Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-02-23

Norfolk, Va, Feb, ga state
ment by Mai. Gen. Mason M. Pat
rick, head of the army air service,
that he believed the destruction Of
the airship Roma was due to an
accident to the controls regulating
the altitude of the craft stood out
tonight as the only official state
ment from any of those investigat-
ing the accident which yesterday
caused the death Of thirty-four
persons, the injury OF eight others
and the demolition Of the worlds
largest semi-rigid airship.
Meanwhile tonight the army
board of investigation called into
session today continued its hear
ings behind closed doors. None of
the proceedings could be learned.
General Patrick expressed his
opinion, on the basis Of testimony
he had heard thus far, and sub
stantiated statements previously
made unofficially by survivors Of
the wreck, that the elevating rud-
der. q contrivance resembling the
wings of an airplane and attached
to the stern of the Roma, buckled
and fell forward, forcing the craft
into a nose dive which ended when
she crashed into n high power
electric transmission line. caught
fire and burned with the greater
number of her crew and passengers
pinned beneath.
1t was reiterated by army Off
GERS today that there was no ex-
plosion or fire while the Roma was
in the air. General Patrick, who
came here by airplane from Wash
ington Immediately upon being ad-
vised of the accident. declared
there had been none. In his state
ment General Patrick said:
From the testimony I have
heard so far 1t Is indicated that the
disaster was due to an accident to
the controls regulating the altitude
of the Roma.
1.-THE ship came down, striking
high tension electric wires, which
caused the fire. There was no ex-
plosiOn and no fire while the ship
was in the air"
Army officers also emphasized
that the rudder had given way and
that fire did not occur until the
ship struck the electric wires,
Their view was summarized in the
following five points:
First, that the left rudder of the
Roma gave way when she was less
than half q mile from where she
went down near the army base fire
station.
Second, that there was no fire
on the ship until the tilt began as
a result of the right hand side of
the rudder going into an almost
vertical position.
Third, that the craft became un-
as she swooped over
the base reservation narrowly
a 150-foot smokestack of
the central heating plant,
Fourth, that the immediate
cause of the explosion with such
force as to wreck the entire craft
and set her on fire was contact
with a net of 2.2OO volt high power
electric wires. less than one hun
dred feet from where the Roma
crashed into a pile of debris.
Fifth that the Liberty motors,
which were being tested were not
responsible for the disaster, unless
something more tangible should be
learned than appeared today.
Just how long the official inves-
tigation win require was not indi-
Gated tonight, although every ef-
fort will be made to complete it
as quickly az consistent with a
thorough probe of the entire situa-
ton.
Five Of the eleven injured men
who were first taken to the pub
lice health service hospital, have
now been found strong enough to
be removed to Langley field. They
are Maj ]. D. Beardon, Capt. wal
ter ]. Reed, Lieut.. C. IL. Welch.
Sergeant Biedenbach and Corporal
Flores.
A small morgue in Newport
News housed the dead. thirty of