The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-02-23

Oh steeiWorkI rearing 1tSelT hlgn In
the. air, remaining on the ground to-
night.
A tiny morgue in Newport News
housed the dead, 80 of whom were
identified. None was allowed to see
them except for purposes of Identified
ton, but wives, mothers and sweet
hearts gathered about and morbidly
curious crowd was in evidence all day.
The bodies were badly burned and
identification in many cases was by
watches or pieces of jewelry recovered
with them. Capt. Dale Mabry, COM
nrander of the Roma, was the last Of
those identified, and his brother, Dr. J.
H. Mabry of Newport News was the
first relative of any of the dead who
was allowed to enter the morgue.
Only a tangled mass of what was
once the steel framework of the proud
queen of the army air fleet remained
tonight to mark the spot at the army
base where the Roma fell. Meanwhile
at Newport News, where the dead
were taken, relatives and friends ar
rived to identify the bodies and make
arrangements for having them re-
moved to their homes for burial
today that there was no explosion or
fire while the Roma was in the air.
General Patrick, who came here by
airplane from Washington immediate
ly upon being advised of the accident,
declared there had been none. adding
that the fire and resultant explosion
were caused by the high tension cleo
trio wires which the Roma struck
when it plunged to earth.
Army officers also emphasized that
the rudder had given way and that
the fire did not occur until the ship
struck the electric wires
Just how long the official investiga-
ton will require was not indicated to-
night, although every effort was made
to complete it as quickly as is con-
sistent with thorough probe of the
entire situation. The board of inves-
tigation consists of Maj. D. Johnson,
chairman; Maj. J. H. Jouett and Maj.
,. McNurny of Langley Field. They
have interviewed all the survivors of
the accident and are questioning eye
witnesses and technical experts as !
well as others.
Five of the elecen injured men who |
were first taken to the Public Health
Service hospital have now been found (
strong enough to be removed to Lang !
ley Field. They are: Maj. J. D. Rear
don, Capt. Walter J. Reed, Lieut.. c. |
H. Welsh, Sergeant Biedenbach and
Corporal Flores.
The board investigating the wreck, !
when it began it's work today, was
confronted with the statements by |!
Langley Field officers to this effect: |
The left rudder of the ship gave
way.
There was no fire until the ship
struck the ground. |
The craft became unmanageable as
she swooped earthward.
The explosion was caused by con-
tact with high-power electric wires.
The Liberty motors were not re-
sponsible unless something more tan
gible is introduced to prove that they
were.
Two experienced pilots, Capt Wal
ter Reed and Lieut.. B. G.. Burt, were
in charge of the steering gear.
Burt said today that he discovered
soon after the rudder gave way that
he could neither elevate nor right the
ship. He declared he and Captain
ship, and finding they could not do so, !
yelled for the motors to be cut off. I
They tried to land the ship, he said
and brought every emergency appH-
ance into use, without avail. When |
the ship struck the ground. he said a
flame 900 feet high was sent into the
air. The explosion could be heard for
a distance of 10 miles. according to
persons in Newport News, and was
by a dense cloud of
black smoke.
Survivors expressed themselves to
the board as positive that the first in
OF fire aboard the Roma came
when the giant dirigible plunged
through the network of electric wires
to the ground at the army base thus
supporting the theory that the blaze
was caused from contact by the can
vas hydrogen bag with live wires.
There was a lookout stationed on
the nose of the blimp." Colonel Fisher
said, when she started her downward
plunge, and had there been any evil
dence of the fire on any part of the
ship, he would have seen it."
The lookout. Corp. Alberto Flores.
was among the IL men who survived
the disaster He denied emphatically
In his statement to the board that the
ship was afire before she struck the
wires.
The condition of Maj. John D. Rear
don of Washington and Mr.. McNair
Is regarded as favorable at the Public
Health Service hospital.
Major Reardon this afternoon de-
scribed how he escaped from the
doomed aircraft.
"The fire burned an opening for me
to get out OF the Roma" he said. ct
don't know Just how the accident
happened. I was busy with my en-
CINE when an order was sent through
the ship to stop the motors. The
Roma was then shooting toward theI
earth at rapid speed. 1 had myl
parachute strapped to my back.
IT stopped my engine. and L heard
Burt say something about
the elevation lever being clogged.
Burt shouted to CaptainI