The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1922-03-02
Airship Roma. Bought in Italy, Is
Destroyed With Loss of
Thirty-Four Lives.
PROBABLY WAS DEFECTIVE
Senate Reservationists Busy With the
Four-PoWer Treaty-Movement to
Postpone Soldiers Bonus Leg
isation-lrsh Factions In
Three Months Truce
BY EDWARD w. PiCkARD

Tl'IKTy.FOUR more lives have been
sacrificed to Amrrlcu's inrntuntion
for forrign-bhlllt nirslips. If we must
have these craft. is 1t not about time
we relied on our own designers and
constructors for them? Unless the in.
formation available ut this writing Is
misleading. the disaster that bcrcll the
Roma near Hampton Roads last week
Will be found to be In It's causes com
parable to that 0f the Il-2 In eng
land last August. In both cnSrS up-
parcntly, there were vital defects in
construction OF which the builders
were cogniznnt.
So far as investigation hns rrvru 3D.
the fall OF the Roma wns due to the
breaking Of the controls that rcgulnt-
ed the altitude OF the nirship Despite
the heroic efforts OF her nuvigntors ana
the frantic casting overheard of all
ballast by the crew the huge balloon
plunged downward from II height Of
about 400 feet. AS she crashed against
the ground she broke some high ten
sion electric wires and at the same
monirnt the big gasoline tanks burst
In the resulting explosion anu fire
most of the victims met a mcrcifully
instant death. Even If the Roma hud
not struck the wires, say army mir ser
vice officials. the men caught under the
Vessel'S gas bng and steel frame would
nave burned to death, for the gasoline
from the broken tanks would have liz
nitcd from the engines. This fact may
avert possible blame for the using OF
ordinary field gas in the Roma instead
of the nonlntlnmmnhlc helium gas. de-
veloped by the mir service. All the
helium In the country was In the Ro-
mas bag when she was given Il trial
trip late In December. but MS this was
wanted for Il contemplated long tour
over the country next summer, IL was
drawn out and the ordinary gas sub
stitutcd.
Although General Mitchell. head of
the United States mir service, now in
Berlin, says the Roma was perfect,
there Is reason to believe that he Is
mistaken. Last summer Kenneth l..
Roberts witnessed demonstration
hight Of the balloon in Italy shortly
a1'er she mad heen sold to America,
ahu II" wrote for the Saturday Eve
hihg fost n story of that flight in
which he brought ont these points:
Ihnt the gas bngs were old and
seaky; TINT the Italians wanted u calm
uny Tor The trip tlmt they refused TO
sail the ship over Mount yesuvus, np-
parehtiy fearing the heat OF the era
Ter; that they preferred sailing over
the ocean, the air being more quiet
there; that the ship reared, buckcd.
Jumped. and wns huTeted about like
FEATHER In a cyclone; thnt the ship
had tendency to nose downward mt
nigh rate of speed.
II may be this new disaster will re.
sui III the cancellation OF the order
ior zeppelin for America to he built
III Germany. General Mitchell says
this craft Is not under way, "becausc
OF the numerous difficulties between
America. tho entente and Germany.
These difficulties center on whether
America shall get the latest type or
an old style. If America wants the
latest. the entente must permit Ger
many to build arships, which the Yer
sail,es treaty forbids."
pRESlDENT HARDING informed
the sennte that he could not COM
ply win Its request for the records.
minutes conversations, ETC., relating
TO the four-power treaty, because most
OF the conversations and discussions
were quite outside the conference and
were without record. He added: III
do not believe 1t to be compatible with
peblic interests Or consistent with the