The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-03-03
Airship Roma. Bought in Italy, Is
Destroyed With Loss Of
Thirty-Four Lives.
PROBABLY WAS Defective
Senate Reservationists Busy With the
Four-PoWer acknowledgements to
Postpone Soldiers Bonus Leg
islation-lrish Factions in
Three Months Truce.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD

4 THIRTY -FOUR more lives have been
L sacrificed to Americas infatuation
for foreign-built airships. If we must
have these craft. is it not about time
we relied on our own designers and
constructors for them? Unless the in
formation available at this writing is
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 fall Of the Roma was due to the
breaking of the controls that regulat-
ed the altitude of the airship. Despite
the heroic efforts of her navigators and
the frantic casting overheard Of all
ballast by the crew, the huge balloon
plunged downward from height of
about 400 feet. AS she crashed against
the ground she 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 mercifully
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 noninfiammable helium gas, de-
veloped by the air service. All the
helium in the country was in the Ro-
mas bag when she was given trial
trip late in December, but as this was
wanted for contemplated long tour
over the country next summer, it was
drawn. out and the ordinary gas sub
stituted.
Although General Mitchell, head of
the United States air service, now in
Berlin. says the Roma was perfect,
there is reason to believe that he is
mistaken. Last summer Kenneth L.
Roberts witnessed a demonstration
flight of the balloon in Italy shortly
after she had been sold to America,
and he wrote for the Saturday Eve
ming Post 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 Vesuvius, APP
| parently fearing the heat of the era
| ter; that they preferred sailing over
| the ocean, the air being more quiet
there; that the ship reared, bucked,
jumped. and was buffeted about like
feather in cyclone; that the ship
had tendency to nose downward at
q high rate of speed.
1t may be this new disaster will re-
suit In the cancellation of the order
for Zeppelin for America to be 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 the latest type or
an old style. If America wants the
| latest, the entente must permit Ger
many to build airships, which the Yer
sailles treaty forbids."
| president HARDING informed
the senate that he could not COM
ply with 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: Il
do not believe it to be compatible with
public interests or consistent with the