The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-22
BALLOON CRASHES
Continued from Page one.l

Continued from rage Onel
employed on a morning newspaper.
also landed but in doing so his legs
were broken and his condition is
critical.
J. A Boettner. civilian pilot. was
the only member OF the Inflated air
ship to land without injury.
Bank Reopens Today.
With hastily gathered furniture. the
bank reopened today. A loss of $780,
600 in bonds, supposed to have been
burned, was announced.
President John j. Mitchell hesitated
to estimate the amount of property
loss involved.
II am thinking of. the deaths of
those people I knew personally" he
said. He thought $4,000 would re-
place fixtures. The original fittings
were RACED in a moment as burning
gasoline and gas instantly turned
metal to a white molten mass and
cracked the marble pillars of the big
room.
VIII Settle Damages.
Mitchell Indicated the Goodyear
company had offered to settle dam
ages and do whatever was right" for
families of the victims.
The dirigible cost 100000 It was
built in Chicago at the hangar Of an
amusement park. Its maiden trips
yesterday were complimentary to
army officers and newspaper men.
II made several short cruises success
fully.
The city council was In session when
the accident occurred.
Immediately resolution was
adopted calling for immediate enact
ment OF an ordinance regulating air
CRIT flights over the city
Boettner. the pilot, who was taken
to police headquarters. said: LAS we
State I 81 he oh
buckle and there was tremor thru
out of the fuselage. knew something
had happened and saw the flames
licking the bag. 1 shouted for all to
jump and leaped out of the car
Describes Horrible Scene.
State street is three blocks from
where the airshtp fell. f. I. Cooper,
assistant cashier of the bank: left his
desk few minutes before the burn
ing balloon crashed thru the roof to
put some records away. He said:
The body OF man, so badly burned
and mangled that 1 could not tell at
first that it was e man at all, came
hurting thru the air and fell at my
feet Then there was an outburst Of
| terrified screams from the rallied off
space where the girls worked. and
everything in this space seemed to be
a mass of flames.
When the first shock was over the
men eHlpiONtS quickly manned the
emergency fire hoses and turned them
on the burning mass and soon had the
business men. Major Clarence Maran-
fire under control and had managed
to extricate many of Nhe injured from
| the Hreckage."
The coroner's jury as selected by
Coroner Hoffman, IS composed OF
business men. Major Clarence Naran-
Vile. chief of the army aircraft divis-
ion at Akron field, who witnessed the
accident. has sent a report TO the war
! department in Washington.
! "Deplorable as it is, believe there
is an explanation" said Major Maran-
/ villed II asked about the motors, for
it was the first time they had ever
been used, and I learned all about
them
Has Clue to Cause.
when I first saw the flames they
were just aft of the port elevator
surface. I have my own ideas as to
how they started and must decline tc
tell as il is purely an army matter.
Il viii say tho. that it was not due
| in my opinion, to static. as every part
OF the ship is thus grounded within
itself and not to the ground. I think il
static had had anything to do with il
the fire would have appeared first In
another part OF the ship.
II loaned the two La Rhone motors
Ito the Goodyear people for the expert
! ment. These rotary motors are known
] to be fire dangers, but I asked if the