The Idaho recorder., 1922-03-03
81 MEET DEATH
IN AIR DISASTER
GIANT ARMY piRIoIeLE PluNoEs
TO EARTH At NORFOLK
NAVAL BASE
RAGING FLAMES TAKE TOLL
Roma. Worlds Largest Airship. Pur.
chased From Italy, on Trial Fiioht
When Accident Occurs; Many
Leap as ship Nears Ground


Norfolk, ya.--Thirfy-fo men w.r.
Killed. eight were injured seriously
and three were uninjured or onl,
slightly bruised when the giant army
airship Roma. with her crew aud q
number OF civilians, totaling ~ In
ali. plunged from 1900 feet or more
In the air to the ground at the Hamp-
ton Roads naval base. The accident
presumably was caused by broken
rudder and AZ the huge dirigible plung-
I'd to earth II capsixed across a high
tension electric line. bursting into q
roaring furnace Of blazing hydrogen
sas.
Many hours after her fall. the ship
was In flames from end to end of her
4iO-foot mase. The fire fed on the l..
ooo.0o0 cubic feet Of gas which had dis
tended the great bag for the flight and
made all attempts AT rescue work
futile.
Barely a dozen Of those aboard were
picked UP alive and one Of these died
on the way 10 the hospital. All who
survived the fire escaped hy jumping
as the ship struck The others. penned
In the hull OF the fallen bag, were
burned to death.
The flames were finally brought into
submission by three fire departments
who fought them with chemicals. Der
ricks then began picking up the wreck.
are. which consisted of scarcely more
than the aluminium frame work and
the six liberty motors OF the once
proud ship Of the mir.
Accounts or survivors and eye wit.
nesses ais 10 what had happened ap.
peared TO agree that the huge kites
rndder, itself as large az a bombing
plane. had slipped 60 one side as the
Roma drove along 900 feet above the
army base.
She was making trial flight with
new battery of Liberty motors They
were Installed 10 replace Itallnn en-.
gines bought With her III Italy. bnt
which have not proved satisfactory.
Installation was completed al Langley
Field two weeks ago.
Those below nt the army hase M
Hampton Honds had their attention
caught by The approaching thunder of
the motors and looked up to see Roma
DID down from her strnight flight. J
Thax axssss,s.a sss,,s.a that the rudder seen, g,
10 have slipped -rns!lls doYrS~ as She
came closer and II wnsa89en that her
crew were hurting sand ballast from
the ports In the fragile fabric that
formed the covering Of the space be
tween her keel and back. the living
and operating quarters of the ship
The dipping blunt nose OF the bag did
not respond. On the ship came, un.
checked In her glide carthwarh head
first.
Below ran the double wires of the
high power electric line carrying
a.30oyolt current. The Itoma's nose,
shod with It's aluminium guard sank
Into the wires, broke them as the
ship fiattened to earth and rolled over,
and the next moment came the noise
of an explosion. Flames burst out
along the hull space.
so fierce was the fire of the gas
flame that rescuers were driven back \
before lts terrific heat The Roma was
y wall OF flame aud until the thou
sands Of gallons Of chem slls and
water had checked the holocaust, IL
was impossible to reach the men
mangled and dead In that fiery fur
mace.
The ship left no passenger list be-
hind when she set out for a brief trial
run from Langley, As she r,se from
Langley her commander leaned out 10
signal that he had ~ persons aboard.
Officers who knew personally many
of the officers and enlisted men, were
unable 10 identify q single one of the
victims. 81 badly charred was each
body. burned to death when the ex.
nlosion and flames encompassesi them.
Washington. The Roma catastrophe
is expected to speed M the plan for
the development of hellum In this
country.
President Harding has been gather
Ing material for message to congress |
urging the immediate acauirement Of
heiium In gas fields. including those
near Amarillo. Texas. and Killings
Montana. The president h convinced
that diriEible traffic win be under
taken on large scale In this country
Just as soon rs bellum can replace
hydrogen for initiation purposes.