The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-03-02
Airship Roma, Bought in Italy, Is
Destroyed With Loss Of
Thirty-Four Lives.
PROBABLY WAS DEFECTIVE
Senate Reservationists Busy With the
Four-Power Treaty-Movement to
Postpone Soldiers Bonus Leg
IsIation--irish Factions in
Three Months Truce.
sy EDWARD w. PicKARD

THIRTY- FOUR more lives have been
i sacrificed to Americas infatuation
for forelgn-bullt airshlps. II we must
have these craft. is 1t not about time
we relied on our own designers ana
constructors for themf Unless the ~
formation available at this writing Is
misleading. the disaster that befeli the
Roma near Hampton R0atfs tnst-sseek +
will be found to be. In its causes, com
parable to that Of the ZR-2 in Eng
land last August In both cases, ap-
parently, there were vital defects IN
construction Of which the builders
were cOgnizant.
SO far as investigation has revealed.
the fall OF the Roma was due to the
breaking of the controls that regulat-
ell 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 height OF
about 400 feet. As she crashed against
the ground she broke some high ten
sion electric wires and at the same
moment the big gasoline tanks burst
In the resulting explosion and fire
/ most OF the victims met mercifully
instant death. Even II the Roma had
not struck the wires say army or ser
vice officials, the men caught under the
vessels gas bag and steel frame would
have burned To death, for the gasoline
from the broken tanks would have lg-
nited from the engines. This fact may
avert possible blame for the using OF
ordinary field gas in the Roma instead
of the nonlnhammable helium gas, de-
veloped by the air service. All the
helium In the country was In the Ro-
mas bag when she was given trial
trip late In December, but as this was
wanted for contemplated long tour
over the country next summer, II was
drawn out and the ordinary gas sub
stituted.
Although General Mitchell, head OF
the United States air service, now III
Berlin. says the Roma was perfect,
there is reason to believe that he Is
mistaken. Last summer Kenneth L.
Roberts witnessed demonstration
, fllrht of the balloon In Italy shortly
/, after she had been sold TO America
and he wrote for the Saturday Eve
ming Post story Of that hight IN
which he brought out these points
That the gas bags were old and
= Ieaky; that the Italians wanted a calm
' day for the trip; that they refused Il
: sail the ship over Mount Vesuvlus, ap
parently fearing the heat of the era
: ter; that they preferred sailing ovel
the ocean. the air being more que
there; that the ship reared, buckeu
, Jumped. and was buffeted about llk'
Y a feather in cyclone; that the shil
|. had tendency to nose downward
a high rate of speed.
II may be this new disaster VIII re
suit in the cancellation of the orde
for Zeppelin for America To be Duii
I'm Germany. General Mitchell say
: this craft is not under way, "beeaus
. of the numerous difficulties betwee
3 America. the entente and Germany
= These difficulties center on whethe
$ America shall get the latest type o
n an old style. II America wants III
:, latest, the entente must permit Gel
many to build airships. which the 'el
' saIIles treaty forbids.'
CONTINUED on Page Six)