THE SURVIVORS BURNED.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20189, 8 May 1937, Page 9

THE SURVIVORS BURNED.

HALF OF THEM FATALLY HURT. CAPTAIN IN CRITICAL CONDITION. EXPLANATION BY COMPANY. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. NEW YORK, May 7. Many of the survivors of the Hindenburg disaster were burned or injured, or both. They were taken to hospitals at Lakehurst and other communities. It is believed that at least half of them are fatally injured. The clothing was burned completely off several of the sufferers. There were three children on board and all escaped. The flames were extinguished at midnight but the embers were so hot that it was impossible to complete the search for bodies.

Captain Lehmann was critically burned, and oilier officers less seriously.

The company explains that the three ranking officers were saved because they were in the control car forward and were farthest away from the first explosion which was followed by five or six others. Thus the stern struck the ground first and the flames were slower in reaching the bow, providing an opportunity for the officers and several passengers to escape.

If the dirigible's slow fall had been any slower, probably all would have perished since flames enveloped thei entire airship almost at the moment she rested on the ground.

It is believed that most of the survivors either leaped or were thrown out by the impact with the ground instead of by the explosions. The passengers are believed to have included several prominent people.

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

CAUSE OF THE DISASTER. NEW SHIP BEING BUILT. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright BERLIN, May 6. The Ministry of Propaganda stales that the cause of the Hindenburg disaster was lightning. The official German news agency announces that the tragedy will not affect the further building of Zeppelins by Germany or the German Zeppelin trans-Atlantic traffic, which will be continued unabated. A new airship is nearing completion at Friedrichshafen and she will take the Hindenburg’s place. SYMPATHY IN ENGLAND. GREAT EXPLORER SHOCKED. FAITH IN AIRSHIPS UNSHAKEN. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright LONDON, May 7. The noted explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins says lie spent a month on the ; Hindenburg during its post-trial flights j and became intimately acquainted with ; most of the crew. He was terribly shocked at the disaster but was glad that Captain Preuss and Lehmann were saved. Their deaths would have been a great loss to the science of airship construction, when experts could ill be spared.

Sir Hubert stated that his faith in airships was unshaken but he thought that experience ought to be developed with smaller types, as in the case of aeroplanes, before confidence could be held in the safety of larger dirigibles. Opinion of English Designer. Commander Sir Dennistoun Burney, who was responsible for Ihe design and construction of the British airship RlOl, said: “Unless we can get away from hydrogen. I shall find it difficult to retain my confidence in the future of airships.” Mr E. F. Spanner, who predicted the disaster of the RlOl, considered that the greater the size of airships, the greater the structural risks. Seven!' five per cent of the insurmice on the Hindenburg was placed in London but it was "ell spre--*