The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-03
Big Transatlantic Dirigible
Bursts Into Flames While
Five Hundred Feet
in the Air
AVIATOR'S WIFE SEES
HIM PLUNGE DOWN
TO MEET HIS DEATH
Four Widows Weep on Each Others
Shoulders While Crowd Turns
Away IN Silent Sympathy.
Many See Plunge and
Cover Their Eyes

Atlantic city, suly 2-Saillng out
over the Atlantic ocean under perfect
control, the great alrship Akron. In
command of Melvin Vaniman. with a
crew of four men, exploded while more
than 500 feet in the air early today
and shot down into the water. a tangled
mass Tho daring navigator and his
companions were carried to instant
death.
IN all the tragic history of aerial
disasters probably none was as sem
sational as that which destroyed the
most costly air craft ever constructed
In the western hemisphere. Built to
withstand the storms of the Atlantic
and to carry at least a dozel men
across the ocean. the Akron went TO
her doom in calm weather.
The Dead
Those who went down with the big
dirigibie besides the intrepid and airr
broken Vaniman, were;
Calvin yaniman, his younger brother.
Fred Elmer.
George Bourtillion of Philadelphia.
Walter C. Gest, a friend of vanimans
financial backer
Up to sundown two bodies, those of
Calvin Vaniman and Gest, had been
recovered from the wreckage. which
lies submerged in about IS feet of wa
ter off Brigantine beach.
The Akron, which had been inflated
last February with gas manufactured
by Vaniman in the big hangar at tho
inlet, was taken out ar 6 o'clock this
morning for test flight. One dash
hnA 1. ah
Defects discovered at that time were
remedied and todays trial was to have
been among the last prior to the at
tempt to cross the Atlantic. Mrs. Vani-
man bade her husband farewell at the
little cottage near the hangar at "a.
m, and waited for daybreak to SEQ her
husband sail away
Ship Bursts Into Flame
off Brigantine Beach came the disaster.
The thousands of spectators who had
been watching tho ship saw burst OF
flames outlined against the morning sky.
In few seconds the onkookers were hor-
rfied to see the car of the balloon de-
tach itself from the bag and shoot down.
ward into the water followed by the coll
lapsed gas bag.
BY intuition everybody appea ~ to have
realized what had occurred. Fishermen
and yaohtsmen who were out in the little
started TO the rescue. Soon a hundred
boats we're beating their way out over
the rough waters In the inlet bar.
When the first boats reached the wreck
scene the rescuers found only the col
lapsed gas bag, but after search a sub
merged body which proved to be that OF
the younger yaniman was recovered :
Divers went down to the wreck, but
there was little that could be done un-
til low tide when Gest's body dis
entangled from the wreckage and brought
to shore.
Mrs. Vaninlan saw the collapse of the
balloon and Its drop into the ocean car
rying with 1t her husband and brother
in-law She swooned Friends who were
with her sent for physicians and when
she recovered consciousness she talked
of her husbands bravery. The wives OF
Bourtilion. Gest and Elmer who livea
nearby, also saw the arship fall. Neigh
bors tenderly cared for them and later
they went over to the Vaniman cottage
where a distressing scene followed. Men
turned away as the four widows wept on
one another's shoulders.
Affsr the first excitement and shock
had IaSsed Mrs. Vaniman again collapsed
and later In the day she was under the
care OF a physician. She was suffering
With frequent fafnting spells. Her condi-
ton is serious.
Second Flight This Year
The flight this morning was the sec
ond that the Ill fated airship had taken
this year.
After tinkering all winter on the ship
Vaniman took the Akron out for a short
flight ON Saturday. June 1. At that time
the ballon was nearly wrecked by some
of the MECHANISM going wrong, but 1t
was safely landed at the hangar with
out mishap, The longest flight made
was last fall. At that time the gas in
the bag was not sufficient to keep the
big balloon constantly In the air. and 1t
had to make several landings. During
the winter Vaniman improved the ship
from facts ieerned In flight.
In general appearance the Akron was
not unlike the America in which Walter
Wellman and Yaniman attempted TO
cross the Atlantic ocean in October. 1910.
but there were many differences in the
| construction of the airship which col
lapsed this forenoon. The bag was 90
feet longer than that OF the America.
IT was smaller however. In diameter.
! The length was 25S feet, diameter Al feet
and the balloon was made of a compost
tiop of rubber. 1t was constructed in
Ohio.
Beneath the immense cigar-shaped bag
| was the so-called car similar TO the shape
| of the Americas pit but longer perhaps
| by Is feet. In this the tank was stored.
| The bottom OF the car was composed of
a round steel tank. This was about two
feet in diameter and about 100 feet long.
In this tank was stored the gasoline.
| The car was connected TO the gas bag
/ BY steel tubing of frail constructions
/ In top of the tank was built a platform
of two inch boards and on this rested
one ioo-horsepower motor. two of S0-horse-
power. one 17-horsepower and a small
dynamo The loe-horsepower motor
4 4 .
! pellers looking like fans. TheseN
| turned from the horizontal TO thl
and could be used to raise orr
~~>~-~-~~~~~~~>~~~~~->
(continUed ON Page