THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 7, 1937.
Cause Of Calamity
BLAZING MASS OF WRECKAGE Hydrogen Gas
Gas Believed Explosions Go On Long Afterwards
Harrowing stories are told by eye-witnesses of the Hindenburg disaster of the manner in which the giant airship was entirely blotted out within a few minutes of the first flash of flame from her stern, and of the dazed, stricken survivors who staggered away from the wreckage to fall into the arms of willing helpers.
EVEN AFTER THE CRASH MINOR EXPLOSIONS CON- TINUED AND THE SCREAMS OF THE VICTIMS WERE PLAINLY AUDIBLE.
A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO WAS ON THE SPOT SAID: "I SAW THE SHIP ENVELOPED IN FLAMES. IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND NOTHING WAS LEFT BUT THE SKELETON.
"I SAW A MAN WALKING TOWARDS ME ASSISTED BY TWO OTHER MEN. HE WAS ENTIRELY NAKED. I SUP- POSE HIS CLOTHES HAD BEEN BURNED OFF HIM IN THE BLAZE.”
A member of the
ground-crew
said: "My companions and I ran for our lives to get out of the way. of the blazing wreckage.
"We managed to get three bodies from the stern of the ship. All were burned beyond recognition, though one was still breathing painfully." BLAZING FIERCELY
It is impossible to reach the wreckage of the giant airship (cables Reuter) as it is still blaz- ing fiercely.
A WIDE AREA ROUND THE SCENE OF THE DISAS- TER HAS BEEN ROPED OFF AND AMBULANCES ARE UN- ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE HUGÈ CROWD WHICH IS INCREASING HOURLY. Pressmen are being barred by the: authorities, which may account for the conflicting accounts of the actual casualties:
These vary considerably.
STRANGE FEATURE OF THE
DISASTER
BERLIN, TO-DAY. THE HINDENBURG HAD BEEN SPECIALLY DESIGN- ED TO AVOID A FATE SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE BRI- TISH AIRSHIP R101, WHICH CRASHED AND BURST INTO FLAMES ON A HILLSIDE NEAR BEAUVAIS SEVEN YEARS AGO.
SHE CONTAINED HARDLY AN INCH OF WOOD AND. EVERYTHING WAS BUILT OF DURALMIN. SHE WAS THE FIRST ZEPPELIN IN WHICH PASSENGERS WERE AL- LOWED TO SMOKE.
ONE OF THE STRANGEST FEATURES OF THE DIS- ASTER IS CONTAINED IN THE FACT THAT THE TWIST- ED FRAMEWORK OF THE R101 WAS ACTUALLY EMBOD- IED IN THE HINDENBURG AFTER BEING PURCHASED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT.-REUTER.
A striking picture of the ill-fated German airship, Hindenburg, taken in the air from an aeroplane against the background of the skyscrapers of New York, over which the famous dirigible passed on
her way to Lakehurst, N. J.
MR. GILL ROBB WILSON, THE DIRECTOR OF AVIA- TION OF NEW JERSEY, SAID: "THERE WAS A HY- DROGEN EXPLOSION IN THE SECOND CELL FROM THE REAR. THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY STRANGE ABOUT THAT EX. PLOSION.”
said he
THE PUBLICITY REPRE- SENTATIVE OF THE ZEP- PELIN COMPANY IN NEW YORK AT FIRST SAID THAT 50 HAVE BEEN DEFINITELY Senator Copeland, Chairman of REPORTED SAVED.
the United States Senate committee LATER HE · ESTIMATED | investigating air safety, THAT 20 PASSENGERS AND 44 would order an immediate enquiry OF THE CREW (OUT OF THE into the causes of the crash. TOTAL OF 99 ON BOARD) WERE DEFINITELY ALIVE. On the other hand, the United States Navy Department advised that at least 48 were killed.
GERMAN DISBELIEF!
The report of the disaster was at first received, in official circles in Berlin with disbelief, as the zep- pelin's flight had been regarded in Germany as haying been proved perfectly safe.
Captain Ernst Lehmann, the Zeppelin expert, is reported to be in hospital suffering from seri-, Only the constant inflow of ous burns. He had apparently dramatic telegrams giving the hor- leapt from the Control Cabin.rible details convinced them that The commander, Captain Max the disaster was a fact and that Pruss, is also reported to have Germany had lost her largest air- been saved."
The cause of the disaster is still not established. It is thought pos- sible that a back-fire from one of the four engines might have ignit ed leaking gas.
ship..
THE
THE HINDENBURG
The smoke-room of the Hinden-
burg had fireproof walls and strict precautions were taken against smoking elsewhere in the ship.
She was. 815 feet long, 145 feet high and had a gas capacity of 200,- 000 cubic metres. Her cruising speed was 80 miles an hour and she was able to travel at least $8,000 miles without refuelling.
SUDDEN SPARK This theory is borne out by the appearance of a sudden spark near the ship's tail fins just prior to the explosion, and it is significant that the airship's huge gas-bag was fill ed with hydrogen (which is im- Her four Diesel engines totalled mensely inflammable) — instead of helium (a non-inflammable gas).
4,400 horse-power and she carried on the average 50,000 lbs. of cargo.
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