The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-25
FELL WITH HIS AIRSHIP Henri Fournier, Leading French Aviator, Seriously Injured at Rheims Today MACHINE GOING
 AT HIGH SPEED Great Crowd Struck Dumb as Aeroplane Dashed
 Toward the Earth Fournier Clutched Wildly at Levers, But Frail Work
 Collapsed
Special From United Press3

Rheims, Aug. 25.@Henri Fournier, a leading French aviator. was seriously injured this afternoon when his vosin bi-plane fell from great height and was smashed. The machine was go- ing at high speed when one of the wires dropped. The wire was one of those supporting the planes. The great crowd which but moment before had cheered the daring work of Fournier was struck dumb with terror as the aeroplane dashed toward the earth.
 Fournier made desperate effort to right the machine and clutched wildly at the levers but the frail construc- tion. minus its chief support. collapsed and one wing ''buckled" badly. It is not yet known how seriously. Four nier is hurt. He was taken to an im- proived hospital The accident was the first that has occurred.
 M. Paulham. in a VoiSin bi-plane, has smashed all worlds record for continuous flight in a heavier-than-air machine and is still flying above the aviation field here with no indication that he is ready to come down. The record was 2 hours and 27 minutes and 25 seconds. made recently by Roger Sumner. also In a voisin bi-plane. At 6:12 p. m. to-day M. Paulham had been in the air for 2 hours 32 minutes and was still flying steadily.
 Only yesterday Fournier offered to take Nat Goodwin. the comedian on a flight, but the comedian refused -, favorite for the Coupe Inter nationale, which is to be sailed Sat urday. His feat late last evening in circling the 1-5 mile course in 8 minutes 2-5 seconds, 31 seconds faster than Glenn IF. Curtiss made the run in his "Golden Flyer the day before, has caused the. ever-varying French men to pick him as winner in the event.
 The only thing to mar the happiness of BleTiot's friends is the quiet, deter mined statement of Curtiss just after Bleriot had made his record, that he (Curtiss) would yet circle the course is not given to boasting, the French men fear that his bi-plane has not yet been put to it's limit.
 Though today's program lacked the presence of President F'allieres, the crowd is nearly as large as on yes terday. Royalty was represented on the Plain of Betheny today by Prince Albert of Belgium who took an active Crown Prince Friederick Wilhelm of Germany is expected to come this ev- ening, and as he is known to be sport loving young man 1t is probable that some of the aviators will take great chances to establish new rec ords.
 Curtiss continues to receive attrac- tive offers for his aeroplane and it is without his machine. Many of those who have seen the Golden Flyer consider it the best machine yet for stability and speed. The high wind again fnterfered with early flights, an R. B. F. machine being the only one that ventured out. It made a short flight. The indications are that the wind will die down in the late after noon as it did yesterday
 The committee today cautioned the aviators against taking such needless chances as A. Paulham did yesterday when he went several times around the course at a height varying from 200 to $50 feet in the face of a heavy wind. Paulham admits that he took his chance just to show off, before afraid that a repetition of such dare devil tactics will result in a tragic mishap.