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THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 7, 1937.
HYSTERICAL CROWDS SEE HINDENBURG DISASTER
Tragic Termination Of First Flight This Season
Her is a picture of the Hindenburg taken at Friedrichshafen whence she set out on Monday on her last tragic voyage across the Atlantic, inaurgurating the planned service for the 1937 summer season. She stopped at Frankfort to take on the passengers who accompanied her on the trip.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCE
Peace Declared In France
“CONCORD REACHED AT MONTREUX
Formula For Protected Subjects
Montreux, To-day. The Montreux Conference over
Paris, To-day. On the eve of a debate in the Chamber of Deputies, in which capitualations in Egypt yesterday Premier Leon Blum's policy will be reached a compromise on the vexed challenged, workers and employers question of treatment of protected have announced a six months in-subjects. dustrial truce.
The conference then adopted a Under the truce, the collective formula and the final Act, with the agreements which
due declarations of the Egyptian de- shortly to expire, are renewed for a{legation.
become
further six months agreement.
Reuter.
The agreement will be signed on Saturday. Reuter.
PENINSULA
HOTEL
CORONATION CELEBRATIONS
WEDNESDAY
12th
MAY
1937
SPECIAL
DINNER & SUPPER
DANCE
IN THE ROOF GARDEN 7.30 P.M. TO 3 A.M.
FROM THIS ELEVATION PA- TRONS ARE ACCORDED EXCEP- TIONAL FACILITIES OF VIEWING THE ILLUMINATIONS OF HONG KONG AND THE HARBOUR.
GROUND FLOOR LOUNGE OPEN TILL 2 A.M.
SATURDAY
15th
MAY
1937
CORONATION GALA NIGHT IN THE ROOF GARDEN 9. P.M. TO 2 A.M.
FOR RESERVATIONS PHONE 58081.
THE HONG KONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS, LTD.
Terrific Burst Of Flame From The Stern
THE MOST GĦASTLY DISASTER IN THE HISTORY OF AVIATION OCCURRED YESTER- DAY WHEN SCORES MET A TERRIBLE DEATH AFTER THE GIANT GERMAN DIRIGI- BLE HINDENBURG BURST INTO FLAMES WHILE ABOUT · TO LAND AT LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY.
The tragedy was all the more shocking by rea- son of its suddenness. Hundreds of people were at the airport staring at the huge bulk of the airship as she hovered overhead.
The crew had just tossed the noselines to the ground, and the ground crew were just about to moor the unwieldy airship when a terrific blinding flame burst from her stern.
It was the first major disaster in the history of German commercial airship services.
The crowd gazed in fascinated that she could take newsreels and horror, overcome by the explosion, other films of the Coronation to which within a minute or two had New York. enveloped the Zeppelin in a mass of flames:
"BOMB-LIKE" EXPLOSION
оп According to watchers
the
The cries of the trapped pas- sengers and crew mingled with hoarse shouts of command from ground the airship was only a few the ground-staff, who rushed fire-hundred feet above the ocean, which engines and ambulances to the scene with a shrieking of sirens.
CRASH TO GROUND
Within a few moments after the outbreak of the fire, the twisted framework of the airship crashed to the ground.
Spectators stood sobbing, many of them hysterical, as Army trucks with screaming syrens sped to the blazing wreckage. The airship was scheduled
to dock at 6 a.m. but was delayed for twelve hours by head-winds over Newfoundland. The disaster oc curred at 6.30 p.m. (Eastern Stan- dard Time).
BAD WEATHER
The airship cruised above the airport for over an hour, waiting for the weather to clear and permit her mooring.
runs close to Lakehurst, and the passengers were laughing and waving from the observation viu- dows in the gondola when a "bomb- like" explosion sent out clouds of red and black billowing smoke.
Captain Max Pruss was command- ing the airship while Captain Leh- mann, the well-known zeppelin ex- pert, was also on board in an ad- visory capacity.
The passengers included Colonel Nelson Morris, of Chicago, a form- er United States. Minister to Sweden.
.99 ON BOARD
It has been definitely estab lished that there were 99 on board the airship, 39 of whom were passengers and 60 the crew.
Four men who escaped with their lives, are:
Mr. Herbert O'Laughlin, of Chicago, who jumped when the ship was ten feet from the ground, two stewards
and a cabin boy, who jumped from a window.
PREVIOUS DISASTERS
Immediately after the fire the police sent out a radio appeal for all ambulances and fire appliances in the district to rush to the spot. About 100 people, 39 of whom were passengers, were on board the ill-fated airship when she left Frankfurt-on-Main at 8.15 the War are as follow: on Monday evening under the command of Captain Max Pruss, 1919 It was her first, and last, voyage across the Atlantic this year.
CORONATION PLANS
The worst airship disasters since
**Nationality
American C8 1919 British NS2. 1921 British R38
Scene Lives
#lost,
75
43
- 34
54
Baltimore North Sea Humber 1982 American Roma Virginia 1928, French Dixmude: Sicily 1924 Japanese 38 1925
She was due to convey the last of America's Coronation visitors to 1928 Europe, and her next trip to 1980 America from Germany had been 1933 1983 postponed two days next week so 1938
American.
Shenandoah
Italian Italin British R101
Ohio
Arctic Beauvais
+48
American Akron New Jersey 74
American J8
French E9
New Jersey.
Guerande
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