The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-07-03

and its appurtenances, Vaniman took the
continuance out for a short flight on
Saturday morning, June l. At that time
the balloon was nearly wrecked because
Of something which went wrong with the
mechanism. but IL was safely landed at
the hangar without serious mishap.
This morning Mrs. Vaniman and the
wives Of the members Of the crew had
been witnessing the flight from the front
veranda Of the Vaniman cottage, which
faced the spot where the accident &C.
CURED. Through field glasses they dis
cerned every detail from start to finish.
Mrs. Vaniman, brave to the last. stood
silent and white-faced. and then begged
to be taken out 10 the wreck.
Order was finally brought OF the chaos
ashore, and Councilman Cook. with A.
r Bell, secretary Of the America Exhl-
bition Company, and Walter Grail, OH
cial photographer for the Naniman enter
prise. left the shore in Cooks fast mo-
dozen other boats.
Crowd of 10000 Looks On.
At $50 o'clock It was estimated that
approximately 5000 persons were con-
gregated along the shore. Business
about town was temporarily suspended,
employers and employees alike forgetting
their work to crowd to the Inlet to look
over the wreck Nothing had gripped
the citizens Of this resort in all its his
tory as had this spectacular tragedy.
Cooks boat returned 10 the Naniman
cottage at 7:5O o'clock, bringing word
that all hands were lost. Mrs. Naniman,
who had chung to the bare chance that
her husband had escaped. collapsed when
the news was broken to her. A physi-
clan was summoned from the crowd
and he took charge Of her and OF the
wives Of the crew. Four Of these were
with her, and all but one dropped over
in a dead faint.
Longest Flight Last Fall.
The longest fight made in the balloon
was last fall. when vaniman took it
Gloft and spent the greater part Of the
DAY in the air near here. The gas in
the bag was not sufficient to keep the
big machine in the air for any length
OF time, and the aerOnaut had TO make
several landings TO replenish the supply.
IE the course Of the winter Vaniman
had mad many changes which he hoped
would add to the safety and dirigi
bility ot his craft.
In general appearance the Akron was
not unlike the America, in which Walter
Wellman and Eaniman attempted TO
1910, but there were many differences in
the construction of the airship which col
lapsed to-day. The gas bag OF the Akron
was thirty feet longer than that Of the
America, but was smaller in diameter.
The dimensions were: Length OF bag. 25S
feet: diameter, A. feet. The envelope
vas made Of a composition Of rubber and
was constructed in Ohio.
Soldier of Fortune.
Music teacher. opera singer. actor,
photographer. baIloonist, aeroplane
builder. and inventor Of a new type Of
dirigible balloon and hangar. Such are
the successive steps in the career Of
Melvin Vaniman. the young American
engineer, who. after rising from a posi-
ton as a teacher of music in Illinois
College to that Of one of the foremost
airmen Of the day, met death in the
machine he invented, in the element
that he strOve to conquer.
When newspapers two years ago car
ried columns on the progress of the
preparations being made by a small
number of meh who had determined TO
attempt TO fly across the sea in a dirig-
ible balloon, the world at large smiled