The Washington times., 1935-02-13
PAYS TR|BU TE
|NREP0RTS To
NAVY HEADS
Brief Messages Bare Drama
OF Air Queens Descent
To Pacific Grave
BY KINGSBURY SMITH
international News Service

A graphic description of Off
GERS and men standing by at their
posts with Stolid courage and per-
feet discipline as the Navy'S
queen of the skies. the giant air
ship Macon, was about to descend
to it's doom in the wind-Whipped
waves of the Pacific Ocean was
sent to the Navy Department to-
day by Comdr. Herbert V. Wiley,
veteran survivor of all three of
the Navy's great airship disasters
Coming direct from the skipper
Of the Inflated $2,0O0,000 airship
shortly after American warShipS
had picked up from rubber life
boats 81 of the 83 officers and
men, the message was the first
survivors report of the disaster
which sent the great dirigible to
a watery grave, after its stern
had been crippled in storm about
Is miles south of Monterey, Cal,
at dusk last evening.
Lauds Discipline
It was sent from the U. S. S.
Pennsylvania, the battleShip which
picked up Commander Wiley and
10 other survivors after they had
landed the airship on the water
and then quickly abandoned it
before it disappeared beneath the
waves
Commander Wiley's message
told of the stern of the airShip
suddenly "crumbling" about 5:18
p. m. Pacific Standard Time); Of
the bow of the vessel shooting
up in the air: of finally landing
the crippled vessel on the waves;
of taking to rubber boats and
witnessing the finally sink"
In two brief words. Commander
Wiley paid to his crew the highest
traditional tribute known to those
who follow the sea. He said:
discipline excellent"
Text of Report
The text of the message which
told of the third disaster to the
giant airShips acquired by the
Navy to aid the fleet in scouting
the enemy read as follows:
"While off Point Sur. course
north, all engines standard
speed So knots, altitude 1880
feet, air Squally at times, about
5:18 p. m. p. S. T., casualty Oc-
Cured in stern.
81 thought elevator control
carried away. Ship bOw-up in
ClinatiOn and rose rapidly.
Received prompt word No. 1
gas cell under fins was gone
and stern was crumbling and
FINELY that No. 2 cell was gone.
II tried to land ship near
cruiser off Point Sur, but could
not see surface until shortly be-
fore landing.
"Ship landed stern first with
no way on Settling down quiet
Iy without any forward move
ment) at $40 p. m. P. ST.
Cali hands took to rubber
boats and saw ship finally sink.
Discipline excellent. All hands
had alarm and time to don life
jackets"
Two Leaped
At 5 o'clock this morning a
message was received at the Navy
Department giving the first word
of the fate of the two missing
members of the crew, Radio Op-
orator Ernest Edwin Daley. of
Northbend, Ore. and Mess Cook
Florentine Edquiba, Filipino.
The message said Daley had
been seen to leap from the
Macon while it was approximately
125 feet above the waves and
land on his back. He was. be-
lieved to have drowned.
Edquiba also was seen to leap
from the airship.
A message from Armiral J. M.
Reeves, commander -in-c chief of
the U. S. Fleet, said the naval
air queen had sunk in $50
fathoms after being abandoned
and that no effort was being
made to pick up wreckage.
The story of the disaster which
overlook the giant airship was
told in series of graphic
messages which poured into a
tense Navy Department through
out the night from Admiral Reeves
and the warships which rushed
to the scene.
Leading Fleet
The Macon had been participat
ing in fleet maneuvers in the
Pacific and was leading units
of the fleet back to San Fran
cisco.
The first work the Navy hac
that the airship had encountered
trouble came at 9:27 p. m. wher
the following message from the
Macon was relayed by naval radio
stations:
"We have had bad casualty,
Sis p. m. (P.S.TD. Will aban.
don ship as soon as we land on
the water somewhere within 20
miles from Point Sur, probably
10 miles at sea-"
A few minutes later Admira
Reeves flashed word that battle
ships. heavy cruisers and ligh
cruisers were in the immediate
vicinity of the Macon and hac
BEN ordered to search for i
Immediately
The report added that radio
signals from the airship haC
ceased.
It said heavy swell was run