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Show Navy Dirigible Falls Into Sea; Two Men Missing Lighthouse Keeper Reports Seeing Rudder Burst Just Before Craft Plunges Into Sea; Inquiry To Determine Cause SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13 U.R While naval officials were preparing for a formal inquiry, a possible clue to the disaster which last night wrecked the U. S. Dirigible Macon, came today from H. R. Miller, assistant lighthouse keeper at Point Sur, California. Miller told the United Press that the rear rudder of the airship appeared to burst "like a paper sack." "The Macon gave a lurch and started nosing down. They started to throw ballast overboard and she rode upwards. I onM a.pp sine was in trouble." May Explain Casualty Miller's testimony may explain the "casualty" which struck the airship at 5:15 or 5:18 p. m. (official (of-ficial reports give both). Lieut. Com. Herbert V. Wiley, commander of the dirigible, reported re-ported the "casualty" in his description de-scription of what occurred to send the pride of the navy crashing to her death in the ocean near Point Sur, carrying two of her crew with it. The other 81 were rescued by warships accompanying the Macon northward. Wiley said the accident occurred "in the stern," the same part of the airship as that in which Miller saw the rudder bursting. "I thought an elevator control had been carried away," Wiley re- ported to naval headquarters here. Gas Cell Gone "We received prompt word that No. 1 gas cell under a fin was gone, the stern was crumbling, and finally that No. 2 cell was gone, xxx The ship landed astern first with no way (no forward for-ward motion) at 5:40 p. m." His report made no mention of any explosions aboard. Miller said he saw explosions on the water wa-ter while the airship still was in the air. He thought they were caused by bombs dropped overboard. over-board. Apparently the Macon fell backwards back-wards to her grave in 250 fathoms of water. Wiley and 80 of his officers and men were picked up. Chief Radio Operator E. E. Dailey and Florantino Edquiba, Filipino mess boy, were lost. Wiley's story was the only description de-scription of the disaster available at naval headquarters. The survivors sur-vivors are enroute to San Francisco Fran-cisco on the cruisers which rescued res-cued them. Busses awaited at the pier to rush them to the Sunny-boats Sunny-boats which held them up until the rescue ships arrived. Dailej vale naval air station, where theii wives, sweethearts ond relative: are eathered. Admiral Joseph M. Reeves, commander com-mander in chief of the U. S. fleet, is expected to appoint an official inquiry board today to investigate the disaster which struck the last and finest of the navy's lighter-than-air ships. The airship was falling when the commander ordered "general quarters' sounded. It meant the men were to abandon ship. Each strapped on a life belt and took his station. Rubber rafts were thrown into the water. Due to a special gas they contain, the rafts about six feet long and three feet wide inflated to become buoyant. The men followed and climbed aboard the doughnut - shaped had not waited for the rafts, reports re-ports said. Instead he leaped from a height of 125 feet and landed on his back. The messboy did not respond to quarters. He last wa sseen in the No. 9 gas cell. |