ARMY BALLOON EXPLOSION KILLS DR. MEISINGER & LT. NEELY
Belleville, Illinois (JFK+50) The Evening Star reports on June 3, 1924 that Dr. C. Leroy Meisinger* of the United States Weather Bureau and Lt. James T. Neely were killed yesterday when their S3 Army balloon exploded and was destroyed by fire.
The mishap occurred 150 miles NE of Scott Field near E. St. Louis where they had disembarked on the ninth of a series of air test flights. The balloon was seven hours into its flight when it exploded.
While the exact cause of the explosion is not yet known, it is "assumed that the gas in the bag became ignited by lightning."
*Dr. C. Leroy Meisinger (1895-1924) was one of the foremost meteorologists in the United States.
SOURCE
"Exploding Balloon Kills D.C. Scientist and Pilot," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., June 3, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
