The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-22
INQUIRY
OF GREATEST
AIR DISASTER
Still at Loss to Ac-
count for Mishap that
Caused Ships Rudder to
Tilt.
YIELDS UP 81 DEAD


pletely wrecked by fire and explosion,
the Roma, the worlds largest semi
rigid airship and the pride of the
American air service, had yielded up
today the last of the dead of the dis
aster, which overlook her yesterday
while manuervering over Hampton
Roads and sent her downward to
crash into the network of high-power
electric wires that wrought her de-
struction.
Recovery of the last body fixed the
toll of the disaster-the greatest in
the history of American aeronautics--
at "a dead, eight injured and three
unhurt.
Of the dead, 80 had been identified,
although many of the bodies of those
caught in the interior of the ship
when she crashed were burned, black
ened and charred almost beyond rec
ognition.
These dead included some OF the air
services most gallant officers and
men. The lists contained the names
of Major John Thornell, commander
of the ship at her christening at Wash
ington last December, and Dr. Dale
ss
days ill-fated flight.
Clear Up Wreckage.
Air service men from Langley field
the home station began shortly after
dawn today the clearing UP of the
wreckage of the warped and blisterod
skeleton and at the same time prepar-
ations began for the official inquiry.
Major General Patrick. chief of the
air service, who came here by aero
plane yesterday, as soon as word OF
the disaster was flashed to Washing
ton, made personal inspection of the
wreck during the night, and ordered
an immediate investigation.
Officers at Langley field still were
at a loss to account for the mish..p
that caused the ships rudder to tilt /,
and thereby render the giant craft
unmanageable.
Possibility developed, however, that
the inquiry would take notice OF re-
ports that the bag of the Roma, built
| in Italy, was rotten, although officers
| at the field declined to discuss such
reports.
Says Cause Not Known.
"I have no idea what caused the
accident" said Capt. Walter j. Reed,
chief pilot of the Inflated airship. in
statement given out at the Public
Health Service hospital here today.
'1 doubt if it will ever be known.
| Of course, we have our own theories,
| but we are not certain which is cor
rect.
81 had known that there was trouble
with the control of the ship and It
was impossible to correct it after 1t
was discovered. The first intimation
we had that there was trouble was
when we saw the nose of the ship
down.
| 1--WE went back to see what caused
it and found the control was not work
ing. Everything possible was done TO
straighten the ship and get her on an
even keel again"
Shuts Off Motors.
/ Captain Mabry gave orders to shut
off all motors. The last four were
shut Off The forward motor was still
running. 1t is possible that tie en-
gineer was so thrown out OF his posi-
! ton that he could not see the signals
on his dial.
Every effort to get the Roma on an
even keel proved useless and she
pitched into the ground in nose dive
and turned over on her side. When
the ship hit, / was thrown into the
upper part of the cabin. | was shut
in and got out only when hole was
| burned into the cabin. Lieutenant
Welch crawled out with me. Both of
us had to go through flames to get to
safety
Il Rudder Blamed
Army officers who survived the dis
aster declared it was caused by the
collapse of the elevating rudder The
j Roma was sailing along smoothly
about three hundred feet in the air,
they said. when the elevating rudder
suddenly buckled, throwing the stern
of the craft upward
The buckling of the rudder crippled
the steering apparatus and started the
Roma on its plunge toward the ground
The downward progress of the air.
ship was checked by shutting off the
engines but the pilots were powerless
TO right the craft and it plunged to the
ground, crashed through line of high
tension electric wires and landed upon
a pile of steel rails and wheels.
Heat Caused Fire
The survivors emphatically denied
, statements of civilians who saw the
accident from the ground that fire
broke out on the Roma before she
struck the ground. The army officers
!, who escaped also said they believed
the fire and explosions which followed
D the crash were caused by the heat of
the airship's motors rather than by
contact with the electric wires.
Striking these the big dirigible cap
sized its great 410 foot hydrogen bag
smothering the passenger and engine
compartments as it crashed to earth
to become Immediately a raging fur.
mace of blazing hydrogen gas in which
all who had not jumped to earth met
a terrible death. All of the eleven
survivors escaped by jumping as tbs
ship struck only one of the victims
o meeting death in this way.
Investigate Report
e Reports that the bag of the semi
q rigid dirigible was rotten, will b,
y probed by the army board of INQUIRY
s Both officers and men early today ne
T clined to comment on the report
The board of inquiry will be namef
today or tomorrow and there win +,
2. full and complete investigation !
Continued on Page Ten) !