The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-07-05
BALLOON BURSTS;
FIVE ARE KILLED
Melvin Vaniman and Four Others
Plunge 900 Feet to Death.
ACCIDENT AT ATLANTIC CITY
MISS Harriet Quimby and Passenger
Lose Lives When MonopIane Falls
During Meet at Eoston-Was
First American Aviatrice.

Atlantic City, N. J., July 3.-The
new dirigible balloon Akron, con-
structed by Melville Vaniman for a
flight over the Atlantic ocean, blew up
while flying over the meadows on
Tuesday. Five men were killed. Vanl-
man is among the victims. The bal
loon was moving at an altitude or
about 1000 feet when the explosion
occurred
Like a blazing meteorite the burn
ing balloon dashed earthward, emit
ting clouds of black smoke. 1t fell
upon Brigantine Beach and rescuers
who dashed two miles across the in
let were unable to give any help.
The dead: Besides Melvin Vaniman
those on the Akron were; Calvin Van
imam, brother of the aeronaut; Fred
Elmer, George Boultin and Alter Gest.
Mrs. Melvin Vaniman saw the dis
aster from the porch Of her home
She collapsed and is in serious con-
dition
An hour after the eccident and after
the rescuers had given up all hope of
finding any of the bodies, the corpse
OF Calvin Vaniman was recovered.
Melvin Vaniman was personally in
charge of the balloon during the
flight and his crew consisted of four
men, including his brother.
After making a search of the beach
about the point where the balloon had
plunged to earth, rescuers took to
boats and began searching the bay il
the hope Of find some of the aerial
sailors with the breath of life still in
them.
The body OF Calvin Vaniman was
recognized by a party in launch be-
longing to Councilman Harry Cook.
It was floating in Absecon bay. AL
though bruised, it was not burned.
News that "Vaniman has gone up"
spread rapidly and despite the early
hour thousands were soon gathered
upon the beaches and the street
watching the huge cigar-shaped craft
outlined against the ,morning sky.
After attaining an altitude of about
1000 feet the aerial pilot began put
ting his craft through fancy motions.
There was no wind, the air was clear
and conditions were ideal for balloon
ing. Taking advantage of this. Vani-
man decided to show the people on
the beaches some fancy stunts. 1t was
during these evolutions that the ex-
plosion occurred.
One theory was that leak in the
fuel tank caused an explosion and that
the flames from this set the bag afre-
Boston, July 3.-Miss Harriet Quinn
by of New York, the first woman to
win an aviator's license in America
and the first woman to cross the Eng
lish channel in an aeroplane, was in
stantly killed with her passenger, w.
A. p Willard, manager of the Boston
aviation meet at Atlantic City on Mon
day, when her Bleriot monoplane fell
into Dorchester bay from a height of
a thousand feet.
The accident happened when Miss
Quimby and Willard were returning
from trip over Boston harbor to
Boston light, a distance of 20 miles
in all The flight was made in 20
minutes. The Bleriot, one of the la
test models of military monoplanes,
circled the aviation field and scared
out over the Savin Hill Yacht club,
just outside the aviation grounds.
Heading back into the eight mile
gusty wind. Miss Quimby started to
volplane. The angle was too sharp
and one of the gusts caught the tail
of the monoplane, throwing the ma
chine up perpendicularly
Madrid, July 3-Captain Bayo, the
first Spanish officer to fall victim to
the perils of aviation died here on
Monday from injuries sustained in
his fall on June 20 when he was exc
cutting figure Fights in mid-air.