Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-18
BALLOON GOES
To SMASH ON
RETURN TRIP
Seven Injured as Big
Dirigible Falls a n d
Burns at San Antonio.
Fourth Loss of Kind in
Past Two Y e ars !;
Hydrogen Is Blamed.

San Antonio, Tex, Oct. 1.-THE
dirigible ca, the United States army's
best and largest "hIimp," on return
transcontinental flight from Ross field,
Calf, to Langley field, Va, was burned
Tuesday and seven persons were in
lured. According to Major n. A.
Strauss, commander of the ilI-fated
ship, the accident was due primarily
to the pulling out of the fabric of the
envelope during>a strong wind.
A board of inquiry was appointed by
Major Royce, commander of Brooks
field, to investigate the accident. The
ship, which Major Strauss said was
valued at possibly $4,000, originally
cost the government $4,000.
The five army officers and two
newspaper men who were injured Tues
day night were reported to be not
seriously hurt. -Four of them suffered
from broken bones in jumping from
the carriage of the balloon after it had
struck at the end of the giant concrete
hangar at Brooks field, which was
built originally to house the Roma,
which blew up over Hampton Roads,
February 81. 1922.
The injured are:
Major John Thompson, broken right
arm and internal injuries:
Garcia Naranjo. fractured right arm; !;
Ben Baines, broken right arm;
Sergeant A. ID. Albrecht, sprained
ankle;
Sergeant Harry f. Bills, broken right
ankle;
Captain Nelson NJ. Walker. badly
shaken up; !,
Major II. A. Strauss, sprained
ankle
Preparing for Flight
The CO was preparing to make a
flight over the city of San Antonio,
primarily for the benefit Of four news
paper reporters and eight army Off
GERS of eighth corps area headquarters
at Fort Sam Houston. 1t had been
pulled out of the hangar about half
way, when a strong gust of wind, esti-
mated by Major Strauss at not more
than 10 miles velocity, swung the ship
around.
"a strong puff came, dragging the
bag along the ground" said Major
Strauss written statement regarding
the accident Il ordered the ship back
into the hangar. Just as We started,
another gust came and the fabric TO
which the windward handling guy was
attached pulled loose, another handing
guy broke under the sudden pressure,
and the third handling guy failed, re-
leasing the bag and permitting 1t to
swing to leeward into the concrete
structure at the base of the hangar
door. The bag was torn.
Hydrogen Catches Fire
"As the bag became loose, the car
broke in two places. Thirty seconds
after the car broke, the hydrogen IN
the envelope caught fire, due to the
hole and rapid influx of air. When
this occurred, all personnel on board
was clear of the ship, and injuries suf-
fered were caused by dropping or fall
ing from the car prior to or just after
it had lodged on the concrete structure
of the hangar door. ;.
"The ship had been in perfect condi,,
ton during the continental flight and
the cross wind was not of such velocity
as would cause any trouble in handling.
'This accident which resulted so
disastrously for the C-2 itself, is due
primarily to the pulling out of the
fabric of the envelope. If this had
not occurred, the ship undoubtedly would
have been safely maneuvered back into
the hargar.