Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-07-22


ed and twenty-five injured when
gigantic dirigfple on It's test flight
caught fire and fell 500 feet, crashing
thru the glass roof OF the Illinois Trust
and Savings bank, Jackson boulevard
and LaSalle street, shortly before 9
o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Most of the dead were employees Of
the bank, trapped and burned to death
in whitening rain Of fire caused by
the explosion OF the balloons gasolene
tanks as they hit the floor OF the bank
rotunda, where over 200 bookkeepers
and clerks, nearly all girls, were work
ing.
The blimp, owned by the Goodyear
Tire and Rubber company. OF Akron
O.. had been flying above the city for
several hours when the accident &C
cured Thousands witnessed il.
Squirt Of Flame Starts Tragedy.
When approximately 500 feet above
the bank a squirt OF flame was seen to
shoot from the top of the gas bag near
the center Of the aircraft The crowds
gathered on the streets to watch the
flight saw the great machine buckle
and culver as It started on its fatal
plunge.
Four Of its five occupants jumped.
and two landed safely in the streets
as the blimp, yeritable ball Of fame,
struck the roof Of the bank with
crash audible thruout the loop dis
trict.
There was nothing to warn the hun
dreds of employees OF the institution
of the coming tragedy. A shadow
passed over the marble rotunda, where
$50 were busy, and a terrifying crash
followed. The banks closing hours
for patrons had passed. but the clerks
were still at work in various depart
ments.
1t seemed, according to survivors,
that the entire bank was on fire.
Breaking thru the iron supports hold
ing the glass over head, the fusilage
of the onmp with two heavy rotary
engines and several gasolene tanks
smashed to the floor.
Explosion Among Bank Workers.
Instantly the tanks exploded, scat
tering a wave Of flaming gasolene over
the workers for a radius Of fifty feet
A panic ensued. There were only two
exits thru which they could leave the
wire cage which surrounded the TO
tunda.
Men and girls with clothing flaming
fought their way thru the exits. Girls
on the second floor ran screaming to
the window and several jumped to the
street.
In an instant the marble rotunda
was cleared except for the dead, whose
bodies were buried under the flaming
mass licked to a white heat by the
gaIolene blaze, and the dying, who
crawled feebly away from the scorch-
ing fire, their clothes burning off.
The Intense heat made rescue work
impossible until after the fire depart
ment arrived on a four eleven alarm
call. It was thirty minutes before the
bodies under the crafts fusilage could
De dragged out They were burned
beyond recognition.
Meanwhile aulbulances from every
hospital and undertaking establish
ment near the center of the city came,
and the police threw a Gordon about
the place. Dozens were found to have
been more or less seriously cut by the
shower of glass which preceded the
explosion.
Thousands Watch Rescue Work.
The rescue work was watched by a
crowd Of 10000 on La Sale street ano
Jacksonboulevard, while more thous-
ands took places OF vantage on the
buildings nearby.
The cause of the fire which brought
the flaming gas bag plunging down is
not known. None Of the crew could
ascribe a definite reason. Two theor-
les were offered, however. One was
that spark from the rotary motors,
DANGEROUS type to he carried under an
infiammable gas bag. set the gas ahre
The other was that the balloon was
overcharged and the suns rays caused
1t to expand and burst, the fire fol-
lowing the contact of the gas Win
sparks in the motors.
Il was intended to charge the pas
with g. pure mixture Of hydrogen gas
which Is not inflammable. 1t was con
iectured, however, that a quantity o.
oxygen became mixed in the charging
process, rendering a highly explosive
combination.
When Jack Boettner, an employe o.
the rubber company and pilot OF tne
craft, saw the flicker of the flame, he
yelled a warning to the other passeng'
ers and Jumped from the fusilage.
All were protected by parachutes at
tached to their bodies by belts.
Buck Weaver and Harry Wacker
! mechanicians, followed his suit. E Fl
Norton, photographer for a mornins
newspaper. was the last to leap. Th<
: fifth man, Earl II. Davenport, pubiic:t;
agent to1 White City, where the bling
had its hangar, did not get out.
His body struck the roof Of the bank
Y and burned to a crisp, until twas dis.
lodged and sent falling to the ruin be-
low by the firemen. Weaver's para.
chute was ablaze, and he was over.
taken by the flaming balloon and car.
4 ried down to death.
Two Escape Injury.
Boettner and Wacker landed practi
caliy unhurt. Norton suffered broker
legs and severe internal injuries.
The others dead were crushed an.
burned in the rntnnda of the bank
Tho body OF one, believed to have beer
that Of Miss Evelyn Meyers, wa.
caught under one OF the heavy rotar.
esgines, and could not be dislodget
= ss..::...M the fire was put out.
/ The central portion OF the bank wa.
wrecked. Fire spread thru all Of th'