Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1918 — BALLOON BLOWS UP [ARTICLE]

BALLOON BLOWS UP

TWO SOLDIERS KILLED AND 18 INJURED AT FT. OMAHA. Blast Occurs While Men Are Passing Gas From Nurse Balloon to f the Airship. Omaha, Neb. May 3. —Two soldiers Were killed and IS injured when the gas bag of a balloon exploded in its hangar at Florence field, near Fort Omaha. The dead and injured were memt>ers of the Thirteenth balloon company and all were in the hangar at the time of the accident. The balloon and hangar were destroyed by a fire which followed. The bag had just b.-en pulled down from a trial ascension. The explosion was said to have occurred while the soldiers were passing gas from a nurse balloon to the flying balloon. Col. H. P. Hershey, in an official statement, said the accident was probably due .to static electricity caused by the fabrics of the two. balloons rubbing together. The two soldiers killed were so badly burned a roll call will be necessary to establish their identity, Colonel Hershey said. The injured were promptly cared For. _ . Lawton, Okla., May 3. —Lieut. William Dean Thompson of the Two Hundred and Fifty-third field artillery, student observer at Post field, was killed and Lieut. Foster Bailey, pilot, was injured seriously when their airplane fell 300 feet.