The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1922-02-22
Only EleUen Survivors, OF Crash
and Terrific Fire Which Made a
Funeral Pyre of Trapped Airmen
Survivors Tell
Stories of the
Tragic Accident
HAMPTON ROADS v.

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. !
Feb. IA charred skeleton of
twisted metal. splashed with bits
Of frayed bunting. today marked
the spot where - American army !
birdmen died in the crash Of the
semi-risid dirigible Roma. once
pride Of the Italian air forces.
While three concurrent inves:i-
cations were being rushed byI
army officials. fellow air men hon
order their dead as crusaders Of
the sky who were suddenly over
taken by a tickle fate.
There are eleven survivors of
the crash and the terrific FIRE that
made a funeral pyre of the trap
ped airmen.
Those OF the survivors able to talk
today blamed the catastrophe Oh
broken elevation controls and a lib
erty motor that went dead" The
Roma was making its first test fight
after liberty motors had replaced the
original Italian engines
Out Of the maze Of counter stories,
It was apparent today that the crew
and passengers of the Roma for the
most part never had a chance to es-
cape" Trapped beneath the falling
envelope they were blasted into black
eDed shriveled corpses in the Arst
great explosion that followed the
crash. The handful who escaped
either dove from the cabins just be-
e,vsn x,l H. InxJ
gulieyB that criss- crossed the field on
which the Roma fell These gulleys
provided protection from the blast for
few.
/ The bodies of the dead. most of
them charred beyond hope Of recog-
nstion. lay in tiny morgue at New
port News. Va. across the bay from
the scene of the catastrophe Four
great army and navy bases. touching
. on Hampton Roads, meanwhile paid
honored tribute to the air victims.
! Three Investigations Under Way.
/ The three Investigations into the
crash are heinG conducted by Major
General Patrick. chief of the army air
service. who came from Washington
by airplane, by Lieutenant Colonel
Arthur G.. Fisher. acting commandant
at the flying field who ordered the
Roma up" on its last flight. and by
Major f. L. Kennedy. summary court
officer. who is the army coroner"
Major Kennedy announced today he
would swear in jury. and hold an
inquest over the bodies either late
to-day or tomorrow. He Will deter
mine responsibility for the accident
for the local military authorities.
The crash which occurred within
terminated what was to have been a
test flight Of the Roma under power
of new liberty motors The airship
after rising above its hangar at Lang
ley Field. crossed Hampton Roads in
long sweeping circle
While above the bay the skip de
) veloped head trouble. according tt
survivors, She nosei downward
settling slowly at first but in feu
minutes diving earthwarh At an angle
of * degrees with increasing speed
The big engines were slenceh and
, the bag fioated II eraZed electric
. overhead wires running along a camI
roadway. tore several awav ant
crashed in the midst of p les Of arm,
: Junk. \ terrific blast of flames fol
u lowed with an aardeafening roar
Calm observers declared the fame:
g leaped 500 feet in the air Th.
r whole ship then burst into flames Fo
:. an hour minor explosions occurred a
! tanks OF gasoline or hydrogen blew
S Up
Army trefnen an1 men frcm tn.
/ naval and army bases on the Hampton
Roads side Of the bay rnshei tn rescu'
the imprisoned airmen They ver
{ unable to effect any rescues for 81
a hour. as the flames prevented AT
O proac1 when the blaze vas fnall
4 extingnished hlackened ria~s 0
* twisted metal remained
n 1t was in this blazing Inferno tha
r. all but one of the victims perislie.
= The exception WAS Lieut. Wm
n Riley. of Kew York He ieapel frot
rs the bag with a parachute Just befer
h the crash The parachute failed I
>, open aud Riley sra shed head first ont
the concre's roadway. HIS head va
- smashed aud his nesa broken
n, Literally Roasted Alive
n Soldiers using railroad cram
- which was backed near the seen
:. lifted the vraekage while volunteel
- dug out the bodies of the charre
dead Gfueson'e sigat.- met the.
re scuers Some victims had the
hands burned Of though the ehl
do force OF the explosion seemed to ha'