The Washington herald., 1921-07-11
Army B m b er Crashes
On Crowd in Autos at
Moundsville, w. Va.
FLIERS ON WAY
TO WASHINGTON
Accident Occurs Just as
Big Machine Leaves
Ground.

MoUNDSvILLE. W. Va, July To-
Ten persons are known to have been
killed, a machinist is believed to
have been burned to death, Nifty
four were injured seriously and a
United States army plane and four
teen automobiles were destroyed at
2:30 p. m. today. when the plane.
after flying a short distance over
the Langin Flying Field here. sud
denly tilted, shot downward and
crashed to the ground. alighting on
about twenty automobiles and pin
ming occupants Of machines beneath
It
An explosion occurred as the
plane struck the machines, destroy
ing most of them. 1t Is believed
that the death list will increase, as
several persons supposed to have
been at the field are unaccounted
for, and II is expected that some of
the injured will die.
List of Dead.
The known dead are
Mrs. George Long, aged 81
Moundsville.
Frederick Edge. IS. Woodland
W. Va.
Carl Petit, is. Moundsville.
Ralph Hartzell. 13. Moundsville.
Charles Hartzell, so, father of the
HartzelI boy.
Mrs. A. Stephens. Is. Moundsville
Walter Montgomery. 40. Beiiaire
Three unidentified charred bodies
List Of Iniured
In Noundsville Hospital are:
Stanley Patrick, 8, of Mounds
Vile, skull fractured, condition
critical
Leonard DArrah, Moundsville,
skull fractured.
Miss Mary Mulong. Is. Mounds
vile.
Mrs. George Stevens, IS. Mounds
willie
Elsie Stevens, 10, daughter.
MrS- George Meriz. BeIlaire
Lieut.. Ivers. pilot of the plane.
bruised and shaken.
Lieut.. Gunsuon, assistant pilot,
burns about the face and hands
Six other persons, most of them
suffering from minor injuries,
were taken to their homes here,
where they were attended by local
physicians.
The big Martin bombing plane
was flying from Dayton, Ohio. 20
Washington, D. c. The. field here
is a regular government landing
field and the plane, in charge of
Lieut.. Ivers and Gunston. stopped
here yesterday because Of a heavy
storm IL encountered.
On Way Here.
Renewing its fight to Washing
ton. the plane had just got up thirty
feet and gone scarcely 300 yards,
when IL suddenly listed to one side
and dropped. Occupants Of the au-
tomobiles parked on the field and
other spectators had no time to
gain places of safety, so unexpect-
ed was the accident. Nearly twen-
ty-five persons, according to the
estimates of Witnesses, were caught
beneath the falling plane. one of
the largest types used by the United
States army. The automobiles on
which the plane fell caught the full
force of the blow and saved many
persons from Death.
Lieuts. Ivers and Gunton leaped
from the plane after a quick but
unsuccessful effort to right it. Both
fell clear of the plane. The injuries
of neither are regarded as serious.
As the plane struck the automo-
biles there was a crash of splinter
ing wood. followed by a terrific sx-
plosion of one of the three tanks
of gasoline. Thick clouds of smok e
and hot tongues of flame made at
tempts at rescue impossible. Follow
ing the first explosion there was a
series of explosions as tanks of the
burning automobiles let go.
Burned In Rescue Work.
Just as the plane crashed upon
the automobiles an airplane. owned
by II. L. Lambert. of Lambert. was
circling above the field, Mr.. Lambert
himself was standing among the
parked machies a short distance
from where the army plane fell
Catching sight of a man whom he
did not recognize, pinned under one
of the machines, he dashed forward
and tried to drag the man to safety.
The man was caught SO firmly under
the wrecked machine that IL was i'm
possible to extricate him, and Lam
bert. who continued his efforts till
ne was severely burned about the
face and hands, had to leave the
victim to his fate.