Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-06-27

KINGS BAY, SpitZbergen, june n.
-tR1-Fear that six men, who drift
ed away in the balloon part of the
Italia after its crash on the polar
ice cap, were dead prevailed today
when it was learned that the air.
ship had caught fire.
OF sixteen men who left aboard
the dirigible for the Moth Pols on
May 20 only six were known to be
alive today. One man was killed.
Three have been missing since they
started afoot for land.
General Umberto Mobile said that
soon after the dirigible crashed on
May 25 the balloon part drifted to
the east and q small column of
smoke was seen rising from il after
II had gone about six miles. The
balloon then crashed. Nothing has
been heard Of the six men aboard.
Returning from the North Pole or
May "a the Italia ran into fog,
stormy weather and adverse winds.
Fighting her way toward Kings Bay
the dirigible at times was making a
speed Of less than 20 miles an hour.
Men Thrown From Craft
~SAddenly, Mobile advised, on the
morning II May 25 the airship was
weighted down, apparently by snow
and ice forming on the bag. The
craft plunged rapidly to the polar
ice cap north of North East Land.
Mobile found it impossible to halt
the rapid descent Of the ship, and it
crashed.
Vincenzc Pomella, motor attend
ant, was in the stern gondola. Il
was ripped off in striking the ice,
crushing Pomella. During the ensu-
ing commotion he died.
The cabin and part of the upper
bracing were also torn away. All
those in the cabin were hurled 70
the ice. One of General Mobiles
legs was fractured and his back in
iured. One Of the legs Of Natalie
Ceccioni, motor chief, was broken
below the knee. DR.. Finn Malmgren,
Swedish meteorological, received bad
Commissions Of the arm. The others
hurled TO the ice were Lieutenant
Alfredo Viglieri, Italian navy navi-
gator; Prof. r. Behounek meteor
ologist; Giuseppe Biogi, radio OPP
orator; Filippo Troiani, engineer;
Captain Alberto Mariana, pilot, and
Captain Filippo Zappi, Italian navy
y ~avigator.
re- Bury Body in Ice
rec .mong the debris on the ice they
De and ell the instruments in the
: Abin. Later the body Of Pomella
was found and buried in the ice.
Meantime the balloon part of the
Italia was drifting 70 the east, hav-
ing been freed Of the weight Of the
gondolas and part Of the bracing.
When It had gene about six miles
a small column Of smoke was seen
rising from it. Mobile thought that
either a gasoline or an oil tank had
caught fire. The balloon crashed
on the ice with its six occupants.
These were Lieutenant Ettore Ar
duino, italian navy navigator; Pro-
fessor Aldo Pontremolh. Italian sci
enlist; DIR. Ugo Lago, correspondent
of the Milan newspaper, Popolo
DItalia; Renato Algesandri, envelope
attendant; Attileo Caratti, motor at
tendant, and Calisto Ciocca, motor
attendant.
The radio apparatus was rescued
from the debris by the Mobile party.
Its receiving set functicned. but the
sending apparatus was damaged. for
five days the castaways struggled 10
repair il. Finally three members al
the party, DR.. MaMlmgren and Can
tains Mariana and Zappi started
aGoot for land on May 80. Those
that remained behind watched them
make their way over the ice ana
found that they only made five miles
on the first day. As they contin-
ued their march they disappeared
from view and have not been seen
Repair Radio
Mobile and his party painted The
silk tent they had with them red. to
aid searchers- They labored IL re-
the radio apparatus. but fear
ed that they would never be able 70 .
send over it again. Finally. how
ever, they got it in working order .
and started to send out calls for f..
help. The base ship Citta ri Nilano 7.
1t Kings Bay, which had been on the I,
for signals, caught the first
message on June .. Soon the No. f,
bile party were able TO send direc- +,
.ions for their rescue. \,
Three times airplanes attempted !
10 find them and failed. although I
the Mobile party saw them. Then 7
IN June 20, Major Maddalena, flying
m Italian seaplane and guided by a
ado messages from the castaways. !
ocated them and dropped them sup !
,lies. On the night of June % a 7
flier, Lieut.. Einar-Paan /
..undborg, with a plane equipped \
nth skis landed on the ice floe near
ne Mobile party. He took off No
lie and the general was removed TO