◆ SpookStack

MEDS jek co He recalia that there wore a number of detonations and he could not state positively whether there was a maffled explosion before the appearance of the flame. He stated he had a direct view of the flame and that he would describe it as being approximately of the area of 10 feet long and 5 feet in width, and that it burst outwardly from the ship; further, thet, immedietely thereafter, flames almost covered the whole stern of the ship and then spread progressively forwarde The pressure behind the first flame appeared to be of explosion pressuree He also stated that the left port motor at this time was turning over but thet he cannot recall the approximtedm@ revolutions that it was making. He also recalls that the trail ropes aft had not as yet been dropped and that he is also positive that there was no radio antenna treiling from the ship. He did state, however, that the ship was making a high landing but that this was orthodox procedure in every way. He stated that due to the drying out procesa of the superstructure of the ship which had become wet due to the previous rain, it was both possible and practical to assume that the ship was valving off hydrogen gas. He was positive in his statement that at the time of the fire and explosion, the Hindenburg had definitely checked its forwerd momentum and was mere or less stationary. He did state, however, that he is quite positive there was no backward movement to the ship. Upon being questioned as to what was his basis for estimting the height of the Hindenburg at the time of the explosion, Tyler informed that the trail ropes were 417 feet long and that due to the fact that approximately half of this trail rope was still uncoiled after striking the earth, he estimated that the ship was approximately 200 feet in the air. In reply to a question concerning the valving off of gas, Tyler stated that once the landing lines are properly sonnected to the niggerheads and after the main mooring cable is attached to the main cable cf the ship, the ship is then drawn down mechanically by the main mooring cable, and that once this process is under way there is no further need to valve off hydrogen gas, due to the fact that the ship loses altitude by force being applied through the means of the mooring cable. Lt. Tyler states that to his recollection the Hindenburg first appeared in sight of Lakehurst shortly efter four otclock peme on the sfternoon of May 6, 1937, and that it was his understanding that the ship was scheduled to depart again for Germany as close to 10;00 pem. as possible that night. He also stated that even though the Germans might have been attempting to make as