B
How Twentybone Men Foiled
the Story of the Epi
Greet Nevy Dirigi‘hle.
\‘XTEDNESDAY evening. Jenner-y 16, 1924—ona to be
remembered!
All
day long the storm winds had charged northward
":w Jersey pine belt to howl around the is t m
~ :tzvi waste themselves in fruitless assaulgts gauging:
“1")“: 01 the hievy dirigible Shenandoah.
i mm banks in' endless procession scudded with the
. :leemg in tumbled haste pest the long cigar-shaped hull.
the early darkness of a
.enfne: was succeeded by
darkness which jreseged
-: :nmpest. Here end there
opacity light! It!"-
v.- e a: readies. from the
r r: the buildings or the
«t naval air station.
mmud the outline oi the
':. most. the glow from the
:.:::h‘s pilot cur geve ee-
-: 'i-zat, straining though she
her tether. all was well
‘he big dirigibie.
.;~.: for an emergency crew
"i the airship, the stetlon
.3 .;;pper. The topic in the
: nulls wee the seven~dsy test
~. . snansndoeh et the mooring
Four of the seven days bed
f‘ldflfid successfully, but this.
--~, we: imposing e teertul
'l 7'.
The Bhlp Veniehee
‘~ “on omcors' mess, the post
t... had Just remarked
warms}; that. while it we:
a 2: .1 sixty‘t‘lve mile en hour
writrstlons pointed to en ber-
31 h me storm. As though to
e “.“li.«:t him. the wind '81!“
~13! wilder and above its
came a greet crushing. s
.. : and then s crash. as though
.1 had been twisted in shrill
Wu, and bed givon ewey.
"7‘:- ship!"
.5 mm and enlisted men dashed
. mess hells. rugerdless ot
,.- in; rein or o! the dump.
.-. ~.; wind. end reced ecross
hirmn field towerd the moor-
: "List. it loomed before them.
i . * spectral shepe in the gloom.
\ 'v, i cry or consternetlon don“.
- 1' ~ 1 for a moment the fierce voice
' -‘ - storm.
Ire Shenandoah had venisbedl
.. ‘.‘_:-o
.10
The-e were twenty-one men on
. z-na' dlrigihie st 6:52 o'clock
- memorable night when it
"i m the burst of e seventy.
. 77,19 gale and tore loose tron:
t = rxnza. ‘
a were Lieutenant Commen-
‘valirll‘P. 0. Pierce. nevigeting
‘ Lieutenant Commander J.
um. chief engineer; Lieutenv
wt '5; ll. Kincaid. Lieutenant R.
1.72;. Radio Gunner J. L Rob-
» mm i'aptein Anton Heinen. te-
. Zeppelin commander. who is
w L“. t-onsulting engineer and
. - for the crew; Dr. C. P. Bur-
. i ‘1’ 'he Bureau of Aeronautics.
- -:T-‘=rari men of the Nsvy end
i ' .- enzs‘eri men of the Army:
Where 'fi'ley Served
“1 a was the ispositlon o: the
- my crb at the very mo
’ 'he disaster. Lieuteneut
Warrior Pierce. Cepteln Heir
' .. :tnnsut Commander Deon.
Jonah: Kinceld. Dr. Burgess.
4's l'};nner Robertson and two
.-. unlisted men were in the pi-
AT. the two latter meaning the
‘ rural and vertical steam
1 -7. a. leuteuent Ilaycs wee in-
"‘.° 9 hull on inspection: the
‘ .«iv mm were on station in the
“I "n vars—«me to each—And the
. ’. tier of the crew were eloug
a vt-‘a-wailt. the nerrow toot,
‘ « '1 “reversing the beg the" m
from stem te stern.
‘5‘». a. mm in the pm as I‘M
Samandosh would ten: free.
1 - hill stood ell the Dreflm
frag. straining ewey 1181411.
.1 3: nose pointed Into tho “1.. m
v;:are:'Iy moored It!!! t° m
8.; steel mest. '
Let Go Water sum .
”Chm it heppened. The wild
”IV-17 increeeed to e. for]. “4
'e 31:19 “v. n mm m
The crackling roar which no.“
'23 mess hells wee hr more ole-r
.! “on: a bend in the m w‘ ‘
. 1‘ W-
_ "-rrcudous lnrch end tho
,‘ «1'2: clear of hot m h ‘
. “Mud the bow had tilt“ nod ell.
,I‘ "IT-'9 dowuwerd.
LL‘ ‘i.etgothewulrm'c‘°'
'H To liaison cried.
'i ' siting the notion in a. w'
7 1-. reached were his need will
‘ "oih hands and M h” 3"
‘ .. takes more than '3 duo. '0“.
’ ballast polio—lit“. wooden w
arranged in clad. MI M ii.
ft”... of tho Ind
star.
The .hree or the. m .
released lil bit .0 0! it.“
bum: up no e-pd W
pounds of weter to merge with the
pouring rein.
At the same moment Lieutensnt
Commander Doom telegraphed to
the engine rooms. "Full speed.”
. The Meters Respond
Engine Cer No. 1 is furthest sit.
directly beneeth the keel: Nos. 2.
3. 4 end 6 ere staggered to port
and sterboerd emidship, and No. 0
—en emergency engine which wes
not in use—ls in the reer oi the
pilot cer. Two men constitute
eech engine crew. There was but
one man in each cer. however. to
do the work the: night. it spenks
volumes for their training and w
sourcetnlness to state that all five
had their motors started elmost
before the lust word of the order
had c'llcked to their eus.
How user they were to destruc-
tion upon the tops of the pines in
that first halt-minute oi wild night
no men will ever know. The nose
dive must have taken them peril-
ously close to the storm tossed Jer-
sey forest end to have entangled
one o! the curs in the branches of
a single tree would have meant the
end or the Shenandoah.
ls Badly Damaged
The prompt dumping of. the we-
ter bellast send them from a
cresh. Lighted at so much weight.
the dirlgible rose severe! hundred
feet. staggering and vibreting as
she did so. end turning the while
until her back was to the wind.
The bow still pointed downward at
e neety angle. the verticel control
wheel seemed to have no eil'ect
upon the upper rudder, end is gusty
wind ceme down the hetchwey iced-
ing to the interior of the beg. blow-
ing with such velocity ee to tour
loose sheet utter sheet of meteoro-
logical report on the sidewall of
the redio cebin. Something was
redlcelly wrong fore end sit. it
was Lieutenant Meyes who brought
word of the seriousness of the dam.
ego.
The inspection ollcer. u hes
been said, was in the bag when
the Shensndoeh broke loose. in
the first downward lurch, he clung
to the guide ropes running elbow
high' on either side 01' the cat's-
wslk. Then. as the water beliest
wes released and the ship began to
second. he started out to ascertein
the extent or the injuries.
The Cat’s-well:
One must see the interior o: the
Shanendoeh to fully eppreciate his
tnsk. The cat's-wedk—eptly nam-
ed—ie but eight inches wide. the
thinnest}! boards stretching sway
for hundreds of fee‘ It runs about
three feet above the keel tor its
entire length. On either side of it.
st distances of approximately thir-
ty-twe feet. the dureluxnlnnm metal
bonus of the greet structure curve
ewey and upwards. Between the
heme and their longitudinal cross,
piece is e network of wire-lacing
under which is spreed the enter
cloth cover or the beg. A men
slipping from the cat'sowelk might
be susteined in this netting. Host
likely. however. he would plunge
h to his deeth.
writ-o". the cat's—we‘lk. almost
within resell at the bend. ere the
buttons of the twenty belloouettee
holding the helium res. 3m“
nice: the welk ere the gasoline
tanks. the weter ballast begs end
the mw’e‘ hemmoeks. the former
in padre on either side end so close
9
Bi exaggé
i5 rtgtliiil \
M and Destruction Told in
c Night F light of the
\
mw— _ M...—
doah ’
1914.510»..wa »
i
\v. u.“\‘ ‘\\‘ \
-n... -9"
__.__... -.
- t \ .
\ s“. .\‘\\\\\\ \‘\
. -.\~t \\\\\\ \\\‘
_ ._\‘- -
or candles. In deytluu the light
seeps through the covering in sut-
flcient strength to give u mellow
glow to the interior. At night the
men must depend entirely upon
flashlights, whoae smell drycells
assure e redient been. relying
upon no outside wiring or connec-
tions to do their work.
Picture. then. the interior of this
greet beg. tilted ter torwsrd. the
Glt'b'llk underfoot rising and
telling. the guide ropes quivering
with the lurchea from side to side.
end the trienguler pessage swept
by a. wind whistling from some gep
forward. Picture ell of this and
remember Lieutenent Meyes with
only the fleshiight to glide him.
and the members of the crew 08
duty. simllerly equipped with lesb-
lights. seeking to learn how bediy
the greet dlrigibl. wee demeged.
not knowing but whet at any in-
stsnt the whole structure might
oollepse upon them. or thet a. sec-
tion of the cet's-welk might give
wey end hurl them downwerd.
through the beg.
Use Men as Belles-t
The Lisutensnt ordered ell the
men alt. hoping tbet their weight
would onset the forwerd tilt. and’
he went with them. concerned
about the rudders. Well he might
be. in breeking tree the Sheuen-
dosh hed strelned one of the longi-
tudiuel braces. cutting s greet ho}.
M is W. .l. 7. new
em View On. - ‘
cm Antsll’Helnen
He went tsmrd sites. that. as
tnelly redng eleug the cet's—welk
until he ruched the plenum te-'
wen! the bow where rents the
windlees and mm eeble. Over
his saw there well I ”Ohm HAP-
ptng. He shot the been. at m;
naught alert. Gas but Nos. is
m an. the letter hobs the-fun
tbeet temrd. bed M The
untruotthewindenddriving
" mmmnmm‘Wo. 18.
And Ho. 1!, es well II the others.
wee built to hold gen not with.
steed violent wind pressure tram
without.
The Margin of Ishty
Ivory man on the ship knew the:
it required sixteen inflated begs in
e row to keep the news
afloat. To Lieutenant Isyee, then,
came the reelisstlos that with Nos.
13 end 20 gone. their lives depend.
ed upon whether N03. 13. 17 .ld-l
18 could withstend the storm. The
\
Lt. Cent.
stm ' - ~
Menrlce 6. Pierce
tro stern torstern. it was the
on e which had torn holes in the
Irst two gss begs. Thet more were
not ruptured by the sense instru.
ment is e mervei. The flashlight
showed the Lieutenent ell this: it
showed him even how the thirteen
longitudinels. converging toward
the bow bed been ripped. us though
by e keen sew. {tom the circuler
mete! ring which hed gone with
vthe bow esp.
Usutenent Kluceld bed gethered
the men from at: end they were
curring ell the spurs perts from
the mindless pletrorm to the stern.
It wes eerie indeed in the long
tunnel in the base at the hen. Rays
0! light tinted learned there es
the men toiled. tech bit ot-‘migbt.
carried eiong the tossing cet’e-welk
ntt. helped a wee bit, but the‘list
wee still exceedingly dangerous.
How complete was the shitting ot
the movebls weight mey be setb-
ered from the {act thst the empty
u .4l‘tnlhbl I . s-s ”I r.
i“
’ done.
-‘1
,‘
flatten end mooring «his. I:
ginefie.tinthepnotcer.uraome
at the tsrwerd genuine nuke. it
was decided to cut eway one. end.
Hm.twontthetsnks. It
the: we: not sumcient. something
else would here ’to go. elthough
both men. were reluctant to spurs
the males which. should they
elude the storm. would be neces-
eery to elect’e lending.
Under “euteunt Xineeld. a. lit-
tle group at seem-n attached use
at e» peir at «sense tenks louse
thirty tut behind the position at
the pilot cer. Two further torwerd
would have served the purpose bet.
ter but these were in piece direct-
ly ever the our end were not built
to be dumped.
Here it Was Dene
The empty gasoline tanks w‘b
titty-tow pounds apiece. but eeeh
of these destined for discard held
the addition“ weight or 118 gei-
lone ot gesollne. Pitching then
through the bottom of the beg was
no eesy matter. yet it bed to be'
Agein the flashlights were
brought into pier. being focused
upon the nrst tent end its connec~
tloss. while the men. steedyieg
themselves ls best they could
engine cet'pwelk. turned the stop-
cocks. released the upper clutches
and then cut wey the teed pipe.
The big gss pinged down-
ward end through“ the cloth sheet-
ing. “'hstever noise it my have
made in its plunge wes lost in the
greeter fury of the storm. .
The elect was lmmedlstely dis-
cernible upon the ship. but the list
still continued. The second gee
tenk would heve to go. xWorking
test. with the lesbiighte playing
weirdly eround them, the men
tripped the second tsnk in similer
fashion. There is a story. but at
' the bevel ststion it is doubted. that
the second tank landed in e term-
fi'ard near Newark. 5’. 1.. and blew
e twenty toot hole in the ground,
sh—ummzzrznxr-
Lt. Com. J. I. been.
nude! . -
Lt. g. H. Kins-id
Fly} on .THE 0|?me 1N "Hoe: CAPAILE HANDS strzo ms FATE OF THE sasnenooener‘ren THE Stones HAD
TORN HER FROM use ssoonmo nesr
nmcmmusm
thisbole undue-unwind
em the cloth on the
WMFW
Netatyhedthalowapbm
”sheets-1m
m”. "
. -.
water ballast begs. housing from The first tenk hes 'eevar be.
struts {long the walk. were untesb heerd at. it probably tended in the
Mudwedtaememencypo- pita. ,.
stuns” nlznost beneath the runners.
Cast Assay Gan Tink-
lven all this. however.
weseet
.eweyfll‘bsm’ 'etlsstwes
“swat/the ism
Wmmm
- mass on hour.
It wee e cues-o! ride it out. until
the storm abated suflciently to try
end nose boaswerd through it.
From the compass they bed e gen-
erel ides st their patties. toe- the
drift bed been ehnoet due north.
but until the night cleered there
woe no wey ct telling Just where
they were. _ '
The Radio new
A Added to all the other troubles.
the redlo wtlt bed been out or
commission for several hours he-
lere the (luster. so there could be
no communication with lend ate-
tieus. At leest. hey thought no
word could be sent to Lskehwrut
of their safety. Radio Gunner Rob-
ertson thought otherwise. He he
gee tiniering with his outnt es
soon on the ship's etnbiuw we:
eeteblished. end. while the others
wetched with interest the highs at
e diminishing storm. he manipu~
leted wires. batteries and tubes.
until. shout en hour after they bed
broken ewey. he turned with e
triumphant esclsmetlon to Con»
msnder Pierce.
"It's working." he announced.
Thus. out of the air to hiltchell
flying Field et $30 o‘clock unto
this message in Navy Code:
.3149! e Herbert
The First Message
"_All 0. it. Will ride out storm.
We think we ere over how Bruns-
wick. Holding our own. Verity
position end send on weather in»
termetion.
"Pierce."
The message wse roleyed to
Lekehurst end the gloom of dis-
aster geve way to the wildest lay.
But the Shenudoeh was not over
‘ New Brunswick. tht Cornmsudsr
Pierce had mistaken for the lights
blower-k. At 8:05 e telephone met
sage from Westiield. N. 1.. had re-
ported th’e ship helpless before the
gels {er overhead and almost with
the redio message had come s sin:-
ilar cell from Sewerk. Lekehnrst
sped the right position on its wsy
through the air and also gave hope-
ful reports or clesrlng weether.
Ship flows Its Own
0:: the dlrigible the men know
well enough the storm was break»
lug. The wind was lessening end.
by the time they were over Staten
island. the power of the engines
bed at last celled a halt to further
drifting.
a useless upper rudder. end tbet
the more powerful ot the two con-
trolling the verticle motion, was
still a herd-task. Alter thet first
hour in the tempest, however. the
twenty-one men on boerd felt noth-
ing was impoesible.
Homeward Bound
The rest is soon told. From Stet-
en island beck to Lukehnrst was s
test. yet a tent which was but noth-
ing as competed to the wild ride
with the gale. They turned the
big ship about 11:39. yet in en hour
and e mt bed mule little beed‘
we}. At 1:10 above South Amber.
they were traveling at only tour
five minutes inter.
with the storm gone from their
penned the sters peeping forth.
the speed was up to twenty-five
like. Thirtyfire minutes later
they were over Freehold. and st
2:”, with the. whole navel stetien
personnel out to welcome them.
they come sailing across the blues
to hover overheed mum to
lending.
An hour later the Sheeendesh
wss beck in her hangar. Joytul
messmstu shook hands seriously
with the heroes of the wild ride,
std Cam 31:01:: and Com-
mwmher. the cum
tar, crawled up into the bug end.
bytbsaildtbdrusbm-sde
“we: th m
in” poor: to flesh
! New Brunswick were those of
d
\
But turning back. with”
'i'l
* jig ,-
-135}
“ii
~..-,,...'V‘ -.‘~ a"...
wfle w" ‘.--~— — ..
w...—
«.u-ee I-u-M”-.—-'- "
- u....,......
v v.
w i s“
e t- «I?
Norwalk Chronicler