The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-07-27
DISAGREEMENT
OVER CAUSE OF
ROMA DISASTER
American and Italian Airship Ex-
perts In Reports Express Diff
ferent Views

Washington. July 26.-American
and Italian technical experts are in
disagreement as to the cause of the
wreck of the semi-rigid Italian-built
army dirigible Roma February Il
last. near Norfolk, Va, with the loss
of "a lives.
The final report of the investigat-
| ing board embodying the Italian as
well rs the American conclusions was
was made public today with an ac-
companying statement by Secretary
/ Weeks declaring there was no contro-
versy between American and Italian
authorities involved.
The report stresses the statement
that all the facts of the disaster can
never be known. Those who might
| have known what sent the ship plung-
ing to the earth in a swift nose dive
to be destroyed by fire on the ground
perished in the wreckage. Physical
evidence that might have told the
story was consumed in the flames.
AT the very best" says the re-
port of the board headed by Major
/
gathered and sifted the evidence, Eve
can do no more than determine which
of the possible causes were the most
/ probable"
| Briefly stated, the American eX-
perts reached the conclusion that the
flattening of the upper surface of the
metal nose cap on the bow of the
great gas bag caused a downward
pressure as the ship drove along at
probably sixty miles an hour; the
down thrust was resisted by the stern
stabilizers and stresses developed
which the evidence of one witness
indicates caused a buckling of the
| keel frames putting the rudder con
trolls out of commission and leaving
the huge dirigible to plunge down
ward with her crew helpless to check
the dive.
The Italian experts disagree with
this view They believe that the
recalling rudders" comterpoising the
movement of the "up-down" rudder
. control probably overstressed" and
broke and this was followed by the
rurture of the rudder control cables
This, ehey contend left the CUP
down" rudders free to assume the
natural position giving "a positive
angle of attack of not less than eight
degrees to the elevators. as has been
recently proven by tests in Italy"
"This caused an immediate upward
motion of the rear part of the Roma. !"
the Italian conclusion continues, land
her consequent dive to the ground"
The air service report draws from
the disaster certain definite lessons.
It holds that in the future such air
ships as the Roma should be inflated
only with non-explosive Helium gas;
that provision should be made so
that the ships commander could
drop all or any part Of the ships bal
last instantly; that he could cut off
all gasoline fuel tanks in the same
way and that he could cut off all mo-
tors instantly with a central master
The board found that no ballast
switch.
had been dropped before the Roma
struck earth; that two Of her six
liberty motors were still running
pulling her earthward and that the
gasoline fuel as we'll as the hydro
gen in the the great bag was respon
, sible for the terrific fire that fol
: lowed the crash.
"Undoubtedly," the report says
"the loss of life in this acciden
would not have been so great hat
, the supporting medium in this en-
, yelope been a non-inflammable, non
explosive gas such as helium."
The investigation disclosed that ol
! the flight that ended in the disaste
, that there had been trouble with tn
4 air scoops which were used to fiji
n the balloonet in the forward gas con
r partment to take up any contraction i
! the hydrogen and resulting flatte