Arizona republican., 1922-02-22
Broken Rudder
Cause Of Drop;
CreaO Trapped
[RepubIlcan A. P. Leased Wirsl

NORFOLK, Va, Feb. 2l--Thirty-
four men were killed, eight were
injured seriously and three were un-
injured or only slightly bruised when
the giant army airship Roma, with
her crew and a number Of civilians,
totalling 45 in all, plunged today
from thousand feet or more in the
air TO the ground at the Hampton
Roads naval base.
The accident presumably was
caused by a broken ruddcr and as
the huge dirigible plunged 10 earth
it capsized across a high tension
electric line, bursting into a roar
| ing furnace OF blazing hydrogen gas.
Long after dark tonight, manS
hours after the fall, the ship wns
still in flames from end to end or
her 4i0 foot mass. The fire fed on
the million cubic feet Of gas which
had distended the great bag for the
flight and made all attempts at res
cue work futile.
Survivors Jump 20 Safety
Barely a dozen Of those abroad
were picked up alive and one Of those
died on the way to a hospital. All
| who survived the fire escaped by
| jumping as the ship struck. The
\ others, penned in tho hull OF the
/ fallen bag. were burned to death.
! The flames were finally brought
| into submission by three fire de-
I partments who fought them with
chemicals. Derricks then began
/ picking up the wreckage which con-
sisted Of scarcely more than the
| aluminium framework and the six
Liberty motors or the once proud
ship Of the air. Within the wrcclSage
/ lay the bodies, practically all charred
! Ion
night had passed 33 bodies had been
removed. accounting for the last Of
those who were known to have taken
| flight on the fatal voyage.
Accounts OF survivors and or eye
witnesses as to what had happened
appeared to agree tonight that the
huge kite-like structure OF the stern
rudder, itself as large as a bombing
plane, had slipped to one side as the
Roma drove along a thousand feet
\ above the army base.
She was making a trial flight with
a new battery OF Liberty motors.
They were installed to replace the
\ italian engines bought with her In
/ Italy but which have not proved
| satisfactory. Installation was COM
! pleted at Langley field Two weeks
4 ago.
| it was just before o'clock when
/ those below at the army base ~
Hampton Roads, had their attention
caught by the approaching thunder
OF the six motors and looked UP to see
the Roma dip down from her straight
! flight. They agreed that the rudder
seemed 10 have slipped bodily down
and to one side. The ship noscd
| steeply down as she came closer and
il was seen that her crew were
| hurting out sand ballast from the
ports in the fragile fabric that
| formed the covering OF the space
between 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,
! unchecked in her glide earthward.
/ head first. Her commander could
not force her the few hundred feet
that would have dropped her into the
waters OF the bay and comparative
safety for her people.
Below ran the high double wires
OF the high power electric line. 1t
| carried a 1890 volt current. The
Roma's nose, shod with its aluminium
I 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.
Left No PASSENGER List
/ There was a rush OF men to the
rescue from the army post and the
navy base beyond. Just as the Roma
neared the wires two men were seen
to lean from high up in her slanting
1 hull As the stricken, flaming mon
Ster writhed 10 her first death agony.
ten more dropped from doors or ports