The Newark journal., 1922-03-02
Airship Roma, Bought in Italy, is Destroyed With Loss Of
 Thirty-Four Lives.
PROBABLY WAS DETECTIVE
Senate Resevationists Busy With the Feur-Power Treaty-moVement to Postpone Soldiers Bonus Leg
 isiation-lrish Factions in
 Three Months Truce.
By EDWARD W. PACKARD

THIRTY-FOUR more lives have been
 sacrificed to America's infatuation for foreign built alrships If we must have these craft is it not about time we relied on our own designers and constructors for them? Unless the Tn. formation available at this writing fs misleading. the disaster that befell the Roma near Hampton Roads last week 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 fell of the Roma was due to the breaking of the controls that regulat- cd the altitude of the airship. Despite the bcr0ie efforts of her navgat0fs and the frantic casting overheard of all ballast by the crew, the huge balloon plunged downward from a height of aboat AGO feet AS she crashed against the ground sEe 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 mereifully instant death. Even if the Roma had not struck the wires. say army air 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 ig- nited from the engines. This fact may avert possible blame for the using of ordinary field gas in the Roma instead of the uonnfammable helium gas, de vel0ped by the air service. All the helinm in the country was in the Ro- mas bag when she was given trial trip late in December, but as this was wanted for q contemplated long tour over the country next summer, it was drawn out and the ordinary gas sub. siituted.
 Although General Mitchell, head of the United States air service, ROW in Berlin, says the Romn WAS perfect, there is reason to believe that he is mistaken. Last summer Kenneth l.. Roberts witnessed q demonstration flight of the balloon in Italy shortly after she had been sold to America, and he wrote for the Saturday Eve ping Post a story Of that flight in which he brought out these points: That the gas bags were old and leaky; that the Italians wanted calm day for the trip; that they refused to sail the ship over Mount Eesuvius, ap- pareDtly fearing the heat Of the era ter; that they preferred sailing over the ocean, the air being more quiet there; that the ship reared bueked. jumped and was bufeted about like a feather in 6 cyclone; that inc ship had q tendency to nose downward al high rate of speed.
 It may be this new disaster will re- sult in the cancellation of the order fer a Zeppelin for America 10 he built in Germany. General Mitchell says this craft is not under way, because of the numerous difficulties between America, the entente and Germany. These difficulties center on whether America shall get tue latest type or an old style. If America wants the latest. the entente must permit Ger many 10 build airships. which the Yer sailles treaty forbids."