The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-24
Sixteen Men Are FrightfuI|y Maimed and Some of
 Them Will Die
GAS BAG EXPLODES WHEN
 MACHINE TURNS OVER
Thousands of People Had Gathered to Witness the Flight and They Gather Up the Victims and
 Rush to Hospitals.

San Francisco, May 23-(Special.)--s Three hundred feet in the air. over the heads of 100000 souls, the huge Nor rell airship tipped split and exploded at Berkeley this morning, tumbling from it's flight like a bullet-stricJken bird, and dashing it's human freight to agony and injury, against the surface of the earth. In the sickening plunge downward. one of the miracles that seem to shape mans destinies occurred and no one was killed outright. All of the 16 passengers. however, were seriously crushed and mangled and are now in the hospital
 The promoters had confidence in their contrivance. Sixteen men boarded the craft. The torpedo shaped hy- drogen bag was 450 feet long and 36 feet in diameter. Below this hung five automobile engines which were tended from running board. Aeroplanes were also expected to add to the ships dirigibility
 The machine rose easily and then suddenly the giant gas bag, containing 590,000 cubic feet of gas. burst. The machine began to settle slowly as the gas escaped and 1t appeared that it would settle to the ground without injuring the occupants of the car. When 1t had reached within 75 feet of the ground, however the remaining gas went out with a rush and the whole machine dashed to the ground with terrific force. The occupants of the car were caught under the heavy machine and all seriously injured.
 Turns Topsy Turvy. It was shortly before noon when the ascension was made and thousands of people had gathered to witnes sthe trial. The airship rose successfully !! from the ground and ascended 10 height Of probably 300 feet. At this l point the enormous gas bag was seen 10 assume perpendicular position in the air with the stern down. Tho en- zines tha; drove the fans cut the silk covering of the bag and immediately the gas inside exploded. Thousands of people rushed to the scene as soon as the airship started to fall and crowded around the ruin of the car to rescue, if possible, those who were dashed to the earth.
 Captain Morrell, the inventor of tho
 
 but was picked up alive and rushed to the hospital. His leg was broken and he is thought to have sustained inter- nal injuries.
 Captain Morrell was warned yesterday and this morning, it is said, that the gas bag would blow up.
 The material of which the gas bag was made is fiimsy. hardly much heavier than cheese cloth, but Morrell, while admitting the flimsiness of the bag, de- clared that the cloth had been so tested chemically that it was perfectly safe.
 List of Injured. The following is the list of injured: J. A. Morrell, inventor caught inside the rigging and crushed by propellers; legs broken; seriously injured. c. Tripple, San Francisco, engineer En- zine No. f. crushed by his engine.
 Justice Barber. photographer. Berkeley, ribs broken and internal injuries. W. Tyson. valve tender. San Francisco, jumped when was within fifty feet of the ground; injured internally.
 c. c. Wallen, newspaper photographer. San Francisco, badly lacerated. probably internally injured.
 P H. Goodfrlend first engineer; jumped before car reached ground; severely but not fatally injured.
 H. Miller, valve tender, cut and bruised.
 
 bruised and laeerated.
 Charles P. Hall, photographer. internal ly injured.
 John Peterson. Assistant to Hall. bruised and lacerat6d. Charles P. Hall, photographer, internal ly injured.
 John Peterson, assistant to Hall, bruised, not serious. J. Fulno engineer second engine, cut and bruised
 | John Ahearn, engineer No. 3, slightly injured.
 W. Mowrey. engineer No. 5. slightly in- jured.
 Captain Penfold, Australian aeronaut. crushed. legs broken and seriously injured by engine.
 J. " Rogers, assistant engineer, inter- nal injuries will probably die. c. A. Nelson, cut about head. E. D. Morrison, bruised.
 Fred McGovern, bruised.