The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-09

Perished While Strapped to
Basket Of craft-Discovered
by Fishing Vessel.
p Inssrnaa.onal News service.

~ 1nfern0t10n0l News Service.
PORT STANLEY, Ont, July 8.
Glad only IN underwear, the
body of Lieut.. Louis ]. Roth was
found by q fishing tug in Lake
Erie, fourteen miles south of here
today, dashed TO the basket of the
naval balloon A-6698, wrecked
Thursday night "a, terrific storm.
NnIf SIN Missing.
No 6Pae8 Uf tile bOgy OF Lieut..
q. B. Null, Lieutenant Roth's aide.
has yet been found. but the dis
cOvery OF Lieutenant Roth1s body
a. conceded by searchers to be q
certain indication that Null also
persisted.
With a naval preserver about his
waist and stripped to his union
suit, Lieutenant Roth's body was
found tied by balloon rope to the
almost submerged basket, which It
10 believed was cut loose from the
bag.
The discovery was made by Capt.
George Wilson, Of the fishing tug
Onajag, and was removed here this
morning to await instructions from
the bureau Of aeronautics, United
States navy, at Washington.
Identification was rendered posi-.
tive by a ring carrying q red
Jewel setting, which was upon the
left hand of the dead man, and by
the initials FL. J. R." stenciled
upon the underwear.
The Onajag was not among the
neet Of boats searching for the
BODY, was en- route to fishing
grounds when the body. and balloon
basket were found.
The search previously had been
centered upon the district about
twenty-five miles southwest of here
IN the vicinity OF which the wrecked
balloon was found Saturday morn
ing. The balloon since has been
towed into Port Stanley.
Indications are that the men cut
loose from the bag when 1t struck
the water and relied upon the
Duoyancy of the basket and their
ure preserVers to keep them afloat
until rescuers arrived.
Tne huge storm waves for which
the swallow Lake Erie is notorious,
are believed to have turned over
and over and to have drowned the
men dashed to its side.
NO slipped bonds or other clues
were found upon the basket indfcat.
ing tnat Lieutenant Null might also
nave been In the basket when II
was slashed loose.
Feared Being SmOthered.
However, marine men and aero
nauts among the searchera drau thu
deduction that Roth first was flashed
fast and that Null slashed the ronas
OF the balloon web, expecting merely
90 hold himself in the basket NV
his own strength or lash himself on
later when the menace of the bal
loon envelope should have passed
under the driving wind
The men evidently feared being
1mothered by the envelope and
elected to take their chances in the
open sea with the slightly buyoant
basket.
The fact that no loose articles
were found in the basket is regarded
IN proof that 1t was swirled about
and tumbled over by the smashing
white caps reported by Lieut., Col
r. 8. Olmstead and his aid, Lieut..
r.. w. Shotpaw, who last saw the
Inflated balloon as 1t was driven nv
the wind into the heart of the VIC.
lent electrical storm just before dusk
on Thursday night.
Parents Feared for Roth.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July g.
"We'Ve dreamed 1t for years and
now IL has come" was the only
comment City Finance Commits
sioner Louis Roth and his wife
made today when told of the ffndinQ
Of their sons body in Lake Erie.
Roth was born and received his
early education here. He graduated
from high school here in 1908 and
was appointed to the United States
Academy the next year, by Sen
ator Cummins. He was graduated
from the Academy in 1913 and has
been In active service since. In
the world war he served aboard tht
U. 8. 8. New Mexico and was one
Of the crack gunners of the Pacific
Qsek ----------