The Arvada enterprise., 1922-03-02
Nrship Roma, Bought In Italy, Is
Destroyed with Loss Of
Thirty.Four Lives.
PROBABLY WAS DEFECTIVE
ssnats Rsssrvatienlsts Busy with the
feue.PeNsr rrsaty-Mevsmsnt to
PestpsNs seldlsrs Denus Leg
isiatlen-leish Factions In
1heoe Montho' Truce.
sy EDWARD W. PIckARo

" 3OwNNO W. VtVt\VuO
THIRTY.rOUR more lives have been
i sacrificed to Americas infatuation
for foseign-built airships. II we must
have these craft. IL 1t not about time
we relied on our own designers and
constructors for themf Unless the In
formation available At this writing 10
misleading, the disaster that befell the
Roma near Hampton Roads last week
will Be found to be, In its causes. COM
parable to that Of the ZR-2 10 Eng
land last August. In both cases, ap-
parently. there were vital defects in
spestruction Of which the builders
Wofe eugaisant.
30 far - investigation has revealed.
the fall Of the Roma was due to the
breaking Of the controls that regulat-
ID the altitude Of the airship. Despite
the heroic efforts Of her navigators and
the frantic casting overheard Of all
ballast BY the crew. the huge balloon
plunged downward from a height Of
about 400 feet. Al she crashed against
the ground she broke some high ten
sioo electric wires and at the same
moment the big gasoline tanks burst.
In the resulting explosion and fre
most Of the victims met a mercifully
instant death. Even II the Roma had
not struck the wires. say army air SER
vice ofhcials, tho men caught under the
vessels gas bag and steel frame would
have burned to death, for the gasoline
from the broken tanks would have ig-
hited from the engines. This fact may
avert possible blame for the using Of
ordinary nsld gas in the Roma instead
Of the nooinhammable helium gas. de-
veloped By the air service. All the
hslium IN the country was In the Ro-
mas bag when she was given q trial
trip late In December. but as this was
wanted for . contemplated long tour
over the country next summer, It was
drawn out and the ordinary gas sub
stituted.
Although Gsoeral Mitchell. head Of
he United States air service. now In
Berlin. says the Roma was perfect.
thsrs u reason to believe that he II
mistaken. Last summer Kenneth L.
Roberts Witnessed q demonstration
6ight Of the balloon In Italy shortly
after she had been sold to America.
and be wrote for the Saturday Eve
ming Post q story Of that flight In
which be brought out these points:
That ths gas bags were old and
lsaky: that the italians wanted calm
day for the trip; that they refused to
call the ship over Mount Vesuvius. ap-
parently fearing the heat Of the era
ter: that they preferred sailing over
the ocean. the air being more quiet
there; that the ship reared. bucked.
Jumped. and was bufretet' about Ike
q feather in q cyclone; that the ship
had q tendency to nose downward at
Q high rate Of speed.
II may be this new disaster will re-
suit In the cancellation Of the order
for Q Zeppelin for America to be built
IN Germany. General Mitchell says
this craft u not under way. because
Of the numerous didiculties between
America. the entente and Germany.
Thsse dimcuities center on whether
America shall get the latest type Of
an old style. II America wants the
latest, the entente must permit Ger.
many to build airships. which the Yer.
saillss treaty fosbids."
DRESIDENT HARDING informed
! Tie senate that he could not com.
ply with it, request for the records.
wtnuteS conversations, ETC., relating
10 the four.powsf treaty. because most
Of the conversations and discussions
Wees quite outside the conference and
were without record. He added: Il
70 not belleve it 20 b compatible With
pubiIe Interests q eoosistent with the