Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-07-26
Report Made Public to-
Say Shows ProberS
Differing
ITALIANS STATE CAUSE
American Engineers Do
Not Agree With Idea
of Builders
(By Associated PresaO

Washington, July Z6 - American
and Italian technical experts are in
as to the most probable
cause of the wreck of the senli-rigid
italian built army dirigibIe Roma,
February 21, last, near Norfolk, Va,
with the loss Of 81 lives. The final
report of the investigating board,
embodying the Italian as well as the
American conclusions was made pub
lie today with an accompanying state
ment from Secretary Weeks, declar-
ing there was no controversy between
American and Italian authorities in
volved.
The report stresses the statement
that all the facts of the disaster can
never, be known. Those who might
have known what sent the ship pIung-
ing to earth in a swift nose dive to
be destroyed by fire on the ground
persisted in the wreckage. Physical
evidence that might have told the
story was consumed in the flames.
"At the very BEST" says the report
of the board headed by Major Daven-
port Johnson, air service which gath
cred and sifted the evidence, I'VE can
do no more than determine which of
the possible causes were the most
perts reached the conclusion that flat
probable"
Briefly stated, the American eE-
tening of the upper surface OF the
metal nose cap on the bow OF the
great gas bag caused downward
pressure as the ship drove along at
probably sixty miles an hour; the
down thrust was resisted by the stern
stabilizers and stresses developed
which the evidence of one witness IN
dicates caused a buckling of the keel
frames, putting the rudder controls
out of commission and leaving the
huge aircraft to plunge downward
with her crew helpless to check the
dive.
The Italian experts disagree with
this view. They believe that the re
calling rudders" contemplating the
movement of the "up-down" rudder
control, probably over stressed ana
broke and this was followed by the
rupture of the rudder control cao!es.
This, they contend, left the "up-d0"n
rudders free to assume the natural
position giving "a positive angle OIL
attack of not less than eight degrees
to he elevators, as has been recently
proven by tests in Italy.
"Dbis caused an Immediate upward
motion of the rear part of the Roma
the italian conclusion continues anu
her consequent dive to the ground
The air service report draws rom
the disaster certain definite lessons
If holds that in future such alrsh'P9
as the Roma should be inflated oiuy
with non-explosive helium gas Ulla'
provision should be made so that '''e
sbip,s commander could drop all OF
anv mart of the ships ballast Instant
Iv. so that he also could drop all gas
oline fuel tanks in the same way ana
so that he could cut off all motors III
stantlv with a control master s"lOc",
The board found that no ballast i'au
been dropped before the Roma stfuoA %
earth; that two of her six LioerIy
motors were still running, pulilhg ilet
earthward and that the gasoline Lusi
as we'll as the hydrogen in the gresI
bag was responsible for the 'ef''''
fire that followed the crash
"IJndoibtedly," the. report Sass'
.,sbs loss of life in this accident "OuLd
no. have been 50 great if the SupPol
ting \ medium N this envelope Sac
been a non-ihflahsmable, nOn-eNp'
sive gas such as helium."
The investigation disclosed tf'A' Oh
the flight that ended in the olSN'S '' ,