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Show Navy Dirigible Wrecked Against Mountain Peak; Airmen Fall Down Slope LOS ANGELES, Cal . Sept 30. Thei navy dirigible balloon C-6 became lol In a dense fog today while proceeding from San Diego to San Pedro to take purl In some fleet maneuvers and eraphed Into mountain peak In the outskirts out-skirts of Hollywood, spilling the ear and its crew of five men about 200 feet down Laurel canyon. Kour men were hurt. The injured were Lieutenant Gordon G. McDonald. 28, pilot, both ankles broken and badly brulsod; Lieutenant Junior Gimdq L A. l'ope. 2a. back wrenched; Eugene Kry. 32. chief ma- IniiM mate, cut about the head and body and badly bruised , Ralph Hart-man, Hart-man, chief quartermaster, cuts and bruises. Ensign Joseph H. tJowan was badly shaken up but unhurt. R s 1 1 im BILLSIDl According to Lieutenant McDonald, the dirigible left San Diego early this morning and while proceeding at an elevation of about 1,800 feet encountered encoun-tered a fog. Because of the tog the crey became confused and finally de-cended de-cended to sight landmarks Lieutenant McDonald B&la he had recognized Hollywood and had then heuded for San Pedro, when the peak appeared so close by that the pilot w;;s unable to gain elevation and clear it. The car crashed into the mountain top. breaking the fastenings and tearing tear-ing u huge hole ln the gas- bag. Tho crash tore the car loose from its cables ca-bles and It crashed down the mountain moun-tain side about 200 foot before It lodged, the shock rendering Its occupants occu-pants helpless. I'll lu ED BY TREES. Persons living nearby saw the balloon bal-loon and heard the crash and went to the rescue. The men were found covered with debris and suffering from their Injuries Calls were sent for ambulances am-bulances which went out from Hollywood Holly-wood and took the men to hospitals. According to a member of the crew, the C-6 contained 170,000 cubic feet of gas, which escaped without exploding. ex-ploding. Tho balloon was 200 feet long. It was wrecked. The gas chamber cham-ber fell on trees which pierced IL According to Chas. S. Noble, of the Standard-Examiner editorial department depart-ment the men named above, who were Injured in the crash of the dirigible C-6, arc known to many Ogden men who were In the aviation section of the Davy during the war. All but Lieutenant Pope were stationed at the Naval air station at San Diego at ono time during the war. |