Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1922-03-02
81 MEET DEATH
IN AIR. DISASTER
GIANT ARMY DIRiGIBLE PLUNGES
TO EARTH AT NORFOLK
NAVAL BASE
RAGING FLAMES TAKE TOLL
Roma, Worlds Largest Airship, Pur-
chased From Italy, On Trial Flight
When Accident Occurs; Many
Leap as Ship Nears Ground

Norfolk, Va.-Thirty- men were
killed, eight were injured seriously
and three were uninjured or only
slightly bruised when the giant army
airship Roma, with her crew and a
number of civilians, totaling 40 in
all, plunged from 1000 feet or more
in the air to the ground at the Hamp-
ton Roads naval base. The accident
presumably was caused by a broken
rudder and as the huge dlrigible plung-
ed to earth it capsized across high
tension electric line, bursting into a
roaring furnace of blazing hydrogen
gas.
Many hours after her fall, the ship
was in flames from end to end of her
41O-foot mass. The fire fed on the l.
100000 cubic feet of gas which had dis
tended the great bag for the flight and
made all attempts at rescue work
futile
Barely a dozen of those aboard were
picked up alive and one of these died
on the way to the hospital All who
survived the fire escaped by jumping
as the ship struck. The others penned
in the hull of the fallen bag, were
burned to death.
The flames were finally brought into
submission by three fire departments
who fought them with chemicals. Der
ricks then began picking up the wreck
age, which consisted of scarcely more
than the aluminium frame work and
the six liberty motors of the once
proud ship of the air
Accounts of survivors and eye wit
nesses as to what had happened ap-
peared to agree that the huge kites
rudder, itself as large as a bombing
plane, had slipped to one side as the
Roma drove along 1000 feet above the
army base.
She was making a trial flight with a
new battery of Liberty motors They
were installed to replace Italian en-
gines bought with her in Italy, but
which have not proved satisfactory
Installation was completed at Langley
Field two weeks ago.
Those below at the army base al
caught by the approaching thunder of
the motors and looked up to see Roma
dip down from her straight flight.
They agreed that the rudder seemed
to have slipped bodily down as she
came closer and it was seen that her
crew were hurting sand ballast from
the ports In the fragile fabric that
formed the covering of the space be-
tween her keel and back the living
and operating quarters of the ship.
The dipping blunt nose of the bag did {
not respond. On the ship came, I'M
checked in her glide earthward, head
first.
Below ran the double wires of the
high power electric line carrying
2,3OO-volt current. The Roma's nose,
shod with its aluminium guard, sank
into the wires, broke them as the
ship flattened to earth and rolled over,
and the next moment came the noise
of an explosion. Flames burst out
along the hull space.
So fierce was the fire of the gas
flame that rescuers were driven back
before its terrific heat. The Roma was
wall of flame and until the thou
sands of gallons of chemicals and |
water had checked the holocaust. it |
was impossible to reach the men
mangled and dead in that fiery fur
mace.
The ship left no passenger list be-
hind when she set out for brief trial
run from Langley. AS she rose from
Langley her commander leaned out to
signal that he had A persons aboard. 1
Officers who knew personally many
OF the officers and enlisted men, were
unable to identify a single one of the
50 badly charred was each
body, burned to death when the ex-
plosion and flames encompassed them.
Washington.-TheR Roma catastrophe
is expected to speed up the plan for
the development of helIum in this
President Harding has been gather
ing material for a message to congress
urging the immediate requirement of
helium In gas fields, including those
near Amarillo. Texas, and Billings,
Montana. The president is convinced
hat dirigible traffic will be under
taken on large scale In this country
Just as soon as helium can replace
hydrogen for initiation purposes.
Nonnzrffsanr Channa pIsnn