New-York tribune., 1908-05-24

Oakland Cal, May 23.-The great Morrell
airship of the largest ever built, collapsed
on it's trial trip to-day when about three hun
dred feet above the ground and dashed the
sixteen occupants OF the car to the earth.
None was killed, but all were seriously in
jured, suffering broken legs and arms and prob
ably internal injuries. 1t is believed several
Will die.
The injured:
BARBER. Justin photosrapher; ribs broken
GooDFR1END 5 F. H.. engineer: bruised
HALL. Charles P. photosrapher bruised bruised
MoEE M5KEk w. ais ensnes saise eSr Srused nad 0ss
MoRRELL j. A inventor of the airsnip r'sh' leg
NELSON. c. A. engineer pevis fractured and back
ssss s :sf back injured
ROGERS, L VI engineer t.. right leg fractured ano IN
and spine injured SI and ankle sprained
probably injured internally FOO. injured
The ascension was made shortly before noon
and thousands of persons had gathered to Wit
ness the trial The ship which was 4oo 1eet
long and 36 feet in diameter, combination Oh
aeroplane and dirigible balloon, driven py SIX
gasoline engines generating 200 horsepower roSe
successfully from the ground to helsht Oh
probably 300 feet The car was occupied oy
sixteen men who had become interested IN 'lle
invention and who agreed to make the trial
tip before taking stock in it. They were aii
residents Of Berkeley and Oakland
The five gasolene engines suspended heneath
the long gas receptacle at intervals Of about
fifty feet each attended by an engineer were
not put in operation until the airship was wen
I'D in the air. Then two Of the engines were
slowly set in motion. the long propellers redcH-
ing out from them on each side OF the snip DC
fore the ship could be propelled further 'nah
a few feet the forward end tilted until the craft
stood at an angle of forty-five degrees hose
downward The members OF the ere" were
anparentlv unable to run along the canvas path
wav TO euualize the weight and right the ar
ship. and clung desperately to the netting and
sunerstructure The rush of the gas to the
stern of the long gas bag caused the ehVeiope
70 burst with a loud, ripping noise
The release of great quantity OF gas
caused the arshp to settle toward the eartll-
For a few moments it looked as thoush II
would come down slowly enough to avoid any
injury to the sixteen men,
Some of them however, lost thei~ heads pe-
fore the ship could alght and jumped suliel
ing broken limbs or severe bruises. Nearing
the earth the ship lost gas more rapioiy anu
the overweighted remnant of gas was borne
To earth with great force. Mr.. Morrell' the
.r,.e,+or ~ the craft and several of the en-
,ireers were caught in the understructure and
injured by the engines.
There was intense excitement among the
spectators as the airship began to tilt. AS the
gas bag burst and the ship fell toward the earth
women and children screamed and ran In every
direction Several women tainted and chlidreh
were knocked down. cry Of horror arose as
several men leaped from the ship and hurued
to earth.
A. the shin crashed to the ground moment
nd
knives ripped the gas bag in hundred places
cutting away the vanished material 10 get Out
the mon buried underneath. The injured men
- ..,,,,- +sLen TO the Roosevelt and Oak
land hospitals.
Y Jorreu had for long time been en-
gagged In building and exploiting his a1rshlp' he
had extensively advertised to-days TRIAL. aii-
nouncing that the craft was only modei OF lne
one he intended to build, declaring that he "ouiu
construct ship 1900 feet long, capable OF car
rving FIVE hundred passengers
The airship used to-day was similar to many
experimented with in different parts OF tne
country The gas bag was the shape OF tor-
nedo with blunt ends The five engines were
suspended by means of heavy network canvas
running board connected the gasoene engines
II is said that Morrell was warned by several
.xnerienced aerial navigators that the kind OF
h., he had provided would not stand the strain
of .he great weight placed on 1t, and that IL
would explode if he attempted an ascension
Morrell was confident however, that the snip
.s eafe and so were all those who made the
ascension to-day
The shin was not in the air long enough TO
determine whether it could be propelled and
directed by the ten propeers, two. driven by
each engine 1t is said to have cost $4,000
one of the features of the accident was the
daring efforts of John Byrne, the pilot. 70 rlshl
tho airship when it began to tilt. He CLIMBED
the rigging to the top Of the great gas bag and
tried to crawl up to the stern end Just as ne
got on top of the airship, however the bag
hurst a few feet from where Byrne clung TO the
rigging and It looked though he would be
overcome by the escaping gas He held on
erin,iy keeping his face to Windward. and when
the ship struck the ground he was clngins to
the topmost point trying to save himself from
q fall and at the same time avoid the escaping
gas Byrne described his experience as follows:
II was riding on the back of the balloon and
felt that we were making great ascent, when
suddenly I heard a 'pouff' if some one had
blown a blast from bellows. [ felt the balloon
oriver stand still and then the gas under me
began to rush toward the stern end. L knew if
7 STAYED where 1 was that 1 would be swallowed
| mn in the tangle of bag and wrecked machinery.
so 7 climbed upward for life, where the gas
| uas rushing out but where there still a
| foothoId for me- so that l could keep my head
| in the air and keep from smothering. When
we landed l the top end of the balloon
and the bag made cushion that broke my
fall
HARMED ABOUT AIRSHIP.