Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-02
VANIMAN and REV KILLED
WHEN DIRIGIB { AKRON is
BLOWN UP1 ,OJO FEET IN AIR

Atlantic City, y. ]. July .. - While 4
1000 spectators stood too startled 10 r
utter a sound. the big dirigiole balloon
Akron was shattered by 'he explosion
Of its gas bag and blown 70 atoms at .
C.3s this morning half mile Of shore .
over Absecon inlet. Melvin Vauman, I
who had built the airsh.p with the idea
OF flying across tho Atlantic. Calvin
Vanimau his younger brother. and
Fred Elmer, Waiter Guest and George
BourtilHou. his crew, were instantly
killed
UP 1000 FEET.
The dirigiule was sailing ar q height
OF I ZOO feet. and had been in the air
since G:15 when the accident occurred.
The huge envelope. rent 5y the ler-
riac force OF the explosion. probably
caused BY expansion from the suns
rays burst near the middle mass
OF flames hid the ship from view. For
possibly 10 seconds the half million
dollar dirigble was invisible, while the
air about the spot where j. had been
lowering seemed 70 be- all flames.
CAR BRENk> AWAY.
The fire disslpated then the ships
outline against the sunrise was seen 10
fall like plummet First the car, in
which were peuned the unfortunate
men, held iu by mesh work. and unable
10 escape, broke away from the en-
velope. f. up-eudrd. the bow turning
ff.
suddenly and plunged downward Di-
rcCtly above twisting in a long spiral,
Was the bag. a smoking mass OF rubber
and silk. with flames shooting out from
Il dozen sections as b. collapsed II
futtcrrd moment and then stTeakcd
down after the car.
FIND NANIMAN'S BODY.
In IA, descent something which ap-
poarod % be- the body or a man shot
out 90 the left Of the wrockaga and
hit The water before the rest Of the
descending mass. II was reported this
was the hcaGless body Of Calvin Vani-
man. AZ $50 a message was relayed
ashore from the rescuers that his
body had been recovered With II came
statement from Captain Lambert
Parker Of the Abaecou lIfcsayiug
crew. that this was true. and that the
other four members Of the crew were
entauglcd iu the wTecEage. beyond
reach for the present, in is feet Of wa
ter
SECOND FLIGHT or YEAR.
Thousands of persons from every
part Of the resort gathered along The
Hg.T. 80
Nauimau cottage. JUS, across from the
hangar al tua Inlet. where MIS-. Want
man collapsed and is unconscious from
the shock.
The flight this morning was the sec
oud the Inflated airshjp had taken this
year After tinkeriEg all winter on
the So g. NauiWlu took the Akron out
fer a short flight June J. AZ that time
the balloon was nearly wrecked by
some Of the mechanism going wrong.
but 70 was landed without serious mis-
hap
HAD MADE IMPROVEMENTS.
The longest flight the balloon made
was last fall. when 1t spent the greater
parIFf a day in the air I'm the vicinity
Of rhis city Al that time the gas in
the tag was not sufficient 20 keep the
big ship constantly IN the air and il
had tO make several landings. During
the winter Nanimau improved the ship
through lessons learned IN that flight
HUGE BAG BUCKLES.
An eyewitness says that Just after
the ship had ,ncircled Grassy bay he
saw a pun Of smoke suddenly the
huge bag was seen to buckle from the
two extreme ends. forming a perfect
L. There was no report, but immedi
atyly the collapsed bag fell toward the
ocean with frightfm velocity. The
forms OF five men were plainly seer
piuugiuE through the air. the bodies
turning over and over before they SAM
;r the sea From the board walk Il
looked as II the now limp gas Gag and
metal frame work covered their bodies
Men on the board walk turned theii
eyes from the slckeuing sight, and wo
men screamed"
MAY NEVER KNOW CAUSE.
An alarm was given and the inle
soon was lack with boats rushing {,
ard the m,a Exactly what caused III,
disaster may never be known. Ths
somebody lad let too much free ga
into the eu-.u u,s and backed up the ca
laIst was he theory OF Chief Blacl
u' the fire department who. with hi
men, assisted in launching the ba
loon. i h.t no idea there was any
thing wrurE until | suddenly say
smoke chau-e 70 aamc and the entir
rear OF the e gas bag 20 up as thoug
.y eNplosi.a.' he said We Eear
the SCREAMS y the doomed men acros
'ac water. The sight was awful Tn
big balloon collapsed like a bgrste
kite"
THRrE MADE WIDOWS
Another '.,ory Of the cause o. N
disaster IS Tat dangling rope af III
rigging dras-,d iuto the biz propeller
whipped up against tag stern end q
'Gg balloon. md snapped or ,uoa-h &
the cone 70 Tree the sas. aILo S.-g =,