Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-09-24
AEROPLANE is WRECKED.
OrviIle Wright Injnred and His Pas
senger Killed.

Washington, Sept 1s,-After hav-
ing drawn the attention of the world
to his aeroplanc flights at Fort Meyer
and having established new worlds
records for hcavier-than-air flying ma
chimes, Orville Wright yesterday met
with a tragical mshap while making
a two-man flight. The aeroplanist
was accompanied by Lieutenant Thos.
E. Selfridge, of the Signal Corps Of
the army Lieutenant Selfridge was
| fatally injured and died at $40 o'clock
last night Mr.. Wright was seriously
injured, but is expected to recover
While the machine was encircling
the drill grounds, a propeller blade
snapped off, and, hitting some other
part Of the intricate mechanism
caused it to overturn in the air and
fall to the ground, enveloping the two
occupants in the debris. Soldiers and
spectators ran across the field to
where the aeroplane had fallen and
assisted in lifting Mr. Wright and
Lieutenant Selfridge from under the
tangled mass of machinery, rods, wires
and shreds of muslin. Mr.. Wright
was conscious and said:
ooh, hurry and lift the motor"
Lieutenant Selfridge was uncon
scious. His head was covered with
blood and he was choking when the
soldiers extrcated him from under the
machine.
DIR. Walters, a New York physician,
was one of the first to reach the spot
and rendered first aid to the injured
men. When their wounds had been
bandaged, Mr.. Wright and Lieutenant
Selfridge were taken to the Fort Myer
hospital at the other end of the field.
Mr.. Wright lapsed into a state OF
sem-consciousness by the time he
reached the hospital, but Lieutenant
Selfrdge did not regain consciousness
at all. He was suffering from a frac-
ture at the base of the skull, and was
in critical condition.
After hurried surgical examination
it was announced that Mr. Wright
was not dangerously injured He is
suffering from a fracture of his left
thigh and several ribs on the right
side are fractured Both men received
deep cuts about the head. Mr.. Wright
regained consciousness at the hospital
and dictated a cablegram to his
brother at lie Mans, France, and re-
quested that the same message be sent
to his sister and father at Dayton, O.,
assuring them that he was all right.
Charles White, of White & Middle
ton. Baltimore, a mechanical expert,
gave this description of the accident
to Messrs. Wright and Selfridge:
The aeroplane was performing
beautifully for SIX or seven minutes,
when suddenly one of the propellers
broke near the end This caused the
machine to become so thoroughly out
of balance through centrifugal force
as to make it unmanageable. and it
made a dart to the ground while still
under operation Of the right propeller,
causing it to strike the ground with
a great deal more force than it would
have done by gravity.
q do not feel that this is any seri-
Gus defect in the machinery, but
merely want of better construction i'll
the propellers. Therefore. | do not
feel that the machine should be con
demned beyond this point, should
imagine that, when the machine made
the dart for the ground, it fell at
the rate of 20 miles an hour. Wright
and Selfridge were not thrown out,
The accident was due entirely to the
defective DrODeller"