OCR Text |
Show 1 AIRSHIP ROMA EXPLODES; 35 DEAD t I1 FUMES LEAP AS HUGE BAG STRIKES EARTH Men Leap From Airship as Ponderous Dirigible Falls on Trial Flight LARGEST IN WORLD Hospital and Undertaker Reports Indicate Big Death List NORFOLK. Feb. 81. Exploding after af-ter crashing down ward during a trial flight, the nrm's Italian built alr-i alr-i ship Roma was destroyed today Dear 'the naval haio here with the 1or3 of nn undetermined number of Uvea Es-tlmatea Es-tlmatea en hour ud a half alter lh disaster placed the dead from half a I dozen to nearly 40 out "f the more than half a hundred persons on ' board. DEATH LIST i : I The naval hospital at Portsmouth vis officially Informed that 38 of those aboard the airship, the largest B I . . mi-rigid d:i hi world, n i i Hied while undcrtaki ra In Now i" i L s i wt i a offli la.ll notifli d tho 1W cr more persons i - i lo l theii Uvea W The Roma was between "U0 and T l.ooo feet In the air when ahe fell I officers Bl the Hampton Roads naval f haRo stated. Komf of the passengers ' aboard the slilp were virtually unhurt, flj nlthough all were shaken up A nunv B ber of the m n Jumped from 'he ears of' the Roma sh fell Otherswere i caught under her and these, it is be-lieVed, be-lieVed, were killed almost Instantly ( Ml FROM ll i The Roma was placed In commis-afl commis-afl .--.on only several weeks ago after hav- 1 ing been assembled at Langle) field She was the largest dirigible owned b) ihe United Stales government and wan purchased from Italy Her mammoth I 1 1 ba g had i capo II ol more than flft jg Observers Old Polnl howi ei l y ated th I thi Roma set mod - w veil beyond the nu al base when she k i..ok fir.- ind ' '' h -. ! Hi i thai m , she fell' on land. n i m.i - v 1 1 ' i : -1 1 ! -Slfe Reports from Portsmouth whl h I flfl near the naval base, said the Roma after a slanting plunge of hundreds HB of feet struck one of the barracks flB buildings at the base and then explod- ed with a ripping crash. Sheafs of flj flame leaped from the gas bag and flj the passenger compartments Slung1 un- jflj derneath dropped twenty feet to the SflJ ground. |