TERRIBLE AIRSHIP DISASTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12391, 28 June 1902, Page 3

TERRIBLE AIRSHIP DISASTER.

_4 AN' EXPLOSION IN MIDAIR. The extreme good fortune 1o which tirae ifiw time M. Santos-Dumont owed his life ias not attended the aerial experiments of \\. Kevcro. La Pax, his brand-new airship, was doItoywl early on the nioniir.g o! the 11th tiny by an explosion wlu'le at a, height of !500ft, and the two aeronauts in cliarge of icr met awful deaths, tlio Brazilian Deputy icing practically dashed to piece;. Ho;t ho iicridonl occured is not known, but it s said l<l have been caused by a leakage if gas, and Hip envelope of the balloon seems o have caught light after the? motor had et firo to the leaking gas. Midline Severe ind family witnessed the awful disaster. .?■» than 20 minutes elapsed from the time if the asrant until tlie accident happened. Tlio aeronaut had anticipated the most iicccssful demonstration of the capabilities if his balloon, and had invited u large lumber of friends to witness the ascent. Vbout 50 accepted the invitation, and the;;' fathered in Urn Wloonirt's shed in the Rue Juintinie, at the early hour of 5 o'clock n the morning. Martame Kcvcro and other nembora of the invomoi'* family being with hem. The balloon made the- afjent at 5.30 a.m., ind at unco sailed away in the direction if the field at Issy, which had been selected is the spot for inancenvrinK- M. Scvcto"; intire family and inci-t of the friends who iad witnessed the ascent followed tlui 'ource of the balloon in motor cars. Every'liing then promised u most successful exicriment. A TEimWLE SCENE. Suddenly the spectators were horrifkd tc ibserve a bright flash of light almost enolop the balloon, and instantly after a low •xplosion occurred. The heartrending hrieks of Madame Severo and the cric« if the fricntli following , added to the torible scone. The machine was at that time -t a height of about 500 metre?, or 1500 ft, t appeared to break np by , the force oi he explosion, and commenced dropping ic nother earth instantly, and in its descent mashed the branches of trees and (he rool )f one house. Finally it laid partly on a iouse and partly on the ground, a complete rrcck. M. Severo himself fell from his balloon nlc the Avenuo du Marnc, near the Mont 'arnasso railway station, on tho south. frid< if Park The. aeronaut fell on his feet, anc va3 smashed lo pieces, the force of hi. all being so great that tho bones of hi , egs were forced through the soles of hi; lOOti. The engineer ako perished, but he scorn! 0 have suffered death from burning. Tlw iorribly mutilated remains of the viclinis vere transported to their homes. Ttcuter sends tiie following details of tin ithlily:—"The Pnx, maimed by Senoi aevero and by an engineer named Sachet n the employ of tho Pnccet firm, whicl: nado the motors of the aii'3liip, left Hit lark where, it was kept at half-past 5 thi; norning. Tho motions of the balloon, whid :ecined to ho executed with great facility vero followed by a large number of persons ome in carriages, sorno in motors, The sir :hip had arrived over the Avenuo du Mai:io icarly opposite the lino do h (jaiete, whei ill of a, sudden a huge llamo was scon tt )urst from it. Tho fiaine was followed bj i, tremondous report, liko that of a cannon met tho balloon, which was at the time nl in altitude of about 150 yards, dropped t( ho ground. The two occupants fell on t< ho pavement. Efforts for their assistance vero at once made, but l»tb il. Sever; ind his as-'istan , . were dead. They hac errible wounds on thiflr heads, and, moro n-er, t'neir legs were broken. The bodioi ,vero taken to the jioliec st-alion in the Rule la (iaietc, the oflicials of wliich had ai Mice been apprised of tlie accident." to information supplied by tl« n-oi'li'nicn who had taken part in the con itruclion of tho nirehip, the ralo reafor :>f tho accident was the explosion o! o the reservoirs of the balloon. Others thin! 1 hat the explosion was due to an escap( [if 'gas, which became ignited at the point ol issue. It is believed that th° flames broki cut on the side where Sachet was sitting ?,; hip body boars the marks of serious bnriii and his i'loUics are completely cousmnod f-r.chet wa? ?.3 years old. Another engineoi »as to have taken part in the ascent, bu he had to be loft behind at the las' moment, as he would have made tin machine too heavy. The awfid disasta cßuscd a most painful consternation it Paris, the news having spread through tin town like wildfire. THE PAX AIRSHIP DESCRIBED. Tlie shape of tho I'ax was very similar ti Hint of M. Dmnont's airship which ronndot the Eiffel'Tower, though the diameter of tin balloon was far greater, as w.is necessary ronfidevlng that the whole, ship weigh two and a-half tons, and was intended ti carry a crew of three men. Through the centre of the balloon longitudinally a bamboo and aluminiun ehiift, connected with the hull uuderneatl by bamboo struts, and the Pax had two prn polling screws placed fore and aft at the end of tho balloon itself instead of at the e.nd of the hull. This was one of Scvcro's grea invention?, as through its position Sovero' balloon no longer offered the dead resistane to His nir which the Santos balloon does. The Pax was driven by two motors, on of 16 horse-power in the bows and tho othc of 24 bourse-power in tho stern, thes motors also serving to turn four final strews which were used instead of a rudde to steer the airship, beside two other sma! propelling screws for the aft of tho lull itfelf. Tho total cost of the Pax wai abou £6000.