Evening Star Newspaper, February 14, 1935, Page 3

MAGON'S MASTER DESCRIBES CRASH Commander Wiley Tells How Wheelman Lost Control as Gas Cells Went Out. By the Assoclated Press. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., February. 14—Here is Lieut. Comdr. H. V. Wiley's story of the dirigible Macon’s einking: “About 7:1¢ am. Monday the Macon left Sunnyvale for exercises in conjunction with the fleet in ac- cordance with approved schedule. Scouting for the fleet was conducted Monday and continued Tuesday. “The exercises were completed in $0 far as the Macon was concerned st 3 pm., Tuesday, and the Macon proceeded toward its base (Sunny- vale). “About 20 miles off Point Buchon, the course was set to pass near Point Pinos, near Monterey, as it was desired to enter the Santa Clara Valley at ‘Watsonville if visibility permitted. In order to arrive at base before visibility became bad, all engines were run at standard speed, 63 knots. Dodge Below Storms. “Altitude was decreased from 2.700 feet to 1,600 feet to pass under a rain squall and decreased again to 1250 feet to pass under another. Visibility was somewhat better near Point Sur, and two divisions of heavy cruisers were observed in that locality. “Two or three minutes after passing Point Sur, about three miles distant, a short jar was felt and upon inquiry of the elevator man, I was informed that the wheel had slipped out of his hands. “The ship began to take a bow-up inclination and rose. Apparently the elevator man did not have control. “Immediately I received a report by |: telephone from aft that No. 1 cell was gone. Ballast Dropped. All ballast and emergency fuel qump tanks in the after part of the ship were dropped, and gas was valved from the forward gas cells in an effort to regain the trim “The inclination of the ship reached ; 25 degrees and she ascended rapidly. The engines were slowed immediately the ship took the angle in order to keep from ascending too high and to: relieve the strain on the structure: caused by the operation of the rudder and elevators at the high air speeds: “I surmised that the structure wasg damaged over No. 1 gas cell in the locality of the fins and endeavored to relieve the strain on that part of the ship’s structure. “Reports were soon received that the ship's outer covering was gone over No. 1 and No. 2 gas sells and althougn occasionally the inclination was ré- duced considerably, it could not be kept to a small angle. Ship Begins to Drop. “Meanwhile the ship began to de- gcend from 4,600 feet and even down to 3,000 feet. I expected to get the ship under control with the engines and the one rudder that was reported functioning. “From about 3,000 feet down, the ship descended at an average rate of 300 feet per minute and in spite of dropping all ballast and endeavoring to drop airplanes from the airplane hangar, the descent continued. “The angle of inclination, which had gotten as low as 10 degrees, again in- creased as the stern hung down toward the water. At 1,000 feet the order was given to stand by to abandon ship, although the emergency signal to the crew had been given immediately after the casualty. “At 1,000 feet I gave the order to stand by to abandon ship, and at 800 I gave the signal to back the engines 8o that the Macon would lose way and not hit the water with a forward speed..” Capt. Wiley added that there was “very little forward speed” when the Macon struck and that “she hit the ‘water easier than I had expected.” S O S Ordered. “About three minutes after the casualty, I had told the radio man to gend out an S O S. “The stern hit the water with a jar and I told every one to get out of the control car and jump before the con- trol car submerged. “Every one was out before I climbed out a window and poised to jump. As soon as we were in the water, the rubber life boats which the crew had prepared were floating around and we swam to them. “After getting into a boat and as- sembling five boats, we picked up a number of men out of the water and endeavored to stay close to the air- ship as several men were observed still on board on top and in the nose. “The ship sank slowly stern first, crumbling from the action of the swell. We had a number of flares and a number had been dropped over- board from the control car. Rockets Attract Vessels. “The people in the bow fired several signal rockets which attracted the cruisers which were in the vicinity. “We were picked up with dispatch and great credit is due to the com- mand of the cruisers and their per- sonnel for their expeditious and ef- | ficient work.” i Comdr. Wiley, looking trim and | fresh in borrowed blue trousers and tan sweater, despite his gruelling experi- ence of the night before, graphically told amplified details of the last five minutes of the big airship in response to questions yesterday. “I surmised that the structure had been damaged over the No. 1 gas cells by the fins” he said, speaking of after the jar had been felt that heralded the Macon’s doom. “Twice we almost got her down to an inclination of 5 or 10 degrees after her nose had risen, but each time the inclination went back up again. “Even when we had descended again to 3,000 feet I thought that the en- gines and the one elevator working eould pull us out.” Did Comdr. Wiley know how the engine room crews had managed to get out when the ship struck? “No,” the skipper answered, “but I SPECIAL NOTICES. WEEKLY TRIPS TO AND FROM BALTI- more; also trips within 24 hours' notice to any int in _United States. SMITH'S SFER & STORAGE CO. North 3343, Y TRIPS MOVING LOADS AND loads to_and from Balto.. Phila _and ew York ~Frequent trips to other East- ties. - ndable Service Since THE DA N TRANSFER & STORAGE CO._phone Decatur 2500 CERTIFICATES NUMB] 972 _TO 977. inclusive. of American Dairy Supply Co. astock have en lost. Finder please re- turn to office of AMERICAN DAIRY SUP- PLY CO.. 430 Delaware ave. S.W. SPECIAL RETURN-LOAD RATES ON FULL and part loads to all points within 1,000 miles: padded vans:_ guaranteed service. Phone National 1460, INC., 1317 N. Y. ave. Local moving also NAT. DEL_ASSOC.. FORD ROADSTER. 1920, MODEL A, NO 1757513. belonging to R. Graham. 1619 Rhode Island ave. n.w.. will be sold at nlfi'sb at jus T st for storage bill. J CHAMBE T HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1 Macon Survivors Landed in San Francisco Copyright, A. P. Wirephotos. > kad passed the word for them to sbandon their post when the backing signal was given.” Comdr. Wiley was unable to say how Radioman Dailey had been lost, but, he asserted: : “I saw one man jump 60 or 75 feet into the sea. I don’t know who it was.” In all, he believed that it was 20 minutes from the time the Macon struck until it had disappeared. ! Comdr. Wiley refused to hazard a ! guess as to the cause of the “casualty” Fthat caused the disaster. “I haven't even talked to the man in the aft car,” he said, declaring he i knew nothing of what occurred there. Crew Quick to Report. At the Sunnyvale base Comdr. Wiley | elaborated somewhat on his earlier statement. “The crew at all times gave me quick reports, and did things they knew they should do without awaiting orders,” he said. “The crew manned all engines im- mediately after the first warning and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them thought it was a thrill, anyhow. “As an example of the way they did their business, the elevator man in the control car held his wheel until I told him to let it go. When he released his hold it spun around two or three times, indicating that he had a firm hold on it. “The stern of the ship hit the water first and the nose was still over 200 feet in the air. As the waves receded from the stern when it was in the water we could see more of the stern |crumble and more of the ship go under. “The nose gradually pointed higher in the air, and the last 200 feet of | her was sticking straight up and five or six men were on the outside of her nose on the top. They had a life raft all blown up and ready to go and they yelled to us that they were going to jump as they approached the water. We yelled back and told them not to jump but to meet the water as the ship went under.” There is no use salvaging the air- ship wreckage, he said, adding it would | be of little value. The only thing saved from the ship was the quarter- master’s notebook. The imposing young-faced gray- haired commander declined to make and comparison between his experi- ences in this accident and in the dis- aster of the dirigible Akron other than to say: “In this case we had time to pre- pare for an emergency.” Thrilling stories of Navy discilpline were told by other Macon survivors. The rescued men agreed there had been no undue excitement while they heeded Comdr. Wiley's orders to abandon ship. Some of the crew even stayed aboard the stricken ship, at the risk of their lives, to obtain red distress signal flares. Chief Radio Operator Ernest Dailey apparently sacrificed his life to keep the radio flashing its dis- tress signal. 30 Up in Bow. “There were about 30 of us in the bow,” said Lieut. Comdr. George H. Mills, formerly detailed to duty with Dr. Hugo Eckener aboard the German dirigible Graf Zeppelin. “The headwind we had been bucking all the way up the coast had practically disappeared, and we thought we were sitting pretty. “Suddenly the ship lurched out of control, rolled over on one side, and refused to respond to the steering apparatus.” Orders were given by Comdr. Wiley for every man to stand by his post, Mills said, as the ship began to fall rapidly. “There was no panic,” he continued. “Order and coolness prevailed. “The men slid down lines or leaped into the water a few at a time and were picked up by lifeboats—all ex- cept Dailey and the Filipino mess boy, Florentino Edquiba.” Comdr. A. T. Clay, who was famil- iarizing himself with the coast line preparatory to assuming command of the Sunnyvale Air Base, added his description of the scene while the | rubber life rafts bobbed on the ocean. | “In a few minutes the sea was full | of men, including myself,” he said. | “I was in the water perhaps 10 minutes, until picked up by a lue-" boat, as were most of the other men.” | Comdr. Clay grapically described | the sacrifice made by Radio Operator Dailey. | “I don't think he had any true idea | of the state of affairs outside that; locked cabin,” Comdr. Clay said.| “Every instinct must have warned | him that he was facing death, but he stayed at his post like a sailor until Comdr. Wiley gave the word. “Then he rushed out of the cabin and I saw him leap from the falling airship into the sea. That was the last I saf of him.” 1 1’ A. KAHN Inc. for 42 has sponsored years J the finest in Platinum Diamond Wedding Band 25 10 Cut Diamonds. 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H. SMALL & SONS Since 1855 DUPONT CIRCLE Phone North 7000 . ‘Top: A group of survivors of the dirigible Macon shown on board the cruiser Richmond as the rescue ship reached San Francisco. Bottom: Warrant Officer Ernest E. Dailey, radio operator of the Macon, one of the two men reported missing after the big air- ship crashed. Dailey sent out dis- tress signals when the Macon en- countered trouble. TWORKS FUNDS ALLOTTED| Secretary Ickes today allotted $5.- 207,200 to 36 non-Federal projects, including more than $1.000,000 for earthquake repair work in Los Angeles | and vicinity. | Out of the $1,000,000 earthquake grant would come money for replacing | and rebuilding a number of schools {and for constructing sewers and a | disposal plant. Announcement! 1932 Packard 8 Sedan $200 OFF! Here is value in a luxury car! Painted jet black with ivory stripe 6 wire wheels, 2 fender wells, chromium tire cov- ers, trunk rack, twin horns, radiator grill, all wool broadcloth uphol- stery, practically new tires and a host of other qual- ity features necessary in an expensive car. Trade and terms. Packard KALORAMA AT 17th Open Evenings and Sundays Experienced Advertisers Prefer TheStar A L} 935. MAGON DISASTER PROBE DUE TODAY Naval Inquiry Board to Get Details of Craft’s Last Losing Battle. (Continued_From First Page) “we will be an easy target for any Asiatic country that comes along. Heid Needed for Attack. “If we had 50 Zeppelins properly manned and equipped, in the future we could go straight to any Asiatic coun- try and destroy it “We are organized for defeat now. The stupidity and thick-headedness of the Army is phenomenal Chairman Sirovich called his House | Patents Committee to' inquire ! into | the naval dirigible's designs. It is the first of what is expected to be a series of inquires. On the question of airships, these conflicting opinions were registered: “If the Germans can do it, we | can"—Clark Howell, chairman of the President’s Aviaiion Commission, | which has recommended Government | construction of a dirigible for private transoceanic operation Says .No More Ships. “THere won't be any more airships | built by the Government”—Repre- | sentative Delaney, Democrat, of New York. chairman of the Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Naval Committee. “The Macon accident is another 160-foot moorning mast, waiting the | 932 F.St. N.W. * great disaster, but I believe navigation of the air in dirigibles is practicable and the development will proceed”— Senator Robinson, Democratic leader. “Any further requests for dirigible appropriations will be scrutinized closely.”—Chairman Nye of the Sen- ate Munitions Committee. Small Craft Favored. “There is a definite opportunity for development of the small type cf air- craft, especially for commercial pur- poses."—Secretary of Commerce Roper. Naval authorities here commented last night on testimony given Tucc- day in a Hartford, Conn, court case by Karl Arnstein, chief engineer of the Goodyear Zeppelin Corp. of Ak- ron, Ohio, which built the Macon and its sister ship, the Akron. Arnstein said material for the Ma- con had a yield point and tensile strength lowey than was expected by the builders. Navy officers her: said girders used in the ship were made to comply with strength specifications by increasing their weight. BASE'S FUTURE IN DOUBT. Giant Hangar Left Unused With Loss of Macon. SUNNYVALE, Calif., February 14 (#)—A vast, empty shell, the huge hangar here that was the home of the ill-fated dirigible Macon, stood de- | serted today while interest centered |, | on the fate of the $5,000,000 naval | air base, Six planes and a baby blimp, tucked away in one corner, were dwarfed in the structure which housed the 785- foot dirigible. The Macon’s home was no ordinary structure. More than 200 reet high and some 900 feet long, the building held the giant craft with ease be- neath its gently curving roof. Outside the building loomed the « A3 huge craft that never would come home again. In a telegram from Washington to the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, | Representative John J. McGrath said the base would not be abandoned. “Heavy investment at field guar- antees its use independent of lighter~ than-air program,” the message said. Some persons here thought it pos= sible a portion of the aircraft repair work now done at San Diego might ]be brought to Sunnyvale | The base here has been laid out with greatest care, and extensive work has been done to beautify the surroundings. It was completed only a year ago. GOLD DECISION UNSEEN The Supreme Court, meeting at nocn today, procceded with routine business, giving no indication as to when its gold decision will be There was the usual attenda the public section of the co seats 70, but the large space reserved for counsel was occupied by only a few lawyers. Dr. Vafighan Says:A I offer you a_com- plete dental service —the benefit of my | long _and successful | experience. My personal at- ntion to every pa- tient. Fees are very reasonable and terms | can be arranged. X-Ray pictures by | a trained technician ree extraction with other work. ree examination without obligation. | DR. 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