New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-11
Army Bomber Explodes
as 1t Drops Among a
Crowd at Moundsville.
w. Va. !; Machines Afire
Pinned by Debris;
IA Seriously Hurt
Officer and Aid Escape by
Leaping as Craft, Just
Off Ground, Descends
Special Dispatch to The Tribune


Five persons are known to have been
killed, at least fourteen persons
were injured severely and an army
bombing plane and fourteen auto
mobiles were destroyed at $50 o'clock
this afternoon when the plane, after
flying q short distance over the Lou
gin Flying Field here, suddenly tilted
and shot downward crashed into twen-
ty automobiles and pinned the occu-
pants of the machines underneath. An
explosion occurred as the plane struck
the vehicles, setting fire to the cars
and destroying most of them.
The known dead are: Fred Edge
40 years old, Of Round Bottom;: Ralph
Hartzell, 13, a Moundsville newsboy;
Carl Petit, Is, of Moundsville; Mrs
George Long, 65 years old, Mounds
vile, and an unidentified child, about
nine years old.
Officers Among Injured
In the Moundsville Hospital are
Stanley Patrick, 8, of Moundsvile,
skull fractured, internal injuries; con-
dition critical; Leonard Darrah, 40
Moundsville, skull fractured, body
burned, condition critical; Miss Mary
Mulong, 18, Moundsville, bruises and
cuts; Mrs. George Stevens, 3S. Mounds
vile, bruises and cuts; Elsie Stevens
10, a daughter, burns and lacerations;
Mrs. George Mertz, Bellaire, Ohio, burns
and lacerations; Lieutenant C. R. Nc.
lver, pilot of the plane, bruised; Lieu
tenant D. H. Dunton, assistant pilot
burns about face and hands. bruises
SIN other persons, most of them suffer
ing from minor hurts, were taken to
their homes here, where they were
attended by physicians. Sergeant NJ
E. Connell. mechanician on the plane
was not injured.
The big Martin bombing plane was
flying from Dayton, Ohio, to Washing
ton, D. G. The field here is a govern
ment landing station and the plane
which was in charge of Ives and Gun
ton, stopped yesterday because Of a
heavy storm it had encountered.
Resuming its fight to Washington
the plane had just started it's ascent
this afternoon and had gone scarcely
800 yards and was about thirty feet
above the ground, when it listed sud
denly to one side and dropped. Occu-
pants of the automobiles parked on the
field and other spectators had no time
to gain places of safety, SO unexpected
was the accident About TWENTY-FIVE
persons, according to the estimates OF
witnesses, were caught beneath the
fallen plane, one of the largest types
used by the army. The automobiles on
which the plane fell, however, caught
the full force of the blow and saved
several persons from death.
Lieutenants McIver and Dunton leaped
from the plane after quick but un.
successful effort to right it. Both fel
clear of the wreck. Their Injuries ar,
not regarded as serious.
AS the plane struck the automobiles
there was crash of splintering wood
followed by terrific explosion of one
OF the bomber's three tanks of gasoline
Thick clouds of smoke made attemnt,
at rescue impossible at first. Follow.
ing the first blast there was series
OF explosions as tanks of the burninf
autom obiles burst.
Survivors Dragged to Safety
Spectators say that many more per
sons would have been killed or injured
but for tho fact that there was ar
interval of several minutes between the
time of the first detonation and tho
spread Of flames beyond the spot wher(
they originated. This time allowed
persons who had saved themselves
from instant death by crouching below
the bodies of automobiles to crawl t;
safety. Others who were knocked
down, but only slightly hurt, wer,
dragged away by spectators.
Shortly after the first explosion two
other tanks exploded, scattering fam,
ing gasoline over the wrecked plan,
and the smashed automobiles beneath
it.. The heat from the fire thus de-
veloped was terrific. Persons caugh1
in the automobiles in some cases man.
aged to get through the blazing wreck
age to safety after suffering sever.
burns. The owners of at least ten ma,
chimes risked their lives by drivinf
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