, 1923-07-08
ALL OVER IS
LAST BLURRED
ENTRY Of MEN
Lieutenants Roth and
Null Thought Drowned
In Lake.
o.. July 7.

UNITED Press Lieutenant
L. J. Roth. Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, and Telford B. Null, his
aide in the indianapolis ma
tional balloon race were ap-
parently drowned when their naval
balloon was wrecked over Lake Erie
early today.
Tho fishing tug, Frank II. stanley.
speeding to find the great gas bag.
reported in the lake off Port Stanley.
ont. found its wreciaEs late today.
but tho two men were not in Il. The
crew Of tho tug found Lieutenant
Roth's log containing ms thrilling an
account OF n fight against Death as
ever Ind been written in the annals
OF the inland sens.
Tho log, clothing and personal ef-
fects OF h airmen wore discovered
tangled in the Of tho balloon.
The two flyers had cut the basket
loose so ms not to be caught under the
falling ballast, and It was not found
Their uniforms, apparently stripped
off ms they ieaped int tho water, were
In the wreckage.
Tho balloon. n United States navy
entry No. A,66es, started in the IndI.
anapolls race July 4. The log kept
by Roth. revealing tho tragedy OF the
air. was written In indelfble pencil
and badly blurred by winter.
An entry made at 1235 today said
tho balloon was drifting northeastern
ly over Bernie. Ont. ut a heighth of
500 feet. At 315 n. m. they were
| Tying 1000 feet over Rigston, Ont.
Al $50 at an altitude of 1900 feet
they dropped forty pounds OF ballast.
At this time, however. everything
appeared to be going smoothly. The
last entry. timed $40 a. m. merely
said they were flying 1000 feet up
and CAV no location.
IAN over" -7
AT this point. It is thought. some-
thing happened hat sent the flyers
hurting downward. Whatever It
was. happened suddenly.
The craft shot downward. The fiy-
erH seeing the water flashing closer
and loser. stripped off their clothing
ind plunged into the lake.
Members OF the tug crew and au-
thorities practically abandoned hope
Of finding the men alive. they said.
An indication OF the trouble which
may have cauBed the accident was
foundi in two notes scrawled on pieces
Of torn paper which had been stuffed
into the pocket Of Lieutenant Roth's
uniform.
THE generator has gone bad" said
n OF the notes.
The other note said:
"WIll try to make Aberdeen and get
a new generator. We ought to mnks
II alright"
The log, started Friday night, takes
up the story OF he airmenis heroic
fight ashinst h heavy odds of hard
luck and n strong wind.
Although crudely scrubbed, and
damaged by the water this much of
the log could be made out:
"1215 a. M, Saturday: Flying
~northeasterly over Berne. Ontario, at
an altitude of 500 feet.
'S15 a. m; Flying 10000 feet over
Rigstown. Ontario.
$3.50 n. m: 1-2OO feet elevation.
dropped forty pounds ballast.
$3.50 n. m: Flying 1000"
Then:
An over"
Late today II. a. Bruno, general
manager OF h Aero Marine Anyways
OF Rear Admiral Mnffltt of the ma.
company. at the telegraphic request
val service get out from Cleveland In
an eleven passenger hydro plane for
the scene of the wreck. He found the
tug, Frank II. Stanley. already pull
ing the gas bag abclrd.
Tho log and some OF the private
effects Of the two airmen were
brought back to Cleveland and turn
ed over to representatives of the air
service. Bruno said tho tug started
Immediately for Port Stanley.
with Bruno in the rescue plane
from Cleveland. were Harry t. Cat
ternall. OF tho Glen L. Martin Air
plane company, and several newspa-
per men,
Reconstructing from mute evidence,
the probable cause Of the balloons col
lapse. Catternall said in all probable
lily tho two officers deliberately strip
ped themselves of their clothing and,
standing in the basket cut 1t loose
from the gas bag and lot themselves
plunge into the lake.
"The notes about tho generator
trouble Indicate this they couldn't
make enough gas to keep themselves
up" said Catternall. Evidently they
kept throwing out ballast. The log
entry mentions throwing out 40
pounds at $40. This must'have been
the Lust. The bag was coming down
on them slowly. They were over the
lake, II they waited TO strike the
water, the big lag would cover them
completely and force their basket I'M
der water. They would have smoth-
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