Evening star., 1937-05-08
Hindenburg
Continued From First Page.)


graceful ship to her doom in the early
evening murk Thursday.
The theory that an electric spark,
either from one Of her engines or
from her landing ropes, ignited the
Hindenburg's highly inflammable
hydrogen gas appeared to have the
most expert support. In the back
ground remained the widely circulated
hints Of sabotage which have yet to
find an authentic sponsor.
Death robbed the public investiga-
ton of testimony from Capt. lehman,
skipper last season and former COM
mander of the sky veteran Graf Zep-
pelin. He stuck to his ship until the
last minute when he was forced to
leap from the furiously burning control
car with his clothing aflre. Even he
was baffled by the disaster.
Next time we come over" he whis-
pered before he died under an oxygen
tent in nearby hospital last night,
Il hope we'll be using helium "a nom
explosive gas In the bags"
Germany Pushes Construction.
Despite the blow to Germany's
prestige in the dirigible world. the
tragedy only seemed to spur that ma
tion on in the construction OF its new
airliner, the LZ-l30, to be completed
this year at Friedrichshafen. Nazi
labor front groups began collecting
money in the streets of German cities
to finish the work.
Eugene Schauble, assistant chief
engineer Of the Hindenburg, who was
flung unhurt 25 feet to the ground
which the ship exploded, reported that
he has already been assigned to the
new LZ-130.
1T goes into service this Fall" he
said. He repeated the statement al
ready made by his chief, DR.. Hugo
Eckener, president Of the Zeppelin Co.,
but to win public confidence, we must
use helium now"
Comdr. Charles E. Rosendahl, COM
mandant at the Lakehurst station and,
incidentally, one of the few to talk
with Lehman after the disaster, said
the fire could not have occurred if
helium instead of hydrogen had been
used in the Hindenburgs many gas
compartments.
Rosendahl, while emphasizing no
one can know the cause of the ac-
cident at present, mentioned the pos
sibility that static might have formed
around the huge envelope during its
flight in an electric storm before at
tempting to land. The explosion, he
said, might have been caused when
cable lines from the airship touched
the wet ground, completing a circuit
to the static.
"Backfiring' Is Doubted.
Although several witnesses said an
engine of the dirigible seemed to back
fire, Schauble, the engineer, said he
was sure that no sparks flew from the
rear motors"
Gill Robb Wilson, New Jersey State
aviation director, who will serve as
technical adviser to the Department Of
Commerce Inquiry Board open hear
1IlSo, dulpllllCu LID SuSsOCAlCAlC AACCl
the crash that something strange
caused that tragedy"
II was referring to the accident,
not the cause" he said. Nobody
can say what the cause was until in
vestigations have been held. All any
body can do is guess, and that would
be very foolish thing"
South Trinlble, jr., solicitor Of the
Commerce Department; Maj. R. W..
Schroeder, assistant director of the
Bureau of Air Commerce, and Dennis
Mulligan, chief of the departments
regulation and enforcement division,
constitute the official board Of inquiry.
Theirs was the task of seeking q
solution to what was termed very,
very puzzling situation" by Col. J.
Munroe Johnson, Assistant Secretary
of Commerce.
In addition to Wilson, their tech
nical advisers will be Rosendahl, Lieut..
Col. c. De F. Chandler, U. s. A., re-
tired, and Col. H. B. Hartney, tech
nical adviser to the Air Safety Com
mittee of the United Ststes Senate
Commerce Committee.
The German Ambassador, DR.. Hans
Luther, will name official observers
for his government.