The New York herald., 1922-02-22
HIGH AIR OFFICIALS SILENT;
WAIT WORD OF SURVIVORS

WASiINGTON, teD Zl.-Ine disaster
to-day at the Hampton Roads army base
to the army's Italian built airship Roma,
largest craft of her type in the world
cast gloom over the War and Navy de-
partments as the long list of officers
and men who were burned to death in
the ship came in. Pending full official
reports, however, Secretary Weeks and
Air Service officials had no comcnent to
make. Immediately on receipt of the
news Major Gen. Patrick, chief of the
Air Service. left for the scene by air.
plane.
Unofficial reports indicated that fall
ure of rudder controls had caused the
Roma to become unmanageable, a
thousand or more feet in air, and plunge
earthward where she struck high ten
sion electric wires which were thought
to have ignited the hundreds of thous-
ands Of cubic feet OF hydrogen gas
which filled the great bag. Pending
detailed accounts from survivors. Off
GERS here accepted this as the probable
explanation of the disaster. Until it
has been learned definitely what struc-
tural defect sent the ship plunging down
to her death. ii was added, the lessons
to be drawn from the accident could
not be forecast so far as airship design
was concerned.
With several officers of the ship AMI
some of her skilled mechanics among
the survivors. 1t was hoped that full in
formation would be available. When
the navy rigid, British built airship
ZR-2 came to a tragic end through ex-
plosion in the air during a trial trip In
England, evidence of the cause of the
smash had to be sought in the wreckage,
for there were no survivors to tell what
happened. In that case. 1t has since
been ascertained, the bucklng of a por-
tion OF the framework resulted in de-
struction of the ship by explosion in air.
Navy officials laid emphasis in talk
ing of the Roma's destruction on the
point that had it been possible to de-
velop sufficient supply of heltum tho
new non-inflammablc gas. first produced
during the war. to fill her great bag. to-
days accident almost certainly would
have been far less terrible. There would
have been no fire after the crash, at
least. II was said and II was the ter
rible heat of the blazing hydrogen which
apparently brought death 10 more than
thirty men. But so far only sufficient
heiium has been produced 20 initiate the
naval blimp CT, mere pigmy ship OF
the air beside the Roma. CT made her
trial flight carried by the new gas dur
ing the first days of the recent arms
conference. journeying from Hampton
Roads to Washington and back.
Daring the Roma's trip I'm December
from Langley Field to Washington TO
be christened and formally commits
stoned IN the army air fleet she de-
veioped trouble with her original Italian
motors, but otherwise functioned per-
fectly
The ship fought an increasing head
wind all the way and reached Boiling
Field with only three of her six motors
running. She had so little power as she
approached the landing place, where
scores Of distinguished guests awaited
her that her commander was COM
PEELED to jockey his monster craft over
the low hills that surround the field
with utmost cunning to bring her In at
all.
Because OF the motor trouble the
scheduled initial flight Of the Roma
over Washington with Secretaries
Weeks and DENLY and the Italian AM
bassador In her cabins as well as Sem
ators and members Of the House was
postponed. The ship went back to
Langley. running before the wind and
barely reaching her hanger before a
coast gale broke. She remained in the
shed for many weeks to have her mo-
tors replaced by Liberty engines Of
greater power and more certainty OF
performance. The flight which proved
her last was one OF those made 70
test her new propelling plant, and 1t
had been expected she would show
greatly improved speed and maneuver
ability.
Destruction Of the Roma leaves both
the army and navy without arships
larger than the navy biimps There is
not now in the United states Iigid Or