FRUSTRATED BY DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 139, 16 June 1930, Page 9

FRUSTRATED BY DEATH

AIMED AT AIR RECORD

AFTER LAND AND WATER

United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. , (Received 16th June, 10 a.m.) LONDON, 15th June. It is revealed that Sir Henry Segrave cherished the hope of gaining the speed records on land, sea, and air, but death frustrated his ambition in the air, for which he had been negotiating -with the Air Ministry for the purchase or loan of one of the -Schneider Trophy seaplanes. At the opening of the inquest the Coroner said: Some may think this is a life which has been recklessly thrown away. There may be something in that. After formal identification the inquest was adjourned. MECHANIC'S BODY FOUND. The body of Mr. Halliwell, the mechanic, was dragged up close to the sunken "Miss England H." A pencil was still-clutched in one hand, and a piece of paper in the other. Apparently he had been taking notes of the boat's speed and the ongino revolutions when the disaster occurred. , , Scgravo was conscious for two minutes before ho died. Though in terrible pain, he was so much master, of himself that he asked by.how much he had beaten the record. It is unofficially but reliably stated that Segrave had attained 119.8 miles art-hour when the fatal plunge occurred. Soundings showed that "Miss England II." is in 195 feet of water. Salvaging is being considered. THEORIES OF DISASTER. Several theories are being advanced regarding the cause of the disaster. One eye-witness says that "the step" on the bottom of the boat suddenly seemed to burst, and the boat swerved terribly before capsizing. Another view is that the boat hit a piece of driftwood, and that this would have been sufficient to cause the accident. Apparently, the stop bolted to the bottom of the boat shifted slightly, admitting water between it and the boat's true bottom, creating a terrific brake and making the vessel unmanageable. Another theory of the accident is that "Miss England" ran into the wash caused by her own passage on the second lap. The water was most turbulent when she came back on the third lap at such a speed that even a wave of moderate height would have been sufficient to make her leap from, the water,, and then when she touched the water again the blow might have ripped away her hull. It seems certain that the propeller stood the strain, as it was seen to be intact when '"Miss England" sank, but thero is evidence of broken timber in the bottom of the boat. A WATER-LOGGED BRANCH? The water-logged branch of a tree three feet in length and three inches in diameter, which was picked up astern of "Miss England" after the disaster, is believed to have caused the damage. The main hull and machinery were not damaged. Their Majesties the- King and Queen and the Prince of Wales sent a 1 message of sympathy to Lady Segrave. A pathetic feature of the tragedy was Segrave's father's dramatic dash in an aeroplane when he heard of the accident. A few minutes after-the aeroplane left London news was received that, his son was dead, but the father only learned the news when the aero» plane reached Manchester, from whence he motored to Windermere. Lady Segrave was prostrated with grief, and was unable to attend the inquest, which was opened and adjourned. The newspapers unitedly mourn the loss of Segrave and Halliwell, while paying tribute to their indomitable gallantry.