Arizona republican., 1922-02-22
High Tension
Wires Ignite
Giant Gas Bag
TRepubIIcan a. P. leased wIrel

Republican A. p. Leased WireJ
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21-Disaster
today at TIE Hampton Roads army
base to the army's Italian built air..
ship Roma, largest craft OF her type
in the world, cast gloom over the
war and navy departments as the
long list of officers and men who
were burned to death in the ship
came in. Pending fun official reports,
however, Secretary Weeks and the
air service officials had no comment
to make.
Immediately on receipt of the news
Major General Patrick. chief Of the
air service. left for the scene by air.
plane.
Live Wires Ignite 5aq
Unofficial reports indicated that
failure Of rudden controls had caused
the Roma to become unmanageable
a thousand or more feet in the air.
and plunged earthward where she
struck high tension electric wires
which were thought to have ignited
the hundreds of thousands OF cubic
feet of hydrogan gas which filled the
great bag.
Pending details from survivors, Off
GERS here accepted this as the prob
able explanation of the disaster. Un-
til it has been learned definitely what
structural defect sent the ship plung-
ing down. 1t was added. the lessons
to be drawn from the accident could
not bee seen, so far as airship de-
sign was concerned.
With several officers Of the ship
and some OF her skilled mechanics
among the survivors. IL was hoped
that fun information would be avail
able.
When the navy British built air
ship ZR-2 came 10 a tragic end
through an explosion 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 who could tell
what happened. In that case, it has
since been ascertained the buckling
of portion of the framework re-
suited in destruction of the ship by
explosion in air.
Fire Brings Death TO Majority
Navy officials laid emphasis. in
talking OF the Roma's destruction,
on the point that had IL been possible
to develop a sufficient supply OF
helium, the new non-inflamable gas.
first produced during the war. to fin
her great bag, today's accident al
most certainly would have been far
less terrible. There would have been
no fire after the crash, at least. 1t
was said. and it was the terrible heat
of the blazing hydrogen which ap-
parently brought death TO more than
80 men. But so far only sufficient
helium has been produced to initiate
the naval blimp CT. a mere pigmy
ship of the air beside the Roma
During the Roma'S trip in Decem-
Der from Langley field TO Washing
ton to be christened and formally
commissioned in the army air fleet,
she developed trouble with her orig
inal Italian motors, but otherwise
! functioned perfectly. 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 compelled 70
| Jockey his monster craft over the
| low hills that surround the field with
utmost cunning to bring her in at all.
/ Because of motor troubles the
scheduled initial flight OF the Roma
/ over Washington. with Secretaries
| Weeks and DENLY and the Italian
! anba assador in her cabins. as well as
senators and members of the house,
was postponed. The ship went back
to Langley running before the wind
and barely reached her hanger before
a coast gale broke. She remained in
! The shed for many weeks 10 have
I her motors replaced by Liberty en-
4 gfnes OF greater power and more GER
! tainty of performance. The flight
! which proved her last, was one OF
/ those made TO test her new propell-
\ ing plant and it had been expected
she would show greatly improved
I speed and maneuver abiilty:
Was last Of Biz Ships
Destruction or the Roma leaves
both the army and navy without an
ships larger than the navy blmps
There is not now in the United
states a rigid or semi rigid craft even
lfaintly resembling the German Zeppe-
Inns that harried London time after
time during the world war. The ZR-1
is under construction by the navy
however, and recently arrangement'
were made with the cooperation Of
the allied governments that tho Yep
pelin plant in Germany should bullc
for the navy a Zeppelin or the Il typ'
which proved successful during tn'
war. The ZR-1 was described today
as strictly a reproduction of the bes
German airships only slight modifl'
cations In plan having been made pI
the navy department. The policy o
the department in planning the shil
is understood to have been to at
tempt no Improvement until the trieC
and proven practice of the German
airship builders had been duplicated
successfully and then to advance II
speed and size by slow strides, anc
with emphasis laid in every succeed
ing design on safety and sound struc-
tural developments.
The Zeppelin TO be produced IT
Germany also will be of this proven
fvpe and the business OF air shir
building in this country on major
scale, either for military or CONNER
cial purposes. has been generally eN-
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