The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-05-24
Sixteen Passengers Dashed
TO Earth Escape Death.
All Badly Hurt.
10000 SPECTATORS
THROWN IN PANIC
Inventor, Warned of Danger Short
Time Before Ascension,
Scoffed the Idea.

SAN FRANCISCO. May 23.-Three
hundred feet above crowd of 1000.
gay one moment. dumb with borrow the
next and then screaming in panic, the
huge NIorren airship tipped, split ana
exploded at Berkeley this morning,
tumbHng from its flight like d bullet
stricken bird. and dashing to earth its
human freight.
In toe plunge downward one of the
miracles that sometimes shape destinies
occurred and no one was killed out
right All the sixteen passengers. IT,
Guiding the inventor. John MorreIi,
were seriously crushed and mangled.
and are now making . aght for life
in the Roosevelt Hospital
The. promoters had confidence in their
conuivance. Sixteen men boarded the
craft-lve operators. eight sailors, and
three observers. The tOrpedo-shaped
hydrogen bag, now a mass Of burned
silk. was $50 feet long and thirty-six
feet in diameter Below this hung five
stripped automobile engines. which were
suspended from a running board. Aero
planes were also expected 20 add 10
the ships dirigibility.
Explodes in Midair.
The machine rose easily 10 its great
est height. and then suddenly the
giant gas bag, containing $4,000 cubic
feet Of illuminating gas, burst The
machine began TO settle slowly as the
gas escaped, and IL appeared that il
would settle to the ground without in
Turing the occupants OF the car When
IL had reached within seventy-hve feet
OF the ground, however. the remain
ing gas went out with a rush. and the
whole machine, thousands of pounds
ia weight, dashed to the ground with
terrific force. The occupants OF the
car were caught under the heavy ma
chine. and AL seriously injured. Among
the thousands watching the ascent
were many women. and as the big
machine collapsed and dashed 70 the
ground scores Of them tainted.
It was shortly before noon when the
ascension was made, and thousands
OF people had gathered to witness the
trial. The giant ship, a combination or
the aeroplane and dirigible craft
driven by six gasoline engines gen
Grating 20O-horsepower, rose success
fully from the ground and ascended 10
a height Of probably 600 feet
Ten Thousand See Accident.
Fully 10000 people had gathered from
ali parts Of Berkeley and Oakland %
watch the first ascension of the Big
airship which was constructed by the
Morreu Airship Company Of san Fran
cisco. The streets near the ascension
ground on Grove street We're crowded
With people who watched the ascend
ing monster and stood transiXed with
horror as the car was seen in difficulty.
After rising to an elevation of nearly
500 feet, the enormous gas bag assumed
a perpendicular position in the air.
with the stern down The engines that
drove the fans cut the silk covering Of
the bag and Immediately the gas in
side exploded, Thousands Of people
rushed 10 the scene as soon as the air
shin started to fall and crowded around
the ruin Of the car to rescue If possible
the men who We're dashed to the earth.
Captain Morreu. the inventor of the
airship, and the head Of the company
which has been exploiting it, was on
the car al the time. but was picked
nm alive and rushed TO the hospital
His leg was broken and he is thought
10 have sustained internal injuries.
Warned Of Danger.
Captafn Morreu was warned yester-
dav and this morning IL is said. that
the gas bag would blow Up as 1t did.
The material Of which the gas bag was
made is fimsy material hardly much
stronger than cheesecloth. but Morrell
while admitting the himsiness of the
bag. declared that the cloth had been
so tested chemically that IL was per-
fectly safe.
A complete list of the injured is:
]. A. Morreu. inventor of the Morrell
afrship. caught inside the rigging and
crushed by one of the propellersi legs
broken: seriously injured.
@ Tripule san Francisco, engineer
Engine No. T. crushed by his engine.
Justin Barber, commercial photog-
rapher. Berkeley, ribs broken and in
telnal injuries.
cisco. Jumped when car was within fifty
feet OF ground: injured internally.
Z. q. c. Wallen, newspaper photog-
rapher, san Francisco, badly iacerated,
PROBABLY fatally injured.
p. H Go0dfriend. first engineer:
Jumped before car reached ground; Sc
Verely. but not fatally injured.
II. Miller, valve tender, cut and
bruised.
John Burns. riding on top Of gas bag,
bruised and laceratCd
Charles +, Hall, commercial photo
efapher, riding In forward network; in
ternally injured.
John Peterson, assistant to Hall,
bruised and laCerated, not serious.
V j. Fuluo. engineer second engine;
cut and bruised, not serious.
John Ahearn, engineer engine No. 8;
~. Mowery, engineer engine No. 5:
slightly injured.
Captain Penfold, Australian aeronaut
crushed, legs broken, and seriously in
jured by engine.
J. V Rodgers, assistant engineer; In
ternal injuries. VIII probably die.
c. NJ Nelson; cut about head, Sc
veTeIy injured
e D. Morrison
- Fred McGoyeTn.