Monday, July 21, 1919. 1919 Motor Transport Convoy makes 82 miles in 10.5 hours, air disaster in Chicago, riots in Norfolk, Austrians receive draft peace treaty.

In spite of engine troubles in a couple vehicles, the transcontinental Army convoy made a record, heretofore, 82 miles in 10.5 hours, arriving in DeKalb Illinois right at 5:00 p.m.

The convoy was clearly getting in the swing of things as their speed was really picking up.

They left Chicago Heights at 6:15 a.m, which means that they necessarily missed the drama in Chicago later that day when the Wingfoot Air Express, which belonged to Goodyear, crashed in Chicago, killing its 13 occupants.

The Wingfoot Air Express being loaded on July 21, 1919.

The crash was the worst air disaster in the United States up until that time.  It was transporting passengers, all of whom died in the collision, to the White City Amusement Park.  The craft caught fire over the city. When this occurred, five individuals, including two crewmen, attempted to parachute to safety but none survived the experiment.

The airship crashed into a bank, killing ten employees therein.

Airships are usually billed as extremely safe, but they certainly have had their collection of serious accidents.

In Norfolk Virginia celebrations to welcome returning black veterans turned violent in another instance of the spreading Red Summer of 1919.  Authorities in Norfolk were quick to react and called upon Federal authorities to restore order, which they did by sending in sailors and Marines from the nearby base.  Two deaths resulted from the riot.

Lynchburg Virginia, July 21, 1919.

Austria received the draft of the peace treaty that the Allies sought to impose upon the now disintegrated empire.  While we hear less about it than the Versailles Treaty, it was likewise a fairly harsh treaty.

Camp Merritt, New Jersey, July 21, 1919.