Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1908-05-29
sIyTEEN men DROP 800 FEET
FROM MlD-AlR.
...,dent at Oakland, cal.-None
vu,sd. but All Injured-Their Fight
eac+acular One-Accident Causes
,.oio-other Accidents in East in
which a Number Are Hurt.

oakland, Gala, giant alrshlp on
... trial trip in Berkeley Saturday rose
am faet from the earth before 10000
noonle tilted, burst and dropped to the
Ronrd with its crew of 16 men, every |
ono Of whom was injured. BY one of
those peculiar and fortunate chains OF
circumstances which sometimes attend
sensational accidents, these 16 men
TREMENDOUSLY escaped death. None of
tho injured, with the possible excep-
zion of one. is expected to die. Seven
as Them are seriously hurt and nine
soverelv bruised and suffering from
the shock
The accident was spectacular and
sensational one. Probably 10000 peo-
nla from Berkeley and Oakland had
Gathered about the big vacant lot
wberein the great caterpillar-shape
aircraft had been inflated with 100000
cubic feet of Illuminating gas. 1t was
inst 1890 when the stayropes were
cut and the airship rose slowly. The
FIVE gasoline engines suspended be-
meath the big bag at intervals of prob
ably so feet, each attended by an engi-
well I'D into the air, when two of them
had slowly set III motion the long pro-
pellers reaching out from either side.
The engines were suspended indie
nendent of each other and the weight
did not appear to be equalized, for be-
fore the ship could be propelled fur
ther than a few feet the forward end
tilted downward and the airship stood
at an angle of 45 degrees, suspended
in the air. The engineers and the
other members of the crew seemed tC
lose their heads, and instead of run
ming along the canvas pathway in or
der to equalize the weight and to right
the airship they chung desperately tc
the netting and frail superstructure.
Gasbag Rips.
The rush OF gas to the stern end o.
the long airship and the tremendou:
weight of the engines and crew caused
the none too substantial envelope t
burst with loud ripping noise. Thu
release of a great quantity of ga
allowed the airship to settle slowly to
ward the earth, and for few mo
ments it looked as if it would com
down slowly enough to avoid any in
jury to the 16 men. Some of them
however, lost their heads before tn
big machine could reach the groun
and jumped. These escaped wit
broken limbs or severe bruises. Neal
ing the earth, however, the gas es
capped with rush and allowed the er
gnes and the big bag to come dow
with great force. Morrell, the invento
of the craft, and several of the eng
neers were thus caught and injure
by the engines.
Panic in the Crowd.
There was a panic in the big crow
that watched the ascension when th
airship began to tilt. AS it burst an
fell toward the earth women screame
and ran in fright in every direction
Several of them tainted and had
be cared for.
When the airship landed on II
ground hundreds of men rushed TO
ward and with knives ripped the ga
bag in hundred places, cutting avs
the vanished material to get out Il
men buried underneath. In the excit
ment Of cutting the gasbag Robe
Dibble was seriously slashed about Il
hands and arms.
The injured men were quickly re
cued and taken to the hospitals, whe
they are all doing well, with the exec
Uon of Rodgers, who, it is believe
Will succumb to his injuries.
Morrell has for a long time be-
engaged in building and exploiting /
alrship. He had extensively adv
used that this trial of the big a
snip, which was more than 400 fe
long and sc feet in diameter, was or
model of the one he intended
build, declaring that he would cC
struct an aircraft 1900 feet long a
capable of carrying 500 passengers.
Wrecks Baldwin Airship.
Hammondsport, N. Y.-The Baldv
alrship White Wings" made its fiji
night here Saturday. 1t attained gre
speed, covering 1873 yards in 10
seconds. Then Operator McCur
sailed to reckon on the strong quart
ing wind and the machine tilted III
one OF the wings struck the groui
Inc alrship's nose speared into
sround and the machine turned turt
ne operator escaped uninjured,