R33 SAFE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 April 1925, Page 5

R 33 SAFE

RODE OUT THE GALE.

HOMEWARD BOUND.

AIRSHIP’S ADVENTURE.’ «V CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, April 17. The whole country has been thrilled by the adventure which betel the airship 1133, which broke from the mooring mast at Pulliam at 10 o’clock yesterday morning duiing a gale. On board were 29 men and two days’ suppi v of petrol. . After a day of great anxiety regarding the ciew’s safety, the-gale abated, and the latest advice states chat the airship is returning home. She i.s exjxx*t6i.l to arrive at- I*u.lliani emly dawn. . . T'he mishap was most surprising, because R 33 hail safely outridden the gate throughout the night-. It was fortunate that the first ollicer. Lieutenant Hootli. was on board, also- the wireless oiterator. She was driven -broadside before the gale at a very low altitude, and it wa.s feared she would foul the houses of Hurleston. When over Lowestoft the wind tilted her end up, and she almost- fell into the sea. After that she disappeared behind the rain blanket, Control was then regained with all the engines running. The Air Ministry is in regular contact with the airship R 33, which wirelessed: “Ignite well; will make England when the wind moderates. At midnight the airship was gallantly battling against the gale, and expects to reach Fulham at dawn. She i.s filled with inflammable' gas. She carried a complete crew of Jo and is commanded by First Officer Flight-Lieutenant Booth. The crew includes Corporal Potter, survivor of the R3B disaster. The Pul-ham aerodrome is illuminated and a landing crew of three hundred are -making an all night vigil in readiness for the airship’s arrival. Lieutenant Booth is evidently determined not to descend on the Continent, though precautionary arrangemets have been made with Holland, France and Germany. • The Air Ministry announces that tide sent a wireless message at 11.5 p.m.: “My position is fourteen miles 255 deorees compass bearing from. Ymuiden. We ,a;re making some headway. Please Hose and show searchlight.” Another message sent a few nnn.utes later to Fulham, reported: “Wind movement confirmed. Progress being made. > Send forecast.” The Air. Ministry announces that R 33 is reported to have crossed the Dutch coast and is -proceeding west-north-west at between five and ten knots. The Admiralty instructed the Godetia * to accompany her homeward across the North Sea, The gale, while reached one hundred miles an hour in some places, has subsided considerably. R 33. which was in touch was the Air Ministry all night- long, reported at 6.30 this morning that she was fifty miles west by south of Amsterdam. At. 10 o’clock this morning the R 33 was forty miles from Lowestoft. AMSTERDAM. April 17. R 33 is signalling every quarter of an hour, enabling the Wa.llhaven,' Croydon and Fulham aerodromes to locate her position. Apparently no professional wireless operator is on board. The wireless bearings show that- the airship is moving against the gale. Therefore the engines are still working A wireless message wa.s picked up from the Japanese- steamer Amazon Mum, stating that R 33 was driving towards Poet Egrnond, near Alkmar. with her nose crushed in, and she requires assistance. The entire staffs of the Dekody and Soewterberg aerodromes are- mobilised to assist the landing if necessary, but R 33 changed her direction southwards. The engines are apparently working well. R 33 later wirelessed to the Wallhaven. aerodrome, stating that she- had enough petrol to last twenty-four hours. The nose of the airship- is heavily damaged, but a forced landing in Holland- i.s not considered necessary, in. any case not before dawn. She hopes to reach Calais on Friday morning.

LONDON, April 17.

The utmost confidence was shared by experts for the safe return of Lieutenant Booth, who is only 2(5 years, o« age, and the crew. The severe galeLvhich has been raging over the whole "country helped the public to realise the crew's perii. The cross-Channel steamers laced a • sixty-mile an hour gale, while Liverpool recorded gusts of eighty-three miles an hour. Throughout the day and night messages reached Fulham from, the airship, telling the story of ! the crew’s experiences. It appears'that the airship, when she broke away, carried, with her four mooring wheels, each. • weighing half a ton, two forward and two aft. at the end of steel cables one hundred feet long. ’silt was necessary that these weights should be cut adrift if the 5 airship was going to ride out the. storm, so off Ixnvestoft a member of thekcrew, hanging over in a most precar">us position hundreds of feet above the water, his legs held by a comrade, .worked with a steel cutting chisel and hammer until the cables were severed. Then the wheels dropped like bombs into the sea. An eye-witness, describing the breakaway. said: “L was working near the mooring mast when the .airship was suddenly carried off by the wind, taking with her the mooring arm and the wheels to which she was fastened below. The airship, .owing to the storm, had been manned by an emergency crew throughout the night. They were relieved an hour before the ship broke away. “Directly the airship began to rise.” added the eye-witners, “I. saw Lieutenant Booth look ovfr the side of the control car to see mb at had hapjjenetl. He must have been.amazingly quick in giving his orders, for the crew dropped the water ballast and got the port engine going under a minute. The trailing wheels missed the airship by only a few feet, and also narrow missed the dwelling of a. member of the crew, whose wife was amazed to see the airship sailing away.” Commander Fellowes spent the morning at Fulham examining the mooring mast. He said - a piece of metal at a concealed spot hail rotted during it ß five years’ use. He added that the afrship had plenty of food and gas for a< two days’ voyage and a parachute for every man.

HOME AGAIN. AIRSHTP RETURNS TO FULHAM. Received April 18, 8.50 a.m. LONDON, April 17. R 33 has arrived at Fulham aerodrome. —Reuter.