Evening star., 1937-05-10
H|NDENBURC FIRE
FIRST SEEN ON TOP,
PROBERS ARE TOLD
RosendahI Says Ropes Were
Grounded 4 Minutes Be-
fore He Saw Blaze.
GREATLY SURPRISED
BY BLASTS MILDNESS
Commander Indicates Disbelief in
Lightning Theory After Morn.
ing Session Closes.

BACKGROUND
The Hindenburo, largest airship
euer built, crashed in flames last
Thursday near mooring mast at
Ldkehurst, N. j., after flight from
Germany. Thirty-fve liues ,Dere
lost.
Investigation of the disaster pds
ordered Immediately by the Senate
Sea Safety Committee and the
Napy and Commerce Departments.
Nauy inquiry, ho,ueuer, has been
delayed tn order not to interfere
NTH that of the Commerce Depart
nlent.
BY the Associated Press.
LAKEHURST, N. j., May 10
Comdr. Charles E. Rosendahl, the
Navy's outstanding lighter -than-air
expert and an eyewitness of the Hin
denburgs fiery destruction, today told
a Department of Commerce Investi-
eating Board that "a small burst of
flame on the after part of the ship on
the top" was the first sign of the
disaster that befell the dirigible.
MY feeling was at once that it
spelled the doom Of the ship he de-
clared.
Himself the veteran Of one of Amer
ica's major airship dlsasters-the de-
struction of the Shenandoah-Rosen-
dahl was the first witness called as the
investigation opened in the chill great
hangar. Rain drizzled down on the
Hindenburg wreck on the alrf1eld a
third of mile away.
1T is, of course, obvious Rosendahl
said, that have no knowledge what
was the origin Of the fire"
Conditions Satisfactory"
The present commandant of the
United States Naval Air Station here,
Rosendahl preceded his description OF
the actual disaster by telling the three
man investigation board and its staff
of technical advisors that the Hinden-
burg came down to her last landing
under atmospheric conditions that
were entirely satisfactory and with
the ground crew proceeding m q
normal manner. The ships pre-
landing maneuvers were nothing un-
usual, he added.
After noticing the first small pun
flare from her stern, Rosendahl said,
II saw practically the whole stern
Of the ship take fire first. Then
the fire spread progressively forward.
Il was greatly surprised" he con-
tinued, that there was not more ex-
plosion connected with the phenom-
enon. There were mild explosions
during the burning, but in my opinion
they were primarily the consumption
of the ship by the burning of hy-
drogen."
LAS for myself, ran from the vicin-
ity and shouted for the ground crew to
do likewise The main concern of the
ground crew was to get clear of the
wreckage and not get hit by it,"
Saw Ground Crew Return.
II saw the ground crew return i'm
mediately to the wreckage."
He saw some passengers and crew
members emerge from the inferno of
the blazing hull unscathed, he related,
adding:
Because Of the intense heat from
the FIRE, it was impossible to get into
the hull for rescues. Those who did
risked their lives"
Rosendahl estimated the Hinden-
burg was riding at an altitude of 200
feet when the fire occurred, at 6:23 p m
Il might add" he stated, that the
ship did not touch the ground at any
time until the fire. The trail ropes
were on the earth four minutes be-
fore the fire was observed"
Some theorists have suggested that
the dropping of water ballast might
have provided liquid conductor for
an electric spark from the ground to
the ship. Although not referring to
this hypothesis, Rosendahl pointed
out that when water ballast is dropped
'as a rule this dissolves and does not
strike the ground in solid stream" P"
Effect of Trail Rope.
The naval dirigible authority said
1t was his opinion that the first
manila trail rope the Hindenburg
dropped would definitely" ground the
charge of static electricity which all
airships accumulate in flight.
Since there was no evidence of fire
(See HINDENBURG, Page A-4J