Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1922-02-23
THRTY-EICHT DIE
IN ROMA FALL;
U.S.. BEGINS PROBE
Buckling Of Rudder Started
Plunge; Roma Struck High
Tension Electric Cable;
Survivors, Story.

Norfolk, Va, Feb. 21.-Thirty-
four men were killed, eight were in
jured or only slightly bruised when
the giant airship Roma, with her
crew and a number of civilians. to-
falling As in all aboard, plunged to-
day from a thousand feet or more in
the air to the ground at the Hampton
Roads naval base.
The accident presumably was
caused by broken rudder and as the
huge dirigible plunged to earth 1t
capsized across a high tension elec-
trio line, bursting into roaring fur
mace Of blazing hydrogen gas.
Long after dark tonight the ship
was still mass of flames from end
to end of her 40 foot mass. The
fire, fed on the million cubic feet of
gas which has distended the great
bag for the flight and made all at
tempts at rescue work futile. Bare
ly a dozen of those aboard were pick
ed up alive and one of these died on
the way to the hospital. All who
survived the fire escaped by jump
ing as the ship struck, the others,
penned in the hull of the fallen bag,
were burned to death.
Original Motors Relieved
The flames were finally brought
into submission by three fire depart
.ments who fought them with chem
icals. Then derricks began picking
up the wreckage which consisted OF
scarcely more than the aluminium
frame work and the six Liberty mo-
tors of the once proud ship Of the
air. Within the wreckage lay the
bodies, practically all charred be-
yond recognition. But before the
night had passed, 33 bodies had been
removed, accounting for the last of
those known to have taken flight on
the fatal voyage.
Accounts OF survivors and of eye
witnesses as to what had happened
appeared to agree tonight that the
huge kite-like structure of the stern
rudder, itself as large as a bombing
plane. had slipped to one side as the
Roma drove along a thousand feet
above the army base.
She was making a trial flight with
new battery of Liberty motors.
They were installed to replace Italian
engines bought with her in Italy, but
which have not proved satisfactory.
1t was just before p. nj. when
those below at the army base at
Hampton Roads base, their attten-
tion caught by the approaching
thunder of the six motors, looked up
to see the Roma dip down from her
straight fight. They agreed that
the rudder seemed to have slipped
bodily down and to one side.
The ship nosed steeply down and
as she came closer it was seen that
her crew were hurting out sand bal
last from the ports in the fragile
fabric that formed the covering of
the space between her keel and back,
the living and operating quarters of
the ship. The dipping, blunt nose Of
the bag did not respond.
Passengers Leap From Ship
On the ship came, unchecked in her
glide earthward, head first. Her
commander could not force her the
few hundred feet that would have
dropped her into the waters of the
bay and comparative safety for her
people.
Below ran the high double wires
of the High Power Electric line. It
carried a $500 volt current. The
Roma's nose, shod with. it's aluminium
guard, thrust into the wires, broke
them and the ship flattened to earth
and rolled over, and the next mo-
ment came the noise Of an explosion
and the flames burst out along the
hull space.
There was . rush OF men to the
rescue from the army post and the
navy base beyond. Just as the Roma
neared the wires, two men were seen
TO leap from high up in her slanting
hull.
As the stricken flaming monster
writhed in her first death agony. ten
men dropped from doors or ports or
through holes they tore in the fabric
sides that enclosed them. Some leap
ed from the platform where the en-
gines stood, far out from the hult.
So swift was the flare Of the gas
flames that rescuers were driven
back before its terrific heat. They
watched helplessly as the great So
foot bag shriveled In the fierce blaze.
Of the liberated gas. Il 81 ::l5 i. .s.s
The Roma was q wall OF flame a
city block long and until the thou;
sands Of gallons Of chemicals and
water had checked the holocaus Il
was Impossible To- reach the conrad
mansled and dead in that ,flery fur s.
se..eSs5 y. 49,.