Evening Star Newspaper, August 25, 1921, Page 10

- Tugs and Waltchers Scanning Humber for Bodies of —— PUBLIC FUNERAL | LIKELY FOR 282 | DEADINENGLAND Disaster Casts Pall Over . London—Wives of Ameri- * cans Grief-Stricken. P the Associated Press. LONDON, August 25.—The American &nd British victims of the disaster to the ZR-2 at Hull last evening will Be accorded a great public funeral, prob ®bly in London, it is believed. The air ministry had the project under ad- Visement and an announcement re- &arding it was expected at any time. Meanwhile all England, profoundly #tirred by the destruction of the giant dirigible—the greatest of all air dis- @sters—is giving expression to its @cep feeling of mourning for the vic- tims and sympathy for those be- reaved. In London the atmosphere to- day was gomewhat akin to that which followed the receipt of news of a seri- ous disaster during the war days. At theair ministry. which yesterday was 8 beehive of activity with elaborate preparations for the transatlantic flizht. there was today a sensible de- Pression on all sides. Brides Awaiting Departure. It was at Howden, Hull, Leeds and Peighboring towns, however, where Jived the wives and relatives of some of the men whose lives were snuffed out by the disaster, that the loss was most keenly felt. In these places, too, were the English brides of nine of the American enlisted men who came to England for the transocean flight. These young women had been eagerly awaiting the time of the ZR-2's start for America and had expected soon to follow on board a government gransport to their new homes. The American dead included two members of the Amerlcan Legion— Lieut. Little and Lloyd E. Crowel, me- chanic. Several of the British vic- tims were members of the British Le- gion of Former Service Men. Both these organizations will be represent- ed at the funeral services. As the dirigible was stfll British property, not having yet been turned over to the American authorities, all investigations of the calamity will be supervised by the British air minis- try. King Sends Message, . Foremost among the expressions of condolence was one from King George. His majesty, telegraphing from Balmoral to Air Marshal Trenchard at the air ministry, said: “I am shocked and grieved to hear of the terrible disaster which has be- fallen airship R-38 (the British num- ber of the big dirigible). resulting in the loss of many valuable lives of American and British, with the rela- tives of whom I sympathize. I shall anxiously await further information. igned) “GEORGE R. L “Chief of Royal Air Forces.” Commander Brooke Popham of the research department and Maj. Cooper of the investigation branch of the air ministry have gone to Hull to in- vestigate the cause of the disaster. A conference of air ministry officlals was called this morning, and it con- sidered the project of holding a public funeral for the vietims, possibly in St. Paul's Cathedral in this city. Lord Lee of Farcham, first lord of the admiralty, this morning _tele- phoned Commander Harry L. Pence, naval attache at the American em- bassy, expressing his regret at the loss of American lives in the airship disaster. He extended. on behalf of himself and the admiralty, condolences to their bereaved relatives. Country Profoundly Stirred. England was profoundly stirred by e destruction of the ZR-2. People were accustomed to airships sailing quietly and safely far overhead, and dispatches telling of the collapse of the dirigible caused a sensation. The-impression made upon the pub- 14 was reflected in newspapers this morning, all of them expressing pro- found sympathy for the relatives of the men who met death, regret over the loss of the majestic vessel and thankfulness over the narrow escape of the town of Hull from a terrific calamity. Pending the inquiry, which, it is as- sumed, will be of a searching charac- ter. attempts to account for the tragedy are merely speculative, but 1t is recalled that during the nine-hour 2 ¢ - 1219-221 G WORLD'S. L ARGEST DISASTERSMARK AIRSHIP PROGRESS By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, August 25.—Develop- ment of airship navigation has been attended by a series of disasters since Santos Dumont first piloted his tiny dirigible around the Eiffel tower in Paris, but the death list in the ZR-2 disaster of yesterday exceeds that of} all other similar accidents by at least fifteen. The greatest number heretofore killed In an airship sccident was twenty-elght. This was the toll of lives lost when the German Zeppelin L-2 exploded over the Johannisthal aerodrome on Ootober 17, 1918. Ten Killed at Chicago. Ten persons were killed at Chicago July 21, 1919, when a dirigible. ex- ploded and fell in flames-into the Illi- nois Trust and Savings Bank. Five persons were killed at Atlantic City July 2, 1912, when the balloon Akron, in "which Melvin Vaniman hoped to cross the Atlantic, exploded shortly after leaving the ground. Some of the, other airship accidents in which heavy losses of life ocourred follow: September 9, 1913—Fifteen lost in destructlon of Zeppelin L-1, off Helgo- and. t Struck by Lightaisg. July 15, 1919—Twelve lost when British airship NS-11 fell into North sea after being struck by lightning. June 20, 1914—Nine lost in collision of airship and airplane at Vienna. -~ SIx of the great peace-time dirigl- {bles built by Count Zeppelin, the Ger- man inventor, met with accidents which wrecked them. They were the Zeppelin I, II, IIT and VI and Deutsch- lands I and II. The Germans lost sixty-six of efghty-three dirigibles sent out during the war, of which thirty-four were accounted for by the allies and the remaining thirty-two were wrecked in accident: trial trip on July 17 some of the girders in the middle of the ZR-2 showed weakness, which necessitated reinforcement. This work was done immediately at Howden, and experts believed that the weakness in the structure of the airship had been remedied. It is now regarded signifi- cant, however, that observers below have declared that there was a buck- ling amidships, which seemed to pre- cede the explosions, which sent th ZR-2 flaming to the earth. It is suj gested that something was still lack: ing to make the frame of the dir! gible perfectly rigid, but this point is not greatly emphasized and the result of the investigation is being awaited. Preas Still Confident. . There has been recently an inclina- tion in some quarters here to oppose lighter than air craft as too costly and uncertain, byt, with one exception, London newspapers today expressed firm confidence that there was a great future for airships. They decided that yesterday’s tragic failure would not deter the continuation of experiments until the sresent, stage of progress is passed and safety is established. The trip of the R-34 across the Atlantic and back and the successful airship service maintained between German citles were cited as proofs that diri- gibles were of great utility and had imr;:nse lm‘l"ll‘.lbl lities. “From such disasters as this,” sald the London Times, “all human enter- | prises have risen more fuily equipped t?r':llncce:-. and it will be so with the airship. RST Street -NWG 7 Store Hours—S8:30 to 6—Saturdays 8:30 to 8 For Friday— One-Day SILK SPECIAL $1.98 Yd.-Wide Taffeta Specially Priced for One D::y Only Taffeta will be much in de- mand this coming season for both Evening and Street ‘Wear. You may choose for this one day from all the wanted colors, such as Ciel, Nile, Turquoise, Rose, Wine, Copenhagen, Orchid, Pink, Honeydew, Wistaria, Silver, Taupe, Jasper, Havana, Navy, Midnight, Black and ‘White. $3.49 2 Crepe-Back Satin ‘This s the new Crepe-back Satin for autumn wear. It has a rich, draping quality, with a hand- some, Tustrous finish. - Shown in the popular black and navy. 32%2 | $1.98 ;i Pieces Longcloth Full 36 inches wide. English material, velvet finish. A Imported § Piece very special price for Friday. BLIM SURPRISE IN PULHAM. AS ZR-2 CHANGED PLANS Big Crowd Awaited “Docking” of Ship Unaware of Sud- den Disaster. . PULHAM, Enpgland, August 24— Everything had been in readiness here for the expected arrival of the ZR-2’ when word came by radio from her commander that he had decided to return to Howden, as-he was mak- ing speed tests, for which kite-bal- loons are essential in estimating dis- tances. It was known that no such balloons were ,at the Pulham station, and that some had been run up 2,500 feet at Howden. Notwithstanding this seemingly plausible explanation of the ship commander’s reason for not berthing at Pulham, officers here expressed #ome astonishment. A large party of newspaper correspondents and photog- raphers and a number of civilian ob- servers, including representatives of the Royal Aero Club, who had essem- bled to witness the “docking” of the big ship, entrained for London. when the dispatch from the commander of the ZR-2 was received. When they departed they had no notion that the big airship had encountered disaster. —— MASKED MEN THRASH NEGRO. QUITMAN, Mass., August_ 25.—A party of four masked men called at the home of Walter West, a negr near here and administered a severe thrashing with a leather strap. It had been reported that West refused to work and had been impudent to local citizend. After being whipped the negro was told to leave town. P, WRECKED IN ENGLAND, AMONG ITS MANY VICTIMS. Commander Louls H. Maxfield. |[ Rigger Only U. WARRLS:-EN/ie LAY Lieut. Commander Valeatine N. Bieg. S. Survivor; 16 Americans Known Dead The Navy Department was advised in a report from London today that apparently the only American survivor from the ZR-2 is Norman O. Walker, an aviation merce, Tex. peared to be five. rigger of the first class, of Com- The total number of survivors, the report said, ap- The bodies of Lieut. Marcus A. Esterly, Washington, D, C, and Charles G. Little, Newburyport, Mass,, have been recovered, the departmént was advised. In addition, the following officers were said to be unaccounted for: Commander Louis H. Maxfield, Washington, D. C.; Lieut. Commander Valentine N. Bieg, Washington, mander Emory Coil, Marietta, Ohio, and Lieut. Henry Clearwater, Fla. D. C.; Lieut. Com- ‘W. Hoyt, Unaccognted for enlisted men were reported as follow: Lloyd E. Crowel, Charleston, S. C.; Albert Loftin, Lake Charles, La.; William Julius, 35 West 77th street, Los Angeles, Calif.; George Welch, Elgin, Ill.; Charles I. Aller, Col.; John Hancock, London, N. C.; Robert M. Coons, 1200 13th street, Denver, England; Maurice Lay, Greensboro, Owensboro, Ky.; William Steele, Bain- bridge, Ind., and Ad Pettitt, 326 East 35th street, New York. CREW BLOWN TO PIECES. Parts of Bodies Visible for Hours Floating in River. LONDON, August 24.—The Hull dis- trict naval intelligence officer in de- scribing the accident to the ZR-2 said, acpording to a dispath to the Daily Mall from Hull: “When the airship first appeared it ‘was rather misty,-but she.was esily disernible, fiying. about 1,000-feet up. The noise of her-engine ‘was. clearly audible; and everything. sesmed o be golng smoothly. “Suddenly a terrifio explosion was heard. The vessel split its back and broke in two. ‘A majority of the crew were blown to pleces, and for hours afterward parts of their bodies were visible floating in the river.” THE AVENUE AT NINTH CLEARANCE 7 840,845,850, 855 and $60 _ '397 Men’s Suits ~for Fall $28.50 More than a Sale---a Sacrifice! " " Toclear the racksfor the approach- ‘ing season, we sacrifice 397 men’s and young men’s suits that sold as late as three weeks ago for as much as $40 to $60. . The price is not an index to their quality; it simply indicates what we mean by clearance. - At this price it becomes extravagant not to buy, particularly when you know we guar- antee the style, the quality and the workmanship of every suit we sell. Your suit must: please you 100% or you-return it and get your money. - ox """ Nationally Koiwn Stdre for Men and Boys " THE-AVENUE AT NINTH . Closed Saturdays During Augast - . Y, AUGUST 25, 1921. Dead in Tragedy of D AND WASHINGTONJANS U1.S. OFFICERS HAD NO FEAR OF MISHAP Mrs. Maxfield Waved Good- Bye to Husband as ZR-2 Was Off on Death Trip.)! By the Associated Press. HOWDEN, England, August 24— Conversations between the American officers just, before they boarded the ZR-2 here yesterday morning for the fight which had such disastrous re- sults indicated that not one of them had the slightest idea that an accl- den was likely to be met with during the air voyage. “Are eny of you ever troubled with thoughts of being wrecked?” the co: respondent of the Associated Press asked Lieut. Marcus H. Esterly, radio officer, of Washington, D. C., just before he embarked. . “We are not worried,” replied Esterly, “dut, all the same, we have gone ahead and made all preparations against every emergency. Esterly Took Precautions. “The others tease m« of being too fearful of accident. But all the same I have figured that it was best to get ready for anything that might hap- pen and then if the worst comes we ought to have at least a fighting chance.” The officer told how he had rigged up an emergency radio set to be car- rled up 260 feet by means of a bal loon, 8q that if the ZR-2 were dis- abled in mid-Atlantic help could be summoned. Lieyt. Esterly indicated that the possibility of serious trouble occur- ring during the trial flights had not been thought of by the Americans. Before the fateful flight started the correspondent found Brig. Gen. F. M. Maitland, the British air marshal, strofling under the mammoth air cratt in its hangar, while she was be- ing made what was termed ‘“afir- 1ight,” meaning the discharge of suf- ficient ballast to make the weight of the great gas bag nil. Gen. Maitland Praises Ship. “Now she is as light as a feather,” remarked Gen. Maitland, as this stage of the preparations was concluded. With 'evident pride Gen. Maitland enumerated the points of excellence in the craft, which, he remarked, “is the grehtest improvement on balloons, with which I started experiments in aeronautics thirty years ago. “She is & beauty,” declared Gen. Maitland as the enormous bulk was cleared from the hangar by her party of three hundred attendants. He wait. ed until the six motora had been tes ed and the ship's signal bells tried out by Lieut. Wann, the British com- mander of the air craft. Satisfled that all was well, Gen. Maltland with a cheery good-bye and a “I will see in Pulham” climbed up the ladder ) ou | .Indudiuppelrad in the great sitvery ell. Wife Waved Goed-Bye. _ A _moment later Commander Louis H. Maxfleld, U. S. N, was boosted up into the control car alongside Lieut. n. Then the civilian observers boarded the ship and the aircraft was off on her journey. Mrs. Maxfleld, with her mother, Mrs. Harry T. Page, saw her husband sail away and exchanged waves of hands with him as the dirigible ascended. irigible ZR-2 Mrs. Coil, wife of Lieut. Commander Emery Coil, U. 8. N., executive officer, also was present to bid fairwell to her husband. She is an English woman. LABOR PARTY FOR CANADA. ‘WINNIPEG, Manitoba, August 25.- Creation of a labor party to enter im- mediately into Dominion politics has been decided upon by delegates a: sembled here from provincial labor bodies, they announced today. the Oldest and Best Kmown o Banking Institutions in Washingten The Largest Savings Department of Any Bank h‘\'lluhinmn Lincoln Said: “There is enough yet before us requiriag loyal men of the labor and fel all d patriots to perform their share the example of the modest general at the head of our armies and sink personal consideration for the sake of Your Credit Stamps Your Reputation Among Men The business man, big or little, knows that his credit must be like Caesar’s wife—above suspicion. Yet credit is as essential to the sal- aried man or the wage-earner. In the establishment of that credit Lincoln Bank connections provide the solid foundation. 3% Interest On Savings Accounts OF THE P-B STORE Half-Yearly Clearance Sale of Boys’ Wool Suits for Fall Lot No. 1 $15 & $18 Suits, fancy pat- terns. Some with 2 pairs of pants.- Now $12.75 $20 & $2250 Suits, Blue Serge, or fancy fabrics. Some with 2 pairs pants. Now $16.75 $25 & $2750 Suits, Blue Serge or fancy fabrics. Some with 2 pairs pants. Now $19.75 Final Clearance Boys’ Wash Pants $1.25 Pants now 89¢ Khaki, Crash, Palm Beach, White Duck $2.00 Pants now $1.49 $1.50 Pants now $1.15 $2.50 Pants now $1.89 Nationally Known Store for Men and Boys THE AVENUE AT NINTH Closed Saturdays During August