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On this Page 7
HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
COMMODORE HOLTS THEORY
LONDON, October 6.
As may toe 'expected, there are many
startling rumors afloat as to the cause
of the disaster. But the answer
to the question, "How did
it happen?" which afl the world
is asking, most await the re
sult of the official investigations at
present proceeding.
There Is every indication that these
win be as thorough and as public qs
the «?«4*"nfiT importance of the disaster
demands. An alarming report gained
great publicity to-day when the British
United Press Association credited
Air Commodore Holt with the
statpmpnt that ■? break bad occurred
in the structure of BIOL Later, Com
modore Bolt denied the correctness of
the Interview, and-the Air Ministry
supplemented the denial. Neverthe
less, the B.U.P. correspondent reasserts
the troth of the statement. It is'sig
nificant to recall Sunday's report that
a piece <rf the airship was picked up a
mile from, the scene of the crash:
Sellable reports, furthermore, indicate
that a preliminary ««?''■■*<«< of the
wreckage shows that tie structure Is
actually broken at the top amidships,
pot It. is Impossible to say yet whether
mis caused the crash or developed as
a result oT the crash. Although there
ta Considerable .conflict of testimony,
the weight of evidence-thus tar Invars
the *epart that the fire broke out after
the crash. ■ ' .
' In view of the disaster considerable
Importance attaches to the criticisms
of the design of filOl by Bh* Dennls
tonn Barney, the builder of 8100. He
openly stated:—"l never Weed B10L"
Doubts of Safety
_3**e well-known naval architect, Mr.
Edward P. Spanner, it is recalled, fre
quently expressed, grave doubts about
the safety and the commercial value of
gjant^jjtahjpa. He rniphnrfia.^ qj^
to the technical of both
BISO and BIOL Dealing with the dan
gers of added weight, he pointed out
Sat If there wasa/fttm of water of
only one-sixty-fourth of an inch on the
BIOL the added weight would be eight
tons." He added that lie was consider
a^lmprea^bytolflceUhoodot.dls-
aster befalling both ships. Among the
points on whidrhe based his opinions
was one that the *hip would be pitched
up or down and at extremely uncom
fortable angles. Her speed on these oe
twntohs Would be considerably reduced,
tbe passengers -would be constantly ex
posed to violent changes of tempera
ture, it would be Impossible to moor the
ship or land in unfavorable weather,
and electrical disturbances might set
fire to her. He declared that very much
more was being asked of the envelopes
of 8100 and BUI than of those of the
XheT&eanvals correspondent of the
Post" asserts that, though no
*tfn*M statement *i— been made, it is
now admitted that portion of the air
sfaip'E structure was found a consider
able distance from the wreck. If It had
fallen off at the moment of the first
dip, the distance would have accounted
for the lapse of a minute between the
first Bnd the Mwwm dip which resulted
in the crash:
Reason for Lengthening
An important contribution to the
general discussion regarding causes is
made by Mr. J.D. Worth, the chief ets
rer of the first which carried out
detau" design for the manufacture
of the buO. He declares that the sug
gestion that fi>e airship revealed weak
ness in Its earliest flights is without
foundation. The sole purpose for length
ening the shio was to Improve the dis
posal of the load. The statement that
the ship appeared to be neavter than
usual when leaving the mast was not
significant, as hi order to torn the air
ship must be in equilibrium.' Thp story
that the tan came off was not borne
out by the photographs of the remains.
Wreck Examined
Throughout to-day British and French
air experts were engaged on an exami
nation of the wrecked airship. The
authenticity is denied of certain state
ments published, purporting to express
the opinions of air "«"i?i« regarding
the cause of the disaster. When all
the available information has been col
lected and correlated an autfaorattve
statement will be issued.
Nearly Hit Home
The "Daily Express" features a let
ter from Mrs. Shane Leslie, tbe wife of
the author, describing how 8101 nearly
struck her home outside witriiin
shortly after leaving Cardmgton. Tbe
house stands six hundred feet up, which
is the highest point 8101 had to pass.
She describes how the ship lit up the
whole place as she came straight to
wards the house. The people hi the
house could see tbe people in the din
ing-room of the ntrshin and also the
electric bulbs in the rolling. "I assure
you that the whole household was
horrified,'' she says. "They missed us
by a matter of a few feet. Tbe en
gines appeared to be weak and unbusi
nesslike, «>rai the airship seemed un
able to rise."
One of the crew of RlOO, Foreman
Engineer Leech, in a new statement.
says—"The ship was weathering the
storm well over Beauvais, and the en
gines were normal, when there was a
sudden nose dip. She straightened out
and re-dipped at an angle of forty
five degrees, striking the hill. I counted
a second or two between tbe crash and
the explosion, followed by tbe roar of
flames. Personally. I believe that the
explosion was the result of the break-

TOUGHING FUNERAL SCENES

FRENCH TRIBUTE TO DEAD
AIRMEN
BEATJVAIS. October 7.

Most touching scenes marked the
start of the last Journey of the victims
of RlOl. The simple townsfolk were
overwhelmed with srief as the 24 uuni-

tion waggons removed the coffins to the
railway-station from the town halL
Each waggon was drawn by four
horses, escorted by seven infantrymen
with reversed arms. They drew up at
an improvised th"^, and the coffins
were borne out and reverently placed
on the vehicles, covered with Union
Jacks and flowers. The silence was
broken only by the booming of the
salute of 101 guns in a nearby square.]
Two thousand troops saluted, and every
head was bared as the waggons tooK
their places in the cortege, which was
led by a column of French cavalry,]
preceding a detachment of Algerian
Spahis in their picturesque Sowing
robes and bizarre tarbooshes, and a
military band. Then came the long
pathetic procession of waggons with
their tragic burdens.

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