The New York herald., 1922-02-22
CONGRESS MAY STOP
TESTS OF DIRIGIBLES
VIII Refuse to Provide Fur
ther Funds, Belief in
Washington.
100 LOST IN TRIALS
Not One Airship Has Been
Successful After $780,
100000 Is Spent.
OPPOSITION TO CRAFT
Higher Officers of Army and
OPPOSITION TO CRAFT
Higher Officers of Army and
Navy Convinced Such Ships
Are Unsafe.
oecial Dispatch to THE New YORK HnaALD.

pccidl Dispatch to THE New YORK HERAIp.
Washington, ID. G.. Feb. FL.
With the death toll of the army
dirigible Roma officially fixed at
thirty-four tonight and the details
of the disaster filtering in through
military channels it seemed certain
that the tragedy means definite end
of experiments with this type Of air
craft by the United States Govern
ment.
Congress, still remembering tie col
lapse of the navy dirigible ZR-2 with
the loss of forty nine lives over Hull,
England. last August, is so shocked
that it probably will refuse to appro-
pirate further funds for airship de-
velopment.
The toll of life in the experiments so
far conducted by the United States is
around 100. In addition to the dis
asters that have befallen tie ZR-2
and the Roma there have been air
ships burned or otherwise demolished,
the dead numbering three or four at
each accident. Not one of the air.
ships has been successful.
Cost of Experiments.
In money way the cost has been
upward of s20,o00,o00, Of which $14,-
100000 has been for the development
of gas. including helium, which is nom
infiammable. Helium had been used
in TIE Roma on her first flights, but
later was removed owing to the fact
that there was not sufficient guam
tity of it in existence for use in the
giant airship.
According to the oficial dispatch the
Roma started out on its trip at / 80
o'clock this afternoon. After gaining an
altitude something went wrong with one
of the elevators, and the airship got out
of control. 1t plunged downward and
there was prospect that there would be
safe landing.
AS the airship neared the ground the
nose struck a high tension wire, the
sparks that were sent out igniting the
hydrogen in the giant envelope. Imme-
diately the whole ship was a mass of
flames. The bodies of those who were
lost were in some instances burned be-
yond recognition.
The tragedy is the worst ever ex-
perenced by the Army Air Service and
the worst that ever occurred in the
cd 70 de- 1Al
its death toll by the collapse of the
navy airship ZR-2.
Capt Dale Mabry, u. S. A. was in
command Of the airship when IL left
Langley Field. His senior officer and
the officer who has had charge OF the
airship since 1t was put into commits
sion last autumn also was aboard. He
was Major Thornel Neither survived
the accident.
First Cruise with New Engines.
The cruise was the first that the air.
ship had made since the installation of
six new Liberty engines. replacing the
italian engines that originally had been
used. The installation OF the new en-
gines was ordered because of trouble
that had been experienced with the
Italian models.
The accident happened near Langley
Field, but at q point about three miles
from Norfolk. The time OF TIE accident
was 2:19. less than nifty minutes after
the fight had begun. The majority OF
the officers and men who were killed
were in charge or were students of the
army balloon school at Langley Field.
OF the dead all were killed outright
except Lieut.. w. e. Riley. whose home
was at 52S East Eighty-sixth street.
New York city. He was taken out of
the wreckage alive, but died in a hos
pital of the severe injuries he received.
1.-THE address given as the home of
Lieut.. William T.. Riley, 526 East
street. is the home OF his
and her son. doc"
Harcher, a well known baseball player.
Harcher said last night that his sister.
who was Miss Mildred Harcher. is at
Aberdeen, Md, and that his mother left
for there last night. He added that he
knew nothing Of Lieut.. Riiey's family
except that they lived IN Connecticut
and he thought the Lieutenant was a
graduate of Yale.
Lieut.. Burt's Escape.
According to the survivors. Lieut..
Burt escaped solely because he landed
In depression In the ground and was
able to crawl out from under the keel
and the burning envelope overhead He
confirmed the report that wnen the air.
ship hit the high tension wire the sparks
that resulted ignted the envelope and
the whole ship burst into flames. He
explained that the great balloon settled
on either side OF the rigid keel and COM
pletely encased the occupants with
flames.
Immediately on learning of tho acoi-
dent Major-Gen. Mason Patrick, chief
OF the Army Air Service, with Lieut..
L. j. Maitland, Major w. @. Killner
and Capt. st. Clair Street. left Boiling
Field In two planes for the scene OF the
accident. Radio trouble was encoun-
tered at the Langley Field station which
tied UP and delayed the receipt of the
list OF names of those lost and rescued.
Belief that construction ~ large air
ships by the United states Is to be aban-
doned is based not only on the senti-
ment Of members OF Congress, but also
among the higher officers Of the army
and navy. who are confident that they
have been demonstrated TO be impracti-
cable and unsafe. There always has been