The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-05-08
BEGIN Task AS
DEATHS RISE
TOTOTAL0FS
Craft Commander Among
Latest 3 to Succumb
in Tragedy
TO START HEARING
TESTIMONY MONDAY
PICTURES ON PAGE 81

NAV AL AIN - ~ iic'N. bohN-
hurst, May s. (UP).-A federal
board Of inquiry today pricd into
the Hindenburg disaster with
promises to investigate sabotage
charges as the deaths Of Captain
orator William Speck and pas
Ernest Lehman, Chief Radio OPP
senger, Erick Knoecher, brought
fatalities in the disaster to 35.
A German government commits
sion is en- route to make a second
inquiry.
DR.. Hugo Eckener, who first
mentioned sabotage, later said
that the likelihood Of deliberate
destruction seems very small.
The U. S. board plans to call
survivors as witnesses and experts
on Monday.
Deaths in the explosion Of the
dirigible which rose to 33 last
night when Capt. Lehman, one
time commander Of the great Ger
man ship, died in Paul Kimball
hospital almost "a hours after the
sky queen came down in flames,
advanced to 80 today.
Lehmann's death occurred whilo
federal officials laid the basis for
an investigation, opening Monday,
to determine whether the linden
burg was sabotaged.
Capt. Lehman suffered multi
pie burns on the face and body.
His wife sails for the United
States today with DR.. Hugo Eek
ener and an official German inycs-
tigating commission.
After Lehman died, physicians
transferred Capt. Max Pruss-
commander of the Hindcnburg-
William Specht, chief radio opcr-
ator, and Albert Sammt, chief Of
ficer, to Hardness Pavilion in
Medical Center. New York City,
in separate ambulances. Attend
ants at the pavilion said the men
"bore the trip well but were IN
serious condition"
Lehman was on board the Hin
denburg in an advisory capacity.
He had planned to devate most OF
his time after this trip TO design
ing and constructing dirigiblcs IN
Germany.
NOT TO IGNORE THE
THEORY OF SABOTAGE
The man who knows more about
airships than anybody in the
world-Dr. Hugo Eckcner-an-
nounccd in Europe that there was
a "47 per cent" probability that
the Hindenburg was sabotsgcd.
That will be one Of the matters
to be investigated when a board
of inquiry convenes Monday and
begins summoning witnesses.
South Trimble, Jr., solicitor for
the Department Of Commerce, viii
be chairman Of the board and his
associates will be Major X. W.
Schroeder, assistant director Of
the Bureau of Air Commerce, and
Dennis Mulligan. chief Of the reg
ulations and enforcement division
of the bureau.
The groundwork for the inquiry
was laid yesterday by Colonel j.
Monroe Johnson, assistant secrc-
tary in charge of the Federal Air
Commerce Bureau. He conferred
in executive session with Com
mander Chas. +. Rosendahl, COM
mandant of the naval air station;
Lieut. Col. Harold Z. Hartncy, in
vestigator for the senate COM
merce committee, and Admiral
Arthur B. Cook of the U. S. Navy.
Hartney was sent here by Chair
man Royal S. Copeland of the sem
ate commerce committee with in-
to devote special attcn-
ton to the possibility that the Hin
was sabotaged.
"There are two things ] want
to know Copeland said in Wash
ington. 81 want to know il there
was any sabotage and want to
know the type Of material used in
the interior construction of the
RUMoRS WHISPERED
AROUND STATION
Rumors, plausible and other
wise, were whispered around the
air station. One was that some
body fired an incendiary bullet
into the dirigible's big gas bag.
Gen. Frederick Won Boetticher,
German air and military attache,
came here from Washington to
the report. He report
ed back to his embassy in Wash.
ington that it was almost impos-
sible for q bullet to have been
fired into the Hindenburg because
Of the extraordinary precautions
taken by the ground crew.
Webb Miller, general European
news manager for the United
Press, who was aboard the Hin.
ienburg on her first voyage to the
United States, has told in London
If how he received q mysterious
telephone call before he started
hat trip, warning him not 10 ride
(Continued on page five)