Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-02
VAN|MAN A|RSH|P
BURSTS; 5 DEAD
DirigibIe Balloon ExpIodes in
Midair, While Over Alb
secon Inlet.
toontlnued from First Page,

CONTINUED from First Page.)
away from the envelope. 1t upended.
the bow turning first in a slow arc.
Then it reversed suddenly and
plunged downward. Directly above.
twisting in a long spiral, was the gas
bag, a smoking mass of rubber and
silk, with flames shooting out from
a dozen sections as it collapsed. 1t
futtered a moment and then streaked
down after the car.
Recover Headiess BODY.
In the descent something which ap
peared to be the body of a man shot
out to the left of the wreckage and
hit the water before the rest of the
descending mass. Ut was reported
that this was the headless body of
Calvin Vaniman.
At $3.50 a. m. a message was relayed
ashore from rescuers that this body
had been recovered. With it anne the
statement from Captain Lambert
Parker, of the Absecon Federal life
saving crew, that this was true and
that the other four members Of the
crew were entangled in the wreckage
beyond reach for the present in eigh-
teen feet of water. Efforts are to be
made to drag them to the surface.
The greatest excitement prevailed
for d time. Boats were daTtins out
from the inlet and all along the
shores of the thoroughfare and
beach. Police reserves who helped
to launch the craft, which sailed
along gracefully until the accident
occurred, kept the crowds from about
the Vaniman villa.
Flight Was Second h Year.
The fight this morning was h
second that the airship had taken
this year. After tinkering all winter
on the dirigible, Vaniman took the
Akron out for a short flight Saturday
morning, June 1. At that time h
balloon was nearly wrecked when
some of the mechanism went wrong,
but it was safely landed at the
hangar without serious mishap.
The longest flight the balloon made
was last fall. when it spent the
greater part of the day in the air in
the vicinity of this city. At that time
the gas in the bag was not sufhcient
to keep the big ship constantly in
the air, and it had to make several
landings. During the winter Vani-
man improved the ship, through les
sons learned in that flight.
In general appearance the Akron
was not. unlike the America, In which
Walter Wellman and Vaniman at
tempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean
in October, 1910, but there were many
differences in the construction of the
airship which collapsed today. The
gas bag was 80 feet longer than that
of the America. but was smaller in
diameter. The dimensions were
Length of bag, 258 feet; diameter
Al feet. The bag was made of a COM
position of rubber and was construct
ed in Ohio.
Was Powerfully Equipped.
Beneath this immense cigar-shape1
bag was the so-called car, similar I'm
shape to the Americas, but longer:
perhaps $50 feet long. The bottom
of the car was composed of a rounti
steel tank about two feet in diameter
and about 100 feet long. In this tank
was stored the gasoline. The car was
connected to the gasbag by steel tub
ing of light construction. On top of
the tank was built a platform of
two-inch boards, and on this rested
one 1O0-horsepower motor, two 80
horsepower motors, one 17-horsepower
motor and a small dynamo. The 100
horsepower motor was used for the
two forward vertical propellers, and
the other two large motors for the
Two other pairs of propellers, which
could be turned from the horizontal
to the vertical. n were used to
be used to raise or lower the height
of the airship.
The small motor and dynamo were
used for electric lighting and to fur
nish power to the wireless outfit.
of the supplies of the ship also
were stored on this platform. In the
forward end of the platform were the
steering wheel and gear for con-
the rudder and the stabiliz-
ing planes ore and aft.
Conditions All Favorable.
Tho sleeping accommodations for
the crew consisted of hammocks
up in the car
The disaster came as a shock to
the people of Atlantic City, who had
begun to know Vaniman very well.
For a week past the intrepid airman
had been planning to make another
fight and only waited for favorable
winds. Last night conditions APP
pcared satisfactory and he notified
the city authorities that h" prob
ably would make a fight at sunrise
today. At daybreak the conditions
still We're favorable and the word
was given. A hundred policemen and
hremen were summoned and sent up
to the inlet to assist in getting the
balloon out of the immense hangar.
Their duty was to hold on to the
ropes Of the ship as she was carefully
warped out of the big shed.
Throngs of persons who expected
the flight saw the Akron come out of
the hangar for the last time. The
operation was a simple one and the
big bag was brought out without diff
fculty. Once clear of the shed, Vani-
man jumped into the car of the ship,
where his other four men had already
and he gave the word to ''let
60"
Story of an Eye Witness.
instantly the ship arose. slowly at
first, and swaying from end to end
Then she went I'M raDidly. Naniman