◆ SpookStack

+ i eee amet ee i ge to drift to the starboard and at the same time assumed a gentle rise upward, The zeppelin, according to Buckley, was approximately 100 feet in the air when her trail ropes were dropped, and that subsequent thereto he would estimate that sherose to an altitude of 250 feet. It was about this time that Buokley recalla seeing fire appear on the superstructure between the fin, port side, and the port after engine, as weli as seeing fire burst out along the entire center line of the ship about two-thirds of the way upe Buckley stated that he did not recall seeing the bow running light having been lit, and it should be noted that this light is situated near the sons on the nose of the ship. Buokley informed that the mooring operations up to the time of the accident appeared to him to be mormal in every respect, and in his estimation the landing would have been properly made had it not been for the subsequent accident, He recalled thet after the trail ropes were let out from the Hindenburg at the time they made impact with the earth, a cloud of dust arose, indicating that these manilla trail ropes were quite dry. He also stated that the trail ropes were properly tied into the port and starboard yaw) guide ropes, but that only the port yawl guide ropes had been taken in to reduce the slack, Upon further questioning, Buckley informed that the trail ropes were not used in the same manner that they were used on May 6 1937 as they were used during the summer of 1936, and further, in his opinion the Hindenburg was making what he would term a “high landing." Last year, according to Buckley, the trail ropes were usually not used until the Hindenburg had been otherwise fastened in some way to the landing field, and after she had been made fast the trail ropes would be brought into use, According to Buckley also, he had never seon the Hinden- burg make a landing during the summer of 1936 at Lakehurst in such stormy conditions as those conditions which prevailed on the evening of May 6th. Buckley informed that at the tine of the fire he was standing ahead of the ship about 100 to 150 feet to the port side; that as he saw the fire he believes that it was followed by a sort of a puff or muffled explosion; that at the time of the fire he was not looking at the particular spot at which the fire broke out, but