Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-22
ALL WHO STUCK TO
THE ROMA PERlSHED
Continued from page 1

continued from IWk0
How I escaped" said the un-
named officer, II do not know. ! reem
ed to have been thrown clear Of the
FIRE when the ship struck the ground"
The Roma started away from Lang
ley Field early yesterday on what was
intended az. speed test, She was
expected to maintain n rate OF about
100 miles an hour with her new LIB
crty motors. replacing italian engines
with which she had been powered
during her two years OF service In
Italy and her early trlnls hero.
Tho bodies taken from tho wreck
age were 80 badly burned and MANNED
that Identification was exceedingly
difficult The death list might not
have been SO high; some observers
thought, had the ship becn directed
toward the water OF Hampton Roads
instead OF over the land; but perhaps
there was no time to think or tnat
when she caught fire and started 10
drop. She fell upon pile OF pigiron
Asnearly as tho story OF tho dis
ssfer can bo pieccd together at this
time, Il runs thus:
Was Making Motor Tryout-
II was decided several days ago tc
give the Roma thorough tryout with
her new motor equipment. Sne nae
been rather slow and unwicldly VIII
her original engines, so four 4oo-hors'
power Liberties were placed In her
Monday and Tuesday morning n crew
was selected from among the bes
j p,lots and mechanics--officers and en-
! listed unconstitutional at Langley Field
4 Tho weather was clear, fine AM
!, warm when she was let go from ne
moorings. She was In command Q
Captain Mabry. who subsequenu
died with his hands on her wheel.
There seems TO be difference c
opinion as to just what happened pre-
vIous TO the striking of the wire an
tho burst OF flame. The ship ha
then been In the air about an houi
Some say she was 1000 or more fee
lup, others that she was not more ina
900 or 40. Some say that n tin
, string OF smoke was observable AT he
stern long before she struck the wiz
although this. OF course. may nav
been the exhaust streamer from
motor.
But all agree that she seemed
, have great difficulty In climbing an
= after making several unsuccesstul g
q fo,-te 10 get higher, she started
!, noae down on one of her long, wlt
o circles. There may have been III
o aboard before she struck the wir
. som, persons seem TO think that tn
= theory was confirmed by the fsct I'M
10 In tn. hands OF several OF the dea
z men taken from her ruins last nigl
. vera found extinguishers. But
there was an early f,re II was ena
n one.
e Strikes HIgh.Tension Wire.
, Anyhow. she came down and dow
q and then struck nose-on against u
electric wire. which carries 2,20O volt
= There was a flash and flare al
then for the rest OF the way TO u
ground, a distance OF about 100 Zee
she fell rather gently.
Some Of the men. perhaps dreadif
tho flames more than the fall. leap'
clear OF her as soon as they. saw Il
first faeh, None wore parachute
T Those who took this leap were :
killed. Most of them We're terrih
manrled when they struck the vi
of pig-iron. The survivors. were tho
J. who stuck 20 tho ship and eth
Jumped clear or were thrown Gle
when II reached tho earth.
Tho FIRST six bodies taken from I
wreckage were burned TO an unreco
&c without n
ie limbs. One was without head.
VI. few men were still alive when TAX
o' out from the flaming gas and fab
ei but died shortly afterward.
H. one Of these was Lieut.. w.
ie Riley, who has relatives in Brook,
- He was burned almost TO a crisp q
es sustained broken nerS. but still b
oi vitality enough 10 survive for seve
s' minutes after being removed from
wreckage.
ne Sudden Jolt Felt
a. One OF the survivors was +
Curley. a young civilian. who
81 never been in any sort of airship
,s fore yesterday. He said:
!, 1--WE seemed to be sailing alt
les al risnt "heh suuuS Tn
o,- to yell, there was kind of Jolt I
fire broke out all around us. 1 '
- knocked down and men seemed
fall all over me. They appeared
-. though they had all suddenly e
40. crazy.
- II must have lost my head, too,
T I remember nothing else and l h
~ no idea how l got out of the tn
II we were on fire up in the air
tore striking the wire. / didn't kr
''' anything about 1t. 1t was an
venture to me. this first flight, an