The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-02-22
Of the Ferty-five Men Aboard
the Craft Thirty-four Known
to Have Perished.
ONLY THOSE FORWARD
HAD CHANCE FOR LIVES
Huge Craft Did Not Catch Fire
Until After 1t Had Struck
the Earth, 1t Is Said.
(ey The Associated Press)

NORFOLK, Va, Feb. 21.-Of the 10
army service officers, enlisted men and
civilians who left Langley Field air sta
tion at Las this afternoon on what
proved to be the last flight of the giant
army dirigible Roma. "a are dead, the
bodies of many of them being charred
beyond recognition, and eight survivors
are in the army public health service hos
pital here suffering from shocks, burns
and bruises.
OF the As men who left the Langley
Field air station this afternoon, IL found
their way, alive, to the United States
public health service hospital Those
men, some more dead than alive. lay on
their cots, with burned and broken limbs
swathed in bandages. Some had their
faces srneared with cream to relieve them
of their intense suffering while others lay
asleep or unconscious with only their
closed eyes visible All who were able
to talk were suffering from shock.
Contact with the high voltage wires
which were torn asunder started the gas
bag of the Roma afire, and the explosion
followed as the nose of the craft struck
a nile of car materiai a few feet beyond
& The explosion sent flames 500 feet in
the air, as eight of her survivors leaped
from the deck of the ship. Three others
and flames.
Only those in the forward part of the
operating compartment of the ship had
chance for their lives. Several were
injured severely by jumping, but three
came out practically unhurt and were
discharged from the hospital within
few hours after the disaster.
Lieutenant Burt, who, with Captain
Reed, was the principal pilot of the
Roma, was one of these. He jumped
when the shin was only a few yards
from the ground.
Albert Sloras, who was in the observ-
ers' pit on top of the bag. said 81 felt
the ship tilt up from the hack and start
TO slide down. / tried to go back down
inside but then I decided to come out
forward again. BY that time we hit the
ground and 1 was thrown out Sloras
was burned about the hands and is suf-
fering from shock
Major j. D. Reardon, who was in the
control cabin at the time of the accident,
said that the work of the officers in
charge was excellent.
Lieutenant Burt and Captain Mabry
were at their wheels" the major said,
"the ship gave a duck and saw Lieu
tenant Burt pull with all his might on
the elevation level. He yelled out, She
won't respond" and then cut~the motors,
One by one / heard the motors shut off
and then we struck. If the motors had
not heen shut off we would have hit the
ground much harder"
When asked if he had seen any flames
he said that he had not.
Ray Hurley. a civilian and engine ex-
pert. was aboard and suffered a Slight
sprain of one arm and burns about the
hand. The trip was Hurleys first flight.
'It was the first time have ever been
up and when the Roma started to swing
didn't know anything was wrong j
thought she was acting all right didn't
know different 1t was not until the ma
chine hit the ground that l realized she
was wrecked. She was sailing along
smoothly and she was coming straight
from the Langley field. We were up
only short time when we fell
Sergeant Peek, and engineer aboard
the Roma. said that he was tending his
motor in the port rear engine boat.
''The Liberty was running fine when
we suddenly veered up and nosed down.
thing"
Joseph n. BiedenbeclS, engineer, was
burned about the face and hands. He
said: II didn't see any fire. The ship
just tilted up and started to nose dive.
II took about 20 seconds for us to hit
the ground and an explosion followed
/ was pinned down so that 1 could not
get out. The fabric was above me and
the girders were all around. / wanted
for the fabric TO burn through so | could
get out. All the time ! was afraid that
the big gas envelope behind us would ex-
plode. AS it happened. the fire reached
the fabric before the big explosion. II
it had not, / could never have gotten
out alive. / saw one man try a jump
I don't know who he was or If he made
a safe landing. We hit right after that
We We're too low for anybody to make
a safe jump
Both Biedenbeck and Major Reardon
spoke of the gallant way the otncers
remained at their posts. Until the in
slant of the crash, the officers at the |
wheels stuck
One of the survivors said that the Roma |
often sailed with q little tilt and that |
he paid little attention to the initial lift !;
of the tail Of the ship until he heard a |
man yell that the craft refused TO re-
spond TO the helm.
Several eyewitnesses, watching the
Roma soaring above the army base
shortly before the death plunge OF the
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