The New York herald., 1922-02-23
Argument Is Made That
Roma Should Have De-
scended on Water.
HELIUM ORDER REVOKED :?
Reported Army Craft Was to
Get Coveted Gas in Navy
Blimp CT.

Special Dispatch to THE New YosK HERALD.
NORFOLK, Va, Feb. 22.-Failuro TO
defate the Romas bags of hydrogen
gas and refill them with helum mixed
with hydrogen and the haste TO estab-
lish a speed record for the big dirig-
ible are blamed by army and navy
aviators for the destruction OF the big
aircraft and the loss OF thirty-four
lives. Two more deaths may be added
to the list.
Master Sergeant Harry A. Chapman
of st. Joseph. Mo-, and Charles w.
Dworack of Dayton, Ohio, are hover
ing between life and death. In ad-
dition to being terribly burned, these
two victims of the Roma inhaled
flames.
While the heroic work OF Capt Dale
Mabry who was burned to death at his
post on the Roma, was praised In all
circles to-day there were some who said
the brave commanding officer OF the
Roma probably failed to allow for the
increased momentum of the ships
descent after her rudder broke. His
garded as a mistake. Had the motors
been working when the ship was di-
rectly over the army base and about
400 feet in the air the blimp probably
would have fallen into the waters of
Hampton Roads instead of across net
work of electric wires. which set fire to
her bag and caused 1t to explode. a
Tried to Land I'm Field.
After the Romas engines were shut
off her nose pointed toward the earth.
Her rudder was helpless and her eleva-
tion lever failed to work. Capt. Mabry,
according to aviation experts, was trying
to land the Roma on the open field
near the army base. The ship barely
missed striking one of the big piers
overlooking Hampton Roads She missed
a smoke stack by inches and then she
fell across the electric wires and burst
into flames
"We were running amuck In the air.
is the way one of the survivors expressed
the condition of the Roma after her en-
gines were stopped and the rudder re-
fused to work. Fearing a reprimand
from his superior officers this survivor
asked that his name not be used
There was nothing that could be
done with the ship. She could not be
guided one way or the other. She was
like a ship at sea without rudder, only
her position was more serious.
when we missed a big smokestack
just before we struck the ground every
man on board breathed a sigh of relief.
l heard them say Thank God for that
and said so myself. The ship was thea
headed for the earth. We were all
huddled in corner. We could not
stand erect with our ship pointed toward
earth nose first at sharp angle.
Two hundred feet in the air men OH
the ship were gasping for breath. They
held on with a grip that drowning man
must have when he is battling for life.
I'VE felt as IL we were going to an
unknown fate at terrific rate. The
wind beat into our faces and we
breathed with difficulty.
Lieut.. Burt was still working at the
elevation fever all the way down on
that awful drop. I can hear him now
shouting to Capt. Marby. She won't re-
spond, Captain Then the Captain
shouted. Cut off your motors and they
were stopped one at time"
Sergeant Rcardon's story.
Sergeant John d. Reardon, who was
Joined by his wife to-day. said the ship
burst into flames so quickly he did not
realize she was on fire until men fell all
about him with their clothing on fire.
II was at my post near my engine
he said. when the order was given TO
shut of the motors. I heard a shout
through the ship that the rudder was not
working and then Lieut.. Burt's terrible
warning that the elevation lever would
not work. / did not know how fast we
were going, but It did not appear to me
that it was more than a minute after
Lieut.. Burt declared he could not get
the ship 10 respond TO his efforts to make
her climb before there was an awful
bump / fell over on my back.
Fire poured In all around me. II
seemed like we we're In hell. 1 waited
for the flames 20 burn a hole in the thin
fabric that shields the main bag. I was
fearful the bag would explode. When
nn opening was made big enough for
me 10 poke my head through jumped.
My clothing was on fire and my hands
were burned. but | was alive"
Sergeant Reardon said as soon as the
bag exploded the air itself appeared to
be on Are. The flames poured over the
men like so much water. Their entire
body caught Are NJ the same time.
Capt G.. J.. Whitehurst army en-
glneer. who Witnessed the disaster from
u field at the army base. said he saw
the mon nghtinE for their lives while
the craft Was zoo feet In the air.
"Thn fought frantcaliy TO stay in the
air when they saw the ship was drop
ping nose first towards the earth" he
said n saw them get up. fall, and
set up again. The ship was rocking
She looked like she might turn over
The men threw things over the side.
FIRST ballast went. then storage bat
tories. bags and instruments. When the
Roma was nifty feet from earth I saw
two men jump. then two more, and
then more and more.
Toe Near Ground for rnrachutrs
"Some of them lcaped with para
chutes. but thcy were too near the
ground The parachutcs didn't open.
Tho bodies wcrc hurled on pile OF pig
iron with terrific force. 7 believe most
of them were dead as soon AZ their
bodies struck the iron. Then tho ship
fell on them and exploded.
Almost as soon as the Roma struck
a man rushed out ~ the ship. his
clothing on fire I grabbed him and
pushed him into n ditch. The fire was
tho hottest 7 havY ever seen or felt"
Langley Field A 'lcers are preparing