Rl0l INQUIRY

Evening Star, Issue 20634, 6 November 1930, Page 10

Rlol INQUIRY

FURTHER EVIDENCE HEARD WEATHER CONDITIONS AT TIME OF DISASTER (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. UUGBY, November 4. At the inquiry l into the cause of the disaster to the airship RlOl, the evidence of the survivors and of the French witnesses was completed. The court then heard evidence concerning the weather conditions at the time of the disaster. This was given by officials of the meteorology department of the Air Ministry. Sir John Simon said that their evidence showed that careful arrangements had been made on the ground and the ship to learn the probable meteorological conditions. Whether or not it was good flying weather in which to start for India was quite anothei question. Dr Simpson, Director of Meteorology at the Air Ministry, said that 11101 was warned that she would be likely to meet high winds and rain over Isorthem Franco, but the weather conditions on the night of the_ flight were nothing to cause the navigators any anxiety. Dr Simpson expressed the view that the rain did not affect the navigation of the ship and was not an important factor in the final catastrophe. The airship would have had far worse weather four hours after the time of the disaster. SIR JOHN HIGGINS'S STATEMENT (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 5. (Received November 6, at 1.30 p.m.) At the RlOl inquiry Air-rnarshal Sir John Higgins mentioned an occasion when the airship, while at the mast at Cardington, rode out a gale when the wind reached a rate of eighty-three miles an hour. He said that during July the question arose as to .whether 11101 should stand by and possibly take, the place of RIOO on the Canadian flight. Lord Thomson then said that whatever happened, even to the extent of the abandonment of the . Canadian flight, RlOl was to be ready for the flight to India by the last week in September, as he had made all -his arrangements accordingly. As to her trial flight on October 1 and 2, Sir John Higgins said that both Major Scott and \Ving-commandcr Colmore had told him that the flight was very satisfactory. Sir John Higgins recalled writing a minute last year in reply to Lord Thomson, who was annoyed because the airship was put in the shed owing to the warning of a severe gale. Sir John Higgins therein [jointed out that the alternative might have been a flight to avoid the gale, which was, thought to be an unjustifiable risk, as the endurance flight- had' not yet been carried out. Lord Thomson in' later minutes said: “I consider the.right policy is to go on steadily with the progressive experiment, enabling the achievement of our extensive programme. Ido not anticipate further difficulties from the weather if a slow and sure policy is followed out.” Flight-lieutenant Moore, who assisted in the • investigations, gave' evidence that an official of a French aerodrome, who was familiar witli judging altitudes, declared that the airship passed over before the crash at a height of 330fti