Show ARMY OBSERVER SAYS MOTOR QUIT TWO ENGINES OUT OF OP COMMIS COMMIS- COMMISSION COMMISSION SION ON THE SHENANDOAH WHEN CRASH CAME I Barograph Shows How Dirigible Con Con- Contested Contested tested Heavy Winds For Half Hour Before Being Over come In Air Lakehurst t N J-A J J A failure of two of the engines of oC the Shen Shen- Shen Shenandoah probably was a n primary cause of the lie destruction of the ship in the opinion of Colonel C 0 Hall Ball army observer on board during the fatal flights as given iven here to the na- na naval naval na naval val court of inquiry Had all of the engines been functioning functioning functioning Colonel Hall said it would have been more probable that the great airship would not have been drawn into the vorteX of the storm which wrecked her I do not believe however that en engine ine power had anything to do doI I with the situation after we got Into the vortex of the storm he said The Shenandoah fought the line squall in Ohio September 3 for at least half an before she broke up the barograph instrument record introduced before the naval court of inquiry shows This record establishes that the ship began its first rapi rapid ascent at a m nt central time rising from froman froman froman an altitude of 1850 feet to an alti- alti altitude altitude alti altitude tude of 2980 feet in eight minutes The craft then leveled off but two minutes later at she shot up almost like a rocket from feet to in approximately ten min min- minutes minutes minutes utes Her ascent halted at this altitude at 4 40 a ni nt The Shenandoah then fell abruptly 1765 1705 feet in three min min- minutes minutes minutes utes bringing up at an altitude of feet At this point the barograph ceased to function con consecutively Lieuten Lieuten- Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant ant Clinton IL II Havill who was in- in intro introduced in introduced tro as an expert said it was his judgment that it ceased as a re- re reI result re result I sult suIt of the instrument itself receiving receiving receiving ing a violent bump or else the whole control car in which it was located received sucha such a bump There were blotches on the record made of the Same s-ame ink as DS that in the but barograph but barograph but it was not possible for forthe the tho officers accurately to interpret the blotches Whether the barograph cease ceased to function when the control car broke off the ship could not be determined determine Commander Sidney M 1 Krass an- an another another an another other expert estimated that the con con- control con con- control control car fell only about 1000 feet and if that be correct the barograph ceased to work before the car fell feB Testimony that Lieutenant Com Com- Commander Commander Commander mander Zachary Lansdowne captain of the Shenandoah never expressed expressed any protest or reluctance to proceed to the west with the Shenandoah upon the western trip was given to the court by Commander C E Rosenthal of the aircraft I The only observation Comander Lansdowne made Commander Ro- Ro Rosenthal Ro Ro said was in casual conver comer conversation conversation with me in which he said it was too bad the Shenandoah had not been able to make the trip during the theten theten theten ten days immediately preceding Sep Sep- September Sep Sep- September September 2 when weather conditions were well weB nigh perfect as shown by bythe time the weather maps byI I |