Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-02-22
SaA Shin Fall

Nuosc 0ciOW aC the army UdSS az
Hampton Roads, their attention
caught by the approaching thunder
. Of the six motors. looked up to see
the Rema dip down from her
straight flight. They agreed that the
rudder seemed to have slipped bod
fly down and to one side.
Tho ship nosed steeply down. AS
she came closer 1t was seen that her
crew Aere hurting out sand ballast
from Ire ports in the fragile fabric
that formed the covering of the
space between her keel and back, the
living and operating quarters of the
ship. The dipping blunt nose of the
bag did not respond. On the ship
came. unchecked in her glide earth
ward head first.
Her commander could not force
her tAe few hundred feet that would
have dropped her into the waters of
the hay and comparative safety for
her passengers.
Hit. High Power Wire
Below ran the high double wires
OF the high power electric line. 1t
carried a 300 volt current. The
Eoma's nose. shod with its alumni
mum guard thrust into the wires
broke them as the ship flattcd to
earth. and rolled over. and in a mo-
ment. came the noise as Of an ex-
along the hull space.
Rush Of Reseuers
There was rush Of men to the
rescue from the naval base beyond.
Just as the Roma neared the wires,
two men were seen to leap from high
UP In her slanting hull. AS the
stricken. flaming monster writhed in
her first death agony, ten more
dropped from doors or ports or
through holes they tore in the fabric
sides. that enclosed them. Some
leapesi from the platform where the
engines stood, far out from the hull
So. swift was the flare of the gas
fame that rescuers were driven hack
before its terrible heat. They
watched helplessy as the great 81
foot bag shriveled in the fierce blaze
OF the liberated gas. The Roma was
a wall of fame n city block long and
until.the thousands Of gallons of
chemicals and water had checked
the holocaust. it was impossible to
reach the men mangled and dead in
that Eery furnace.
No Passenger List
The ship left no passenger list be-
hind her when she set out for a
brief run from langley. She Is
known to have carried many officials
and men rs passengers. however, in
addition to her operating crew. AS
she rose from the field her COM
mander leaned out to signal that he
had ~ passengers aboard. 1t is be-
li.>,d he did not INCLUDE one civilian
on the ship. and that she actually
carried A..
cfhcrrs who knew personally many
q. the. on ,ers and enlisted men were
unable 20 Identify a single one of the
victims so badly charred was each
virtually cooked to death in the mass
Of wrcCkage when the explosion and
namcs encompass scd them.
Only those in the forward part of
Nh. operating compartment of the ship
had a'chance for their lives. Several
were injured severely by jumping but
three. came out practically unhurt and
WEI, discharged from the hospital
within few hours after the disaster.
Lieut. Burt. who with Captain Reed
was The principal pilot of the Roma.
was one of these. He jumped when
the ship was only n few yards from
tho ground \ civilian. Roy Hurley,
also escaped vnhurt as did Master
Sergeant Peek.
or the forty-five who left the Lang
ley field air station this afternoon,
only eleven are known to have surviv-
cd the accident. Some of these. more
dead than alive. lay on their cots at
the United States public health SER
vice hospital with burned and broken
limbs swathed in bandages. Some
had their faces smearod with cream
10 relieve them OF their intense suf-
ferng while others lay asleep or I'M
conscious with only their closed eyes
visible All who We're able to talk,
were suffering from shock.
Albert Flores, who was in the OBJ
servers pit on top of the bag, said:
II felt the ship tilt up from the
td'k anu start W Sllut uoN H. L tIiCO
to 20 back down inside but then de-
cided to come out forward again. By
that time we hit and l was thrown
out on the ground" Flores was burn
ed about the hands and is suffering
from shock.
Major ] d. Rcardon. who was in
the control cabin at the time of the
accident said that tho work Of the Of
fccrs IN charge was excellent.
Lieut. Burt and Captain Mabry
were at their wheels" the major said
1.-THE ship gave a duck and ] saw
Lieut.. Eurt pull with all his might
on the elevation lever. He yelled out
'Shc wont respond. and then, cut the
motors One by one. l heard the mo-
tors shut off and then we struck. II
the motors had not been shut off we
would have hit the ground much
harder"
Nhc asked IL he had seen any
fame. he said that he had not.
Ray Hurley. a civilian and engine
expert was aboard and suffered a
slight sprain OF one arm and burns
about the hand. The trip was Hur-
icy's first flight.
1T was the first time I had ever
been up" re said. and when the
Roma started to swing I didn't know
n.~orn <h1n-bx