| On Monday 21st July 1919 the Wingfoot Air Express | | | | Airstrip, was also closed shortly after the crash. |
| (owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company) | | | | Published in honor of those who lost their lives while |
| crashed into the Illinois Trust and Savings Building in | | | | at their work in the bank, in a catastrophe that left all |
| Chicago, with the loss of 13 lives. This was the worst | | | | officers and employes grief striken. |
| Airship disaster in the USA until the Zeppelin Airship, | | | | THE GREAT TRAGEDY |
| Hindenburg crashed in 1937. Of the 13 who died, one | | | | Out of the clear sky came a mass of flaming |
| was a crew member, two were passengers whilst | | | | wreckage which crashed through the big skylight of |
| the remaining 10 were bank employees in the building | | | | this bank, bringing death and injury into the Illinois |
| below. | | | | Trust family. A big dirigible sailing over the loop caught |
| The Wingfoot Air Express was carrying passengers | | | | fire a thousand feet in the air and came rushing like a |
| from Grant Park to the White City Amusement Park | | | | flaming comet, down to earth. The finger of fate had |
| when, at an altitude of about 1200ft, the craft | | | | selected the skylight of this building among the |
| caught fire above the Chicago Loop. Once the crew | | | | hundreds of flat roofs surrounding, on which the |
| realised that the Airship was lost, the Pilot and the | | | | dirigible was to strike. |
| Chief Mechanic parachuted to safety along with a | | | | This great tragedy resulted in the death of ten of |
| third person who broke both legs and later died in | | | | the bank's people and the injury of twenty-seven |
| hospital. | | | | others, leaving a never to be forgotten shadow over |
| The Illinois Trust & Savings Bank building on the | | | | the entire institution. Employes and officers were |
| corner of LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard, | | | | busy closing up the day's business on July 21st. It had |
| housed 150 employees who were closing up after | | | | been a big day. Monday almost invariably brings more |
| the days business (the fire being reported to have | | | | business than other days of the week. Many of the |
| started at 4:55pm) in the main banking hall. The main | | | | employes already were on their way home. Those |
| hall was illuminated by a large skylight and the remains | | | | still at work were putting the final touches on the |
| of the Wingfoot Air Express struck the banks | | | | day's work and would have departed for home very |
| skylight directly causing flaming debris to fall through | | | | shortly. |
| to the hall below. As well as the ten employees who | | | | Suddenly, as if the whole roof was caving in, there |
| were killed, 27 members of staff were also reported | | | | came a big crash and down through the skylight |
| injured. | | | | descended the huge, fiery blimp with its twisted iron |
| After the crash, Chicago City Council imposed a ban | | | | and heavy mechanism, past the balcony and down to |
| on hydrogen filled dirigibles from flying over populated | | | | the first floor upon the heads of employes who |
| parts of the city. The Airships home base, Grant Park | | | | were working underneath the large skylight. |