The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-09-28
!our French Aerorants Die When Mill.
tary Balloon Bursts.
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT
When the Balloon Burst it Was Over
Five Hundred Feet High, and With
Envelope Collapsed Car Speeds
Downward at Lightning Pace,
Crushing Occupants.

There was a most horrible acci-
dent over in France on Saturday.
While passing over the national road
which leads from Paris to Antilles
ut height of between 500 and 800
feet, the French drigible military
balloon, Republique, exploded Satur-
day morning and fell to the ground.
The four men on board were killed.
They were: Capt. Marchal, Lieut..
Phaure and Sub-Lieuts. Vicenot and
Reux.
1t was the dntention of Capt.
Marchal, who was in charge of the
airship, to stop at Nevres, and an
automobile containing mechanicans
was following the balloon. 1t was
almost directly beneath it when the
ucident occurred. The car fell
straight down, carrying the fiutter-
ing remnants of the envelope, and
the occupants were buried beneath
the wreckage.
All were dead except Lieut..
Phaure, but he lived only a few
minutes after being removed. The
bodies were transferred to the
Chateau D'Averilly, the property Of
the Marquis de Chavannes.
Lieut.. Tixier, who was in the au-
tomobile, says That the balloon burst
and collapsed. 1t seemed to oscil-
late violently for moment prior
to this, as though it had been struck.
and 1t fell with the rapidity of a
stone. When he reached the wreck
age the car was completely covered
with the envelope and not sound
came from beneath With the aid
of Marquis de Chavannes and peas
ants who hurried from the surround
ing fields the envelope was removed.
The spectacle was appalling. The
car had been literally crushed, and
amid the mass Of tangled steel and
wire every man except Phaure could
be seen at his post. Capt. Marchal
was in a sitting posture, his body
thrown back and his eyes wide open.
The bodies Of the sub-lieutenant lay
mangled beneath the cylinder of the
motor Phaure's /body was lying
half outside, as If possibly he had
tried to jump during the descent.
Apparently the death in the case
Of the three men had been instan-
taneous from the shock when they
etruck the earth and the weight of
the heavy rigging above. Capt.
Marchal's skull was crushed.
An examination disclosed the cause
of the accident. The axle OF the
right propeller had broken and the
propeller had passed through the
envelope falling in field about $50
yards away.
|, a careful investigation Of the &C
cident will be held but the fact that
the propeller which was found was
enwrapped with twisted wire is COM
plete confirmation that it flew off
and punctured the balloon.
The loss of the Republique as
sumes the magnitude of national
calamity, especially as the French
had come to believe that the semi
rigid type which is the system en-
ployed in the construction Of their
dirigibles was superior to the rigid
type which has been adopted by
Count Zeppelin Of Germany.
President Fallieres and Gen. Brun,
minister of war, who were informed
of the catastrophe while engaged in
the inauguration Of the first inter-
nationa: exhibition Of aerial locomo-
tion at the grand palace, were much
affected and left the building i'm
mediately. The president directed
Gen. Brun to send the condolences of
the government to the families of the
victims.