The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-18
ARMY MAN KILLED
 AND WRIGHT IS HURT


 As soon as they could be extricated the injured men were taken to one side and physicians from the crowd of spec tators went to their aid.
 As soon as possible Mir Wright and Lieutenant Selfridge were laid on the stretchers and carried to the hospital As the gasoline tank had been pierced when tlrs machine crashed to the ground there was great danger that some person might come too near with lighted cigar or cigarette ana add an explosion to the disaster. A cordon of soldiers, however. kept the crowd at safe distance,
 After a surgical examination 1t was announced at the hospital that Lieu tenant Salfridge was in a critical condi- tion, having suffered a fracture at the base of the skull. It was said then that MT. Wright was not severely in- jured.
 The army surgeons attending the injured men stated that Mir. Wright had fractures of the left thigh and several ribs on the right side. He was much shocked but reacted well.
 At ten minutes after o'clock Lieu tenant Selfridge had not regained con sciousness. He was expecting his mother, who lives in San Francisco, to arrive In Washington this month. He is a nephew of Admiral Selfridge. and has a brother who Is an officer In the navy.
 seifridge's Family Notified.
 Glenn H. Curtis. of the Aerial Ex- neriment Associat ton. called up by long distance telephone as soon as he heard of the accident He notified Lieuten- ant Selfridge's family in San Fran cisco. .,
 MT. Wright yesterday replaced the propeIlers which he has been usinS with another pair. the plades oI "nles s are six inches longer. They were used for inc first time in today's disastrous flight and many who have witnessed Mir. wright's flights at Fort Meyer pc. lieye the change of propellers caused the accident. A,.aa
 An examination of che broken piaus showed that it had been snapped or at a point one-fourtn or .ne ..o oS from the hub. A deep indentation o1 the broken piece indicated that IL nao struck some other part Of the aero
 onIv this morning MT. Wright had been asked what the result would pe If one of his propellers proke "hiio the machine was in hght.
 turn the machine around" he said. put I would stop the motor and siide 10 the earth" Me Charles R. Flint of New York, lpter- national representative of the Wright brothers. MT. Flint came over from New York today to see the hlSht end Admirai and Mrs. Bronson. MT. Flins gaia tonight that the mishap would naf cause the Fort Myer fifyhts 10 oe Abandoned. They will be resumed, he said. as soon as MT. Wright has Fe covered and the machine has oesn se- . f paired. t,,, pvrirht brothers made application to . Washington insurance agent for life poIicy in favor of orvll,e Wrikhl srhep a reIfcv applied in the regular way to the home office. Today the agent received d letter from the ofiicia.s CT the company saying that We canno. issue a policy in favor or MT. wr,.ne or any one else in his line of wofk. We consider the hazard too great at this time, but it is possible that m the future, aerial navigation VIII reach a development which may change this view. ..,~
 Representatives of accident insur- ance companies would not even cons sider a policy in his favor.
 Rallies Quiclkly.
 RalIvinC quickly from his severe tniuries Orville Wright tonight sent Lieutenant Lahm to find Octave Cha nute. the pioneer aeroplanist. who aid ed the Wright brothers in their first gliding experiments. Mir. Wright wants 10 discuss the cause of the accident with MT. Chanute. The physician de- clded it would be best that Mir. Wright should not exert himself to that ex- tent
 '.Mr. Wright has suffered grave in- iurIes and the injury to the thigh bone alone will keep him in bed for six weeks" said Dr. Howard H. Ball ey in. charge of the Fort Myer Hos pital. His condition Is not critical and he responded readily to treatment We dressed the thigh with a side spIint and tomorrow a thorough ex- animation of his injuries will be made"