The Washington times., 1921-07-11
START PROBES OF
PLANE'SFALL ON
AUTOS, KILLING )
Big Bomber Crashes Into Cars
Parked at Moundsville, w.
va.-Airmen Rescued.
BY International News Service.

vos-fNtII IbI0It bN0SS000s
BY international News Service.
MOUNDSVILLE, w. Va..-July II.
With five known dead and forty
injured and one unidentified man
reported to have been cremated In
the crash OF She Government owned
Martin bombing plane here yester.
day. when the airplane swept into a
row Of parked automobiles. State
and Federal investigations were to
he started today In an effort to fix
responsibility for the disaster. or
the injured. seven are in a serious
condition.
Following the crash a number
witnesses claimed to have seen 4
man pinioned beneath the bomber
with gasoline dripping upon him.
Later. II was said, portions Of hu
man bones were found. The chief
u police. believing six to be dead
from the disaster. was endeavoring
to ascertain II any one was missing
and unaccounted for.
Lieut.. c. r. MacIver. who pilote,l
the plane. was slightly burned by
flaming gasoline. Neither MacIver nor
Lieut.. e. II. Danton has been ar.
rested.
Lieut.. MacIver had risen about IT.
teen feet when the plane swung
to strike a hangar, and an apparent
effort was made to throw the plane
into the Ohio river. on MacIver's left.
hut the plane was flying too low and
crashed into a number Of automobiles
parked along the hank Only forty
feet from where the plane came to q
halt was a shed containing 1000
pounds OF dynamite.
Sixteen automobiles were burned
The dead were trapped In the auto
mobiles.
The airmen were rescued from their
wrecked machine.
LIST OF DEAD.
Tho dead:
Mrs. George Long. IS. MoundsviIle.
arms and legs burned off.
Ralph Hertzell. II. OF MoundsviIle.
Carl Petteit. is. Moundsville.
Andy Edge. 4s. Round Bottom. W.
Va.
Leo Rarski. 4. Moundsville.
After the explosion Of the planes
gasoline tanks and those Of several
automobiles. the wrecksga took fire
and the heat was 80 intense that res
cuers were unable to reach the vic
Tins for some time. The Pre- depart.
ment attempted TO quell the flames
but was forced away until the flam
ing fluid had burned itself out.
The plane was bound from Cleve.
land 10 Washington and had laid over
here Saturday night.
A Federal investis ga tion OF the crash
will be started upon arrival OF flying
officers from Washington and Day.
ton. Ohio. Coroner J. T. NcCombs
viewed the bodies this morning as
preliminary to the State inquiry.
The spectators who escaped the
tragedy declare that the left motor
OF the airplane was not hitting" prop.
erlN, causing the machine 10 swerve
from its course and dart into the auto.
mobiles
Mrs. Long. one Of the dead. was
almost cremated.
DANTON'S STORY.
Lieutenant MacIvcr and Lieutenant
Danfon were In the plane at the time
OF the crash. Lieutenant Danton's ex.
PLANTATION Of the mishap follows:
AS we went north and the plane
left the ground, the left motor stop.
ped. causing the plane to swerve to
the left. The velocity made II i'm.
possible to figure on the plane com.
ing to a stop II the other motor had
been shut down.
Lieutenant MacIver leaned over to
steer the plane toward the Ohio river.
The control levers did not work prop.
erly, or the distance was too short
to swing the plane to the left tn clear
the crowd. The crash followed"
Pilots Not Regulars"
CLEVELAND. July 1.-THE Martin
bomber which crashed at Moundsville,
w. Va. causing six deaths to by.
ISLANDERS. had recently undergone some
repairs and was not in charge Of regu.
lar Martin plane schooled aviators.
Glenn l.. Martin. aeroplane manufac.
turer, said today.
They were not regular Martin
bomber plane pilots" he said. but
they were good men, think. The ship
had been at our factory about thirty
days for minor repairs. The machine
was being taken to Washington"