100 Years Ago: Alton Narrowly Avoids Dirigible Disaster

A 1926 snowstorm brought a rare low-altitude dirigible flight over Alton.

Jan 18, 2026 8:15 AM Jan 15, 2026 2:07 PM

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“The hookup of the Sperry Messenger with the TC-7 in 1925.” Matthews, Kris C. 375th Air Mobility Wing & Scott Air Force Base. Scott Air Force Base, 2024.

ALTON - On January 8, 1926, a TC-7 military airship sailed “majestically over the city” during a snowstorm. Altonians frequently saw airships fly above the city and had gotten used to the sight. But the dirigible flew at a low elevation and the noise of the drumming motor during the snowstorm “drew the attention of thousands to the dirigible, for it was the first visit of an airship in mid-winter.” Mayor Davis and other city officials were inspecting the Turner Tract, the proposed site of a new sanitary sewer, at the time. They noted that “members of the crew were clearly visible as the ship sailed overhead.” The dirigible circled over the Fairmount neighborhood after crossing the city, and then headed back towards Scott Field (now Scott Air Force Base). The RS-1, the largest semi-rigid dirigible in the world at the time, made its maiden trip from Scott Field at 5 p.m. the same day, but was not visible from Alton.

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How often did dirigibles have to fly over Alton during this time period for them to “ordinarily attract little attention,” as the January 9 Alton Evening Telegraph article stated? The answer is: pretty frequently.

In May 1925, the TC-7 dirigible landed on the Young farm, just north of Western Military Academy. One of the passengers was Major Ralph Jackson, principal of Western Military Academy. Lieut. Douglas Johnson of Alton piloted the dirigible, and one of the passengers was Major Ralph Jackson, principal of Western Military Academy. The landing was made at the request of the Academy, and a number of cadets assisted with the landing by pulling the craft to the ground and holding the ropes until the dirigible began its return trip to Scott Field an hour and a half later. Originally, the landing was planned for the Academy grounds, but officers in charge decided against the plan because of the buildings and fields and chose the plowed field on the Young farm instead.

In June 1926, a dirigible disaster almost occurred in downtown Alton. The airship almost landed in the middle of Broadway at Market Street. It also narrowly avoided hitting the Stanard Tilton grain elevator. “The dirigible was so low the men in it could be seen working with all possible speed to turn the dirigible’s nose upward so it would rise. They were successful and managed to get high enough to sail over the business district without colliding with the taller buildings.

Most of the articles about dirigibles in Alton in the 1920s specifically mentioned that it was “nothing new for the dirigible to sail over town.”

Special thanks to George Fuller for research help with this week’s article.

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