The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-02-23
GIVES REASON
FOR AIR ACCIDENT

Norfolk, Va, Feb. ga state
ment by Maj. Gen. Mason NJ. Patrick,
head of the army air service, that he
believed the destruction of the airship
Roma was due to an accident to the
cotnrols regulating, the altitude of
the craft stood out tonight as the
only official statement from any Of
those investigating the accident which
yesterday caused the death Of 34 per.
sons, the injured of eight others and
the demolition of the worlds largest
semi-rigid aircraft.
Meanwhile tonight the army board
of Investigators, called into session to-
day, continued it's hearings tonight
behind closed doors. None of the pro
ceedings were allowed to seep out of
the quarters occupied by the board.
Geenral Patrick expressed his opin-
ion on the basis Of testimony he had
heard thus far and substantiated
statements previously made unofficial
ly by survivors of the wreck that the
";evating rudder, contrivance resem-
bling the wings of en airplane and
attached to the stern of the Roma,
huckled and fell forward, forcing the
craft into nose dive, which ended
when she crashed into high power
electric transmission Iint, caught fire
and burned with the5greater number
of her crew and passengers pinned
beneath. ~
Only tangled mass If the steel
frame work of the army diriyible re-
NAMED tonight to mark the spot
where "a men lost their hves yester-
day. ~ i,
Investigation of thes case OF the
disaster, which began early this af-
ternoon, continued fh;s evening, ard
testimony was heard byAhe board Vt
army officers conductiksstl,e inquiry
hut none of the testiisey was made
public. f
The only official statement from
the Investigators was a&Ssaby MAJ.
Gen. Mason M. Patrief Had OF the
army air service.
General Patrick declared that there
was no explosion or while the
Roma was still in the AZ The fire
and resultant explosib ~ 81 aid, were
caused by the high ires ppon
The board Investigation is made
up of Maj. D. ]. Johnson, who is
presiding, Major Jouett, and Major
McNurney of Langley field. After
they had interviewed all the survivors
of the accident, five of the II men
in the public health service hospital
who were we'll enough were moved
to Langley field. These were: Maj. b
D. Reardon, Capt. Walter ]. Reed
Lieut.. C. H. Welsh, Sergeant Breid-
bach and Corp. Alberto Flores.
The atmosphere about the army
base today was full of conjecture as
to the cause of the Roma's fall. Spec
ulation ranged from the suggestion
that the fabric of the ship may have
been rotten to the charge that the
Liberty motors recently installed had
proven too powerful for the support.
irg pieces of equipment. But the ma
;ority opinion as expressed was that
something happened to the elevatine
rudder while the ship was several
hundred feet in the air throwing the
stern of the craft upward and heading
her full speed obliquely toward tho
earth.
Survivors semed unanimous in the
declaration that there was no explo.
sion until the ship hit the ground
notwithstanding statements by eye.
witnesses that they saw flame shoot.
ing from a cabin window amidships
before the crash.
The last of the dead from the Roma
was removed before dawn today anc
soldiers began the work of clearing
away the wreckage, only a warped
skeleton of steel work, rearing itscll
high into the air, remaining on the
ground tonight.
Newport News, Feb. 23.-Col. A. II
Fisher, chief of lighter-than- serv,
ice at Langley Field said: KNOWING
Lieut.. Clifford f. Smythe as l did
can not believe he is correctly quoted
in the letter in which he is said tc
have declared the Roma was unsafe.
Col. Fisher said he was certain there
was no criminal negligence and here
was nothing wrong when the Roma be
gan her fight.