few seconds
later
wiley said he believed the Akron was
In the center of the storm when she went
down. Meteorologists expressed the be-
lief that vertical currents snatched at
the lighter -than-air craft and drew 1t
relentlessly down, defying the nayiga-
ton skill of the men in the control
Dr.. James Kimball, New York me-
teorologist, said:
"The Akron may well have been
caught in one of the violent dis
turbances of the storm area. The YER
tical air currents which often accom-
pany these thunderstorms are particu-
larly bad for a dirigible."
There were some expressions OF sur
prise that the Akron had failed to ride
the water at least a short time. 1t
had been believed by some aeronautical
engineers that craft OF the Akron's
construction would stay afloat possibly
for hours and that those aboard could
mount to the upper part Of the ship and
await rescue
The Akron, however, sank rapidly.
Comdr. Jacob H. Klein, u. S. N, re-
tired, who was aboard the airship Los
Angeles when 1t crossed the Atlantic
from Germany, was one of many naval
experts who doubted the theory that
lightning caused the crash.
There has been no definite proof In
the history of lighter -than-air ships
ming" he said at Cincinnati yesterday.
"The ship apparently became unman-
ageabie, surrounded as it was by storms
and lightning, and lost altitude rap
idly. Despite the dropping of the water
ballast to prevent this rapid descent,
the descending air currents were too
strong to be overcome and the ship was
driven, stern foremost, toward the sur
face of the ocean. 1t apparently hit
with such force as to demohsh the struc-
ture."
Personnel Loss Severe.
The loss of personnel was severe,
numbering as it did the most prominent
naval experts in the airship field. Ad-
miral Moffett himself has been leader
in development OF lighter -than-air
craft. Mrs. Moffett dedicated the Ma
con, sister ship Of the Akron, only few
weeks ago at Akron, Ohio. At Lake
hurst it was stated that the crew
aboard the airship when it went down
was chosen from the picked men OF the
service.
A Coast Guardsrnan who participated
in yesterdays search, Boatswain Eugene
Kiernan of Cape May, n. j., expressed
the belief that today's search would
have to be extended perhaps SO miles
from shore, due TO the action of wind
and tide, which he believed have carried
the Akron wreckage out 10 sea.
Other Coast Guardsmen said that the
comparatively low temperature of the
water would delay the rising of any
submerged bodies. At the end of yes
terday's search they reported the seas
as being higher than house"
Several Coast Guard crews reported
having seen bits of fabric pillowcases
and a number OF gas bags floating on
the water.