Show 9 Sniper Perils Blimp Crew As Shots Stop Mercy Trip MOFFETT FIELD Sunnyvale Cal Cat May 15 UPi Major UP-Major Major Clarence Lobar commander of the army blimp TC 13 today today re revealed revealed revealed re- re that the army's s than lighter craft had been fired on twice this year by a rifleman in trips over Mt Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Ham Ham- ilton in the Santa Clara v valley le Both times the dama damace forced th the ship to r return turn to its base The Thc shots pierced the slender sender fabric fabric fab fab- ric nc of the blimps blimp's g gas 3 bag and narrowly nar nar- rawly missed missed striking vital parts which if It struck would have sent the and its crew ew generally general y from 10 to 15 men crashing to the earth On Regular Air Lano LanG LanoThe The Tho attacks occurred January 1 and May 4 4 Lobar said Each time they occurred near the same lame place east of Mt Hamilton when the blimp quartered at the Sunnyvale air station where once the tho mighty Macon had its home was following the air lane between Oakland and Fresno We Ve have no idea who sh shot t at atus atus us US U.S. Lobar said In reporting the In In- In We Ve have handled this situation ourselves thus far but if it happ happens ns again there will be bo an exhaustive investigation by the tho department of ot commerce Tho area where the attacks occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc curr d is wild mountainous coun coun- try Scattered ranches dot the area and nd in that backwoods belt are cowboys cow cow- bo boys s 's and cowgirls of the tho type typo seen now only in the motion pictures or In wild west shows It is open range and often otten there are shooting scrapes reminiscent of the days of ot the old wild west F Forced to Turn Back The first attack occurred as the TC 13 was vas flying at about 1000 feet above Mt ML Hamilton rho Tho crew was looking for lor some trace of Lieutenant John Helms lost army armi ariman The TC 13 turned back and inspection revealed several several several sev sev- eral holes In the bag The attacks not were rere repeated until four months later Eight bullet bullet bul bul- let holes were found in the fabric only 15 feet teet from the control car |