The Washington times., 1916-11-09
NO TRACE SFOUNO
Of OFFICERS KILLED
IN AERO ACCIDENT
Searchers Look in Vain for Re-
- mains Of Lieutenants Bron-
son and Welsh.
INDIAN HEAD is SHOCKED


has been found of the remains of Lieu
tenants Bronson and Welsh. who were
killed here yesterday by the explosion
OF a bomb attached to an aeroplane In
which they were flying.
The accident has shocked Indian Head,
officially and unofficially. to the core
When the two young officers went up
In the air. they expected to be able to
report perfection OF a method of bomb
throwing hitherto unheard OF.
Lieutenant Welsh went in the air
yesterday under the gaze Of his mother.
who was standing on the dock among
the large crowd that watched the
flights. She was admiring the maneu-
vering Of the plane when the explo-
sion occurred. Mrs. Welsh tainted.
Welsh was to have been married No
vember IS.
Experimental Work.
Abe aviators were attempting to de-
termine the best method OF bomb toss
Ing. and had used the same aeroplane
twice before for that purpose, both
times successfully.
The machine came here from WASH
ington yesterday morning, with Lieu
tenant Wilkerson. OF the Bureau OF
ordnance, In charge. Its flight from
the Navy Yard hangar to Indian Head
was uneventful, the principal thing OF
note being the wonderful flying wealth
Lieutenant Bronson piloted the ma
chine.
When they arrived at Indian Head.
Lieutenant Wilkerson descended. and
MS place as passenger was taken by
Lieutenant Welsh. The machine as
oended. rising In graceful spirals high
In the air.
Floating on the breast of the Potomac,
ABOUT opposite the proving station
grounds at Indian Head. was a small
empty cask.
The object Of the air game was to hit
and demolish that cask by dropping
bomb on II.
From a distance Of 1000 feet in the air
II takes an accurate eye and keen pres
ence OF mind to drop anything-let blono
2 oomo-on a pinpoint far below. But
Sne navy has been training its men to
nit this pinpoint.
Nearly Over Target.
As the birdmen got higher and higher
In the lower strata OF the air. II was
seen by observers on shore that they
were nearly over the point where the
cask was bobbing up and down like a
cork on fishing line. Slowing up par
tally. It seemed as though the bomb
was to be tossed.
Everybody on the dock. including a
large nsrs number nun OF prominent naval off, u,
Welsh's mother, watched to see the re.
suits. Then came crash, and where
q second before a navy aeroplane with
two men had been swishing through the
air. there was nothing at all. The ma
chine was coming down into the river
and turning slightly to the east.
AS soon as the stunned crowd realized
what had happened. several power
launches set out from shore to try to
md traces of the bodies.
The only remains that have so far
been found by the searchers are por-
don OF flesh. macerated and mangled.
which might be part OF a human
stomach. or the plane. only a portion
OF the tail has been recovered.
No cause Is assigned for the explosion.
II Is nohbelieved by the authorities that
II 10 In any way due to the management
Most OFFICERS at Indian Head agree In
placing the blame for the calamity on
faulty chemical composition OF the
bomb.
Chemical Change.
"A subtle chemical change may have
taken place In the powder. and thus
caused the bomb to explode they
stated. asserting that such cases are
we'll, known In the annals Of powder
making. Others believed that the bomb
struck a guy rope hanging on the
plane. and thus the explosion came
about. Yet that such a guy rope was
attached to the machine is not definite
ly known. 1t may have been, but OBJ
servers do not remember having seen It.
The unofficial views incline to belief
In the chemical cause of the disaster.
Lieutenant Welsh was born in Kan
sas City. Mo, June 20. 1889. He was
appointed a midshipman in 1905. and
graduated with his class In 1909 He
was commissioned ensign and ordered
to the battleship North Dakota.
Five years ago he began his studies
in ordnance. and In 1914, after hav-
ing received his commission as JUNIOR
lieutenant, he was ordered to duty
as aid to the stan of the commander
of the third division OF the Atlantic
fleet. He was unmarried, but vas to
have become a benedict in n few days
His mate in death, Clarence King
Bronson. was trained for the aviation
service on the ttleships Mississippi
and North Carolina. He also served at
the aeronautic station at Pensacola.
In March, 1914, he was promoted to
the grade of junior lieutenant, and
designated & naval aviator.
He was born in Bushnell, ILL.,, July
II, 1888, and was appointed a mid
shipman in 1906 from New York. He