Evening star., 1935-02-14

bad passed the word for them to
sbandon their post when the backing
signal was given"
: Comdr. Wiley was unable to say how
Radioman Daley had been lost. but,
ne asserted:
"I saw one man Jump so or rs feet
into the sea. ! don't know who 1t
was"
|: In all, he believed that it was 20
minutes from the time the Macon
Struck until it had disappeared.
Comdr Wiley refused to hazard a
guess as to the cause of the casualty"
that caused the disaster.
Il haven't even talked to the man
in the aft car" he said, declaring he
knew nothing of what occurred there.
Crew Quick to Report.
At the Sunnyvale base Comdr. Wiley
elaborated somewhat on his earlier
statement.
The crew at all times gave me quick
reports, and did things they knew they
should do without awaiting orders" he
said.
The crew manned all engines i'm
mediatsly after the first warning and
I wouldn't be surprised If some OF
them thought it was a thrill, anyhow.
"As an example of the way they did
their business, the elevator man in the
control car held his wheel until told
him to let it 60. When he released
his hold it spun around two or three
times, indicating that he had a firm
hold on it.
The stern of the ship hit the water
first and the nose was still over 200
feet in the air AS the waves receded
from the stern when 1t was in the
water We could see more Of the stern
crumble and more Of the ship 60
under.
The nose gradually pointed higher
in the air, and the last 200 feet OF
her was sticking straight up and five
or six men were on the outside of her
nose on the top. They had life raft
all blown up and ready to 90 and they
yelled to us that they were going to
jump as they approached the water.
We yelled back and told them not to
jump but to meet the water as the
ship went under"
There is no use salvaging the air
ship wreckage, he said, adding it would
be of little value. The only thing
saved from the ship was the quarter
masters notebook.
The imposing young-faced gray
haired commander declined to make
and comparison between his expert
ences in this accident and in the dis
aster of the dirigible Akron other than
to say:
In this case we had time to pre-
pare for an emergency"
Thrilling stories of Navy discipline
were told by other Macon survivors.
The rescued men agreed there had
been no undue excitement while they
needed Comdr. Wiley's orders to
abandon ship.
Some of the crew even stayed
aboard the stricken ship, at the risk
of their lives, to obtain red distress
signal flares. Chief Radio Operator
Ernest Daley apparently sacrificed his
life to keep the radio flashing its dis
treSs signal.
30 Up in Bow.
There were about 80 of us in the
bow" said Lieut.. Comdr. George H.
Mills, formerly detailed to duty with
DR.. Hugo Eckener aboard the German
dirigible Graf Zeppelin.
The headwind we had been bucking
all the way up the coast had practically
disappeared, and we thought We were
sitting pretty.
Suddenly the ship lurched out Of
control, rolled over on one side, and
refused to respond to the steering
apparatus"
Orders were given by Comdr Wiley
for every man to stand by his post,
Mills said, as the ship began to fan
rapidly.
There was no panic" he continued.
"Order and coolness prevailed.
"The men slid down lines or leaped
into the water a few at time and
were picked up by lifeboats-all ex-