The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-21
AIRSHIP RECENTLY PURCHASED
FROM ITALY EXPLODED AND FELL
NFLAMES NEAR NEWPORT NEWS

utes as the big gas bag continued t
burn briskly after striking the ground
Four bodies of men in the crew OF the
Roma were removed from the wreck
age within a few minutes. How Sc
riously they were burned could no
be stated at once They were hurried
to the hospital at the army base.
Versions Differ
Portsmouth, Va, Feb. 21.-The air
ship exploded at PIP o'clock this af
ternoon when she struck the barracks
buildings at the Hampton Roads army
base after a slanting plunge of hun
dreds of feet. The ship fell obliquely
70: a great distance and brought VI
with a ripping crash against a bar
racks building. A sheet of flame
leaped from the rent in the gas bag
and the boats plunged to the ground
twenty feet below.
One man was seen by observers al
the Standard Oil Company's plant al
Scwells Point to leap from the shil
while she was still hundreds of feet in
the air.
Twenty-one in Crew
Newport News, Va, Feb. 21.-There
were 21 in the official crew of the
Roma, according to officials at Lang
ley Field. In addition to these there
We're 80 or more passengers and en-
listed men aboard the officers at the
station said.
Members of the official crew of the
Roma are:
Major John G. Thornell. past com
mander; Capt. Dale Mabry, command
er: Capt. Walter ]. Reed, pilot; Lieut.
Byron G. Burt, pilot; Sergeant Roger
B. McNally, Coxswain; Sergeant Lee
M. Harris, chief engineer; sergeant
Lewis Hilliard, engineer; Myron G
Field, engineer; ]. NJ. Biedenbach, en-
gineer; Sergeant Thomas Yarbrough
engineer; Sergeant Billy Ryan, radio
operator; Sergeant Virgil Hoffman
rigger; Corporal Irbey Huzion, rigger;
Corporal Alberto Flores, rigger; Pri
vate Gus Kinkston, rigger; Private
Marion Hill, rigger; Private Thomas
M. Blakely, engineer; Private John
Thompson, engineer; Private Vernon
Peek, engineer: Sergeant Hbmer Cor
by and Sergeant Lico G. Loupes, pho
tographers.
The Roma was flying low over the
warehouse at the army supply base al
the time of the accident. That she was
in trouble was noted by persons in
the neighborhood who saws wisp OF
smoke dart suddenly above the big
gas bag.
The wisp became a dull reddish
glare as the bag burst into flames. A
great volume of smoke rose above her
The Roma went into nose dive near
the warehouse number four on the
army base reservation.
The collapsed and burning dirigible
settled to the street alongside the
army base fire station Firemen start
ed fighting the blaze at once.
ssCalls were sent Immediately to the
hospital at the naval base for assist
ance, also to the hospital at the army
supply base and local hospitals. Medi
cal officers from the United States
public health service hospital at the
base were soon at the scene.
Men were taken from the wreckage
of the big airship, many of them bad
ly burned and some otherwise hurt
Some of the passengers aboard the
ship were virtually unhurt, though
they were all shaken up.
number of the men jumped from
the cars of the Roma as she fell. 9th.
ers were caught under her. These, il
is believed were killed almost in
stantly.
On the first checking up at the
army base of the men rescued from
the ship the following were named
Reardon, Welch, Reed, Hurley, Peek
Friedenbach, Chapman and Burt.
Fourteen men were seen to leap
from the stricken airship as it ap
peared inevitable that she would
strike one of the buildings at the army
base. Some of them clung to para
chutes while others leaped over the
side and plunged to the ground, ac
cording to eye witnesses.
The wreck was still burning like a
blast furnace at 2:50 o'clock though
chemicals were being played on the
debris by the army base fire depart
ment. According to witnesses on the
scene of the disaster fully half doz
en- men are pinned beneath the
wreckage.
The body of one man has been re
moved.
600 Feet Up
Newport News, Va. Feb. 21.-The
Roma was between 900 ard 1000 feet
in the air when she fell. officials a.
the Hampton Roads naval base stated
She took fire at 2:10 and crashed to
the ground a few seconds later, eye
witnesses said.
More Favorable News
Portsmouth, Va, Feb. 21.-One man
was killed and twelve seriously in
1ured when the giant airship Roma
plunged obliquely over a mile and
crashed into barracks building al
the Hampton Roads army base at 2:1s
o'clock this afternoon. according tc
information In the hands of the com
maudant officers at the Hampton
Roads naval base. The remainder ol
the 21 members of the crew and 3C
or 40 passengers and observers
aboard the Roma escaped with minor
injurie, cuts, and bruises, accordine