The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-06-26
AIRCRAFTS COLLIDE; NINE KILLED
ATTACKING, AgaoPLANE RIPS
OPEN DIRIGIsLE BALLOON,
winged Machine Accidentally PIows
into Big Gas Bag Near Vienna
While Making Mimic Attack.

Plenna.-Nine burned and multi
lated bodies, the splintered fragments
OF an aeroplane, and the charred rem
nants of big dirigible balloon are
the mute records Of one of the most
tragic certainly the most sensational
disasters which has occurred since
man learned to fly. The catastrophe
which resulted in the death of all con.
cerned, nine officers and men, follow.
ed a mimic attack Saturday by the
aeroplane on the dirigible at a great
height during the Austrian maneuvers
ana served to show more than any pre-,
Flous accident to flying machine have
done the horrors that would be ikely
TO attend aerial warfare,
The dirigible military balloon Coert
ling early Saturday left Fischamend
eleven miles from Vienna. manned nv
Captain Johann Hausworth in com.
mand, Lieutenant Ernst Hofstetter
Lieutenant Buer, Lieutenant Haiding.
er, Corporal Hadima, Corporal Weber
and Engineer Kammerer.
At the elapse of half an hour a
military biplane, with Lieutenant
Flatz and Lieutenant Hoosta aboard
started in pursuit.
It was the intention of Captain
Hausworth to take photographs of the
movements of the troops below and
then to join in the maneuvers. At the
same time he was to keep out of
range of any of the mosquito craft
which might seek to attack him.
Like wasp, bent ON attacking
clumsy enemy, the aeroplane circled
several times around the balloon, now
darting close to her and then away,
always apparently steering off just
IN time to avoid an actual collision.
Meanwhile the balloon continued to
rise until it was about 1900 feet from
the ground. The aeroplane, at a still
greater height, Unanswered until it.
appeared to be nearly over the air
ship. Then it began it's descent. It
was the evident intention of the pilot
of the aeroplane to take up position
directly above the dirigible, within
striking distance, but owing either to
a fatal miscalculation of distance or
speed, the nose of the biplane struck
the envelope of the airship and ripped
it wide open
A tremendous explosion followed,
the balloon burst into flames, which
enveloped the biplane, and in mo-
ment the wreckage began to drop,
crashing like lead to the slope of
hill. Almost at the same moment the
wife of Lieutenant Hofstetter arrived
in motor car.
The envelope of the balloon still
was burning when it struck the
ground. Lieutenant Flatz, when ex.
tricated from the wreckage of the
aeroplane showed faint signs of life
but almost Immediately expired. All
the others were killed.
Military officers who witnessed the
disaster said that the maneuvers had
been undertaken with instructions to
carry out as far as possible actual
war conditions, in which an aeroplane
was attacking a dirigible, the latter
trying to repel the assault. The oc-
cupants of both craft had been order
ed to conduct themselves as they
would in actual combat. According to
some experts the catastrophe seem
ingly was caused by the aeroplane be-
ing caught in the eddies from the bal
loon. They attribute the accident to
species of whirlwtnd caused by the
airshipIs propeller which drew in the
smaller machine