Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-27
aaliseellansuus 8sadins.
FLEW ACROSS ALPS.
Brave Bird Man Makes Remarkable
Trip and Is Severely Injured.


Domodossola, Italy, Sept. 23.-The
great feat of crossing the snow-capped
Alpine barrier between Switzerland
and Italy in heavier than air machine
was accomplished today by George
Chavez, the young Peruvian aviator.
The plucky hero of the exploit, how
ever, lies tonight in the Domodossola
hospital badly injured as the result of
an accident that occurred just as he
had completed the most arduous and
nerve-racking portion of a task he had
set out to accomplish-a flight from
Brig in Switzerland, across the Alps
to Milan in Italy, in all a distance of
about Is miles.
Both his legs are broken, his left
thigh is fractured and his body is bad
" confused; but his physicians are of
the opinion that these injuries will not
prove fatal.
The accident occurred as Chavez
was endeavoring to make landing
here. The Alps had been crossed sue
cessfully and the aviator was descend
ing with the power Of his machine cut
off. When about 80 feet above the
ground a sudden gust of wind seemed
to catch the monoplane which turned
over and fell. When the crowds that
had been watching the descent ran up
they found Chavez lying bleeding and
unconscious beneath the twisted
wreckage. Willing hands lifted the
aviator from the ground and bore him
to the hospital.
Fifty miles away. and over country
that has none of the hazards of the
Alps, lay Milan, the goal Chavez was
seeking in an endeavor to win prize
of $4,000 offered by the italian Avia-
ton society for the flight. Chavez had
lost the race.
A Wonderful Flight.
The weather at Brig was clear and
bright when Chavez made his start.
Leaving the ground with his motor
running at full speed, he rose in
sweeping circles until he had reached
an altitude sufficient for him to clear
the Resti shoulder, to the southeast
ward Of Brig. This obstacle having
been overcome the Peruvian aviator
headed his monOplane straight for the
snow capped crags of the Fletchorn.
Constantly ascending Chavez reached
the Simplon Kuhn, where at an alti-
tude estimated at 200 feet, he turned
his machine south over the terrifying
Simplon Pass. with the Kaltwasser
glacier at his left and the frozen peak
of the Hubschhorn at his right.
After crossing the divide, instead OF
taking a short cut over the Monchers
Pass, q huge edged glacier, CHAVEZ
turned To the towering white mountain
head of Monte Leone which rises to
height of 1856 feet, and passed down
above the Condo gorge, a deep gull be-
tween sheer walls until he reached the
open valley of Nedro, and then de-
scrndeG easily toward DomodosSola,
which IS $50 feet above sea level. 1t
was here that the accident occurred.
The 81 miles between Brig and Do
moduasola. which it took the armies of
Napoleon a fortnight To negotiate, Cha
vez accomplished 10y the route of the
eagle i'm exactly 40 minutes. From the
high point at Mnnsera he descended
1000 feet in 13 miles his machine gain
ing i'm momentum as it flew over the
tumble of lower peaks. gullies and hills
beyond until the speed was terrific as
il approached the acrOdromc here
This doubtless caused the accident
which turned the cheers of admiration
of the waiting crowd into cries of hor-
ror as the machine came hurting To
the ground just as it seemed that Cha
vez was about to alight in safety.