New-York tribune., 1909-07-19
tTETR 4VIATOR PAIN
FTLLY HURT.
,I,,ander WrHiams Loses His Head
Uben Forty Feet Up, but Says
He TyM Try Again.

los+ his Ee3O CuAI44'i0N~--
-, 'Ao fo-ty feet above solid ground As
hihse- ,n the Nassau Hospital with a
fesulz 5is1ocated thumb and many pain
,-.. and the machine IS in the tent at
~ .-5 will be out Of commission Tor a
least Alexander Williams. the man
..r,s the cropper. is annoyed chlehy ~
~ So . Mill be a considera hle time before
:, ran take another fight.
--s;s machine healthy young hlplane, was
il re7eptlv 70 the AeronaUuc Club. and MI
ties has. been trying il out and tuning II up
= ..s-, ever since Two members. Charles
- Willard. 2 gas engineer. who has eN-
..-.-,.ntsd considerably with automobiles and
s-arg machines, ard Williams. who is said TO
:. :, Austrian. an engineer Of some experience.
.,+ho,frb he never made fight. was selected
:, make governmental flights at Mineola. Ihey
n,.,t down there yesterday morning. after Cur
.sss big fight. expecting TO rival the crows
,r,ich hover over The truck farms and the un-
sold villa sites
soop after sunrise Curtiss brought out the
ss-anlsne and started the engine going At
zsao'ciock exactly he began an ascent He shot
m zrtii he ras 80 feet above ground. circled.
rhsn depressed the forward planes and shot
5ozn 70 within ten feet Of Ire earth. Then he
made long horizontal flight Of four sweeps,
vsryfng II size. IN all he few probably three
and one-half 70 four miles then brought the ma
cnins 70 earth at the starting point
Willard and Williams both wanted 10 have
the next flight. 50 il was agreed to flip a coin
70 decide which should make the first ascent. It
fsa to Williams to call the coin Curtiss hipped
into the air. II fell 10 the ground before Will
!sms decided whether 10 call il heads or tails,
and when he decided ne lost
When I saw that I told Curtiss that If he
took as long as that 70 make UP his mind he
was no man 10 60 Up in an airship." declared
A N. Herring. Currisss partner. later in the
day
Willard having won the toss. started the ma
shine Of. He rose 10 height Of about forty
feet then sailed along for about one hundred
yards bringing the machine 70 earth Era dually.
Everything seemed 10 work smoothly. Then Cur
tiss got into the machine and brought II back
70 TIE starting point with q long sweep.
WILLIAMS DIDN'T FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS
Then Williams got into the saddle. and the en-
gae Vss started The aeroplane shot UP. bear
ing Somewhat 20 the right Williams had had
the same Instructions about the engine and
s-serng gear as had Willard. but apparently
hs inst his head when he got about forty feet up
i1stsad of pushing the steering wheel from him
rs he should have done 70 defect the forward
planes dovnv-ard 70 make gradual descent.
es Trenched the steering 1heel violently 70 the
right The result vas that the machine swooped
70 ssrth. smashing the right end on the ground
and dipping 81 that the forward planes bumped
and poughed along. Williams mas thrown from
the seat and the machine turned turtle Cur
hss. Professor ?. II. WOOD. of Johns Hopkins
University; Dr- "a. 7 Cooke. Of Port Washing
ton, and others rushed 10 him. He VAS uncon-
srious: the engine Tss still going The engine
vas shut of and the injured man bundled into
sn automobile. while II Cooke gave him first
si6 and then took him over 70 the hospital,
which Is just around the corner
Wien the confusion was over r. vse found
nat the damage wasn't So great as had been
Supposed williams left arm was broken he
iHeen the elbow and shoulder. and his left
thInb Was disIocsted- He was bruised. but ne
Isdnt lost his nerve and said he hoped to try
II again as soon as he got ort of the hospital
M Herring and others said the accident was
cue solely to The fact that Williams lost his
head
Tie machine had several ribs. smashed. and
ne rudder ana forward planes were damaged.
y VII take about week and some $3.50 20 put
! MO flying share again. Mr.. Curtiss went to
nsIfhohdsYort Yesterday afternoon From
1s'e ne viii send down repair material. and
sh 'he ae-opano IS PATCHED I'D experiments
~. 60 OF under the direction OF Mr. Herring
"ii'ard. Who made the successful fight
.ssefcay II was Wizards first flight and
as sad 10 be the first successful flight OF a
- he ssio the sensation was more like that
'afin canoeing than anything he had cx-
faIshaed- save for the air pressure
iou get the rush OF air just as YOU do In
9'''f car, said he But there is the smooth.
~ shaing motion, and the sense OF frceness
'ssiiiency which --ou get in 2 canoe more
Al tn4ns else know found the machine
- f''deo perfectly when I tried 10 guide it,
sc'iy what ! was told, and the result was
"na' @as told it would be"
-. herring said the accident vas the result
''AaInss losing his head Nj Triaca. who
,,. lclE sehool OF aviation. and Curtiss vis-
-sa Williams st the hospital after the accIdert
-nd MIN resting easily and eager TO try
\. sa' Mr. Herring said. He said also that
80. practically completed a contract for an
with = man who saw the fight. de-
siais the accident
- ESTEE WAR DEPARTMENT CONTESTS
asmmondsport Curtiss viii get into shane
,s which he viii take to Europe 10 en-
contest Tor the James Gordon Bennett
SCI NJ Herring said the firm would enter an
shirt - =. 10 70 ne War Departments contest for
right brothers are preparing now.
n, requisite is machine which win STAY
aour. With two men aboard. and develop
er. 80 q forty miles an hour said Mr.. Her
tes "a. iHe machine I SHAH take to Washing
io - a'' offer much from this one" pointing
srnsIle. s.lashed hier. It will be sonewh1t
9ns ~ VIII have an engine OF about the
srnsl, selo"er This machine is much
caip. nan the Wrights' They have a ma
aseut - feet long. about feet high and
acros. Ne1 deep This one is only % feet
80. 80 measures -. feet in bejFbt and IS about
IT,, Oeep. Our Washington machine Will be
ing ,s We figure we have been MAX
chin s''ue more speed than the Wrights' ma