Airship ROMA Disaster in Hampton Roads, The by Nancy E. Sheppard

Author:Nancy E. Sheppard [Sheppard, Nancy E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2016-01-24T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

THE CONFLAGRATION

The heavy envelope fell like a pall over us.

—Major John T. Reardon292

William Jones climbed onto his motorcycle and was able to start it with the first kick. Manic yet focused, he sped away from the warehouse toward the substation. The ground, soft from that morning’s rain, slipped in the tread of his tires, and he couldn’t seem to move fast enough. Mud sloshed against his pants and splashed on his face. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. He hadn’t remembered the substation seeming so far away. The base was covered in power lines. He knew that if there was any way he could help, it would be to cut the power. People rushed by him toward the railroad tracks—soldiers, civilians—but he didn’t have time to notice. He heard shrill screams behind him, echoing through the afternoon sky that sounded like the dreadful cry of a banshee. He had to help; he had to keep going. The damn motorcycle couldn’t seem to move fast enough. He needed at least a minute to get the power shut down once he got to the substation.293 There were too many wires and too many electric currents running through the post.

The seconds felt like hours until he reached the substation. He kicked off the motorcycle as if it were a pair of shoes and dashed to the door. He fumbled with the handle for a moment. It was then that he felt a distinct rumbling through the ground, and the glass in the window shook.294 The deafening sound of a thunderous crash filled his ears. He gasped as he felt tears fill his eyes. He was too late. There was nothing more he wcould do.295

Alberto Flores watched the ground come closer and closer to him as he hunched himself into position. He realized that his only chance of survival was to jump. Without a parachute, he knew that the window of opportunity to do so would be very limited.296 He remained vigilant and ready. He was alone, and there was nothing he could do for his shipmates inside.

Seconds later, the front tip of the copula smashed into the ground. Flores was maybe fifty feet from the ground at best—this was his moment.297 Like a cat attacking its prey, Little Flores pounced; his arms flailed for a moment as if he were a baby bird learning to fly. Midair, he began to run. He kept running and wouldn’t stop.298 Running was the difference between life or death, and he was choosing life. He barely felt the mud as he landed on the ground below. There was nothing he could do but run. He felt a tremor through the ground, accompanied by an enveloping crash of sound.299 He kept running and didn’t look back.300

Byron Burt braced himself, holding on to the open hay window of the control cabin. Everything was happening so fast. He couldn’t think objectively; all he could think about was his wife. Emotions welled inside of him. With a tremendous thud, everything in the ship began to fly forward.

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