The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-11-18
DARING AVIATOR
DROPS TO DEATH
Every Bone in Body of Ralph
tombstone of the Wright
Team Is Broken.
HAD ALTITUDE RECORD
One Wing of the Craft Broke
While He Was Execut-
ing Spiral Stunt.

Denver. Colo, NOV. 1S.-Deotn roue
at Overland Park yesterday with
Ralph tombstone. holder OF the worlds
aviation altitude record. While
crowd OF 10000 to $4,000 persons
watched brcathlessly. gasped. moan
ed. tainted. tombstone dropped like a
stone 500 feet In his Wroght biplane
and was instantly killed.
His tragic flight was not without
thrilling struggle with the grim pas
senger, for whom the daring bird man
realized that one tip of his white wing
was broken and that the earthward
dive might mean the loss OF his life
he tried TO climb swiftly to the top of
his aeroplanc lest the heavy machin-
cry crush ont his life. But he COULD
not manage 1t.
When the spectators reached him
his body lay beneath the engine Of the
biplane. with the white planes that
had failed him In his time of need
wrapped about II like a sh-oud. Near
~ every bone In his body was broken.
oarhied Once Too Often.
He had Gambled with death once
too often. but he played the game TO
the end. fighting cody and grimly
to the last second to regain control OF
his broken machine.
Fresh from his triumphs at Bel
mont Park. where he had broken the
worlds record for altitude with a
flight Of S,714 feet, tombstone attempt
cd to give the thousands OF spectators
an extra thrill with his most daring
feat. the spiral glide. which had made
the Wright aviators famous.
The spectators got their thrill but
1t cost tombstone his life.
The fatal flight was the second that
tombstone had made that afternoon. In
the first flight. when he was in the air
with Hockey and Brookins. he had
gone through his usual program OF
dips and glides with the machine APP
parently under perfect control. Then
tombstone rose again, and after a few
circes Of the course to gain height,
headed toward the foothills.
Still ascending. he swept back In
big circle, and as he reached the north
end of the Enclosure he started his
spiral glide. He was then at an alti'
tude of about 800 feet.
With his planes tilted at an angle
Of almost 30 degrees he swooped down
In narrow circle. the aeroplalne
seeming to turn almost In Its OWL
length.
Az he started the second circle the
middle spur which braces the left
side of the lower plane gave way and
the wing tips OF both upper and low
er planes folded up as though they had
been hinged.
T, Attempts to Right Plane.
For second tombstone attempted
to right the plane by warping the
other wing tip. Then the Mortified
spectators saw the plane swerve likt
wounded bird and plunge straight
toward the earth.
tombstone was thrown from his sea-
as the nose OF the plane swung down
ward.
He caught on one of the wire stays
and grasped one OF the wooden brace:
of the upper plane with both hand:
he fought by main strength to war;
the planes SO that their surface might
catch the air and check his decent.
| For a second 1t seemed that hi
might succeed, for the football helme
he wore blew off and fell much more
rapidly than the plane.
The hope was momentery however
for when about 800 feet from thu
ground the machine turned complete
Ily over, and the spectators fled wild
Ily as the broken plane. with the avia
tor still fighting grimly In its mesi
of wires and stays. plunged amont
them With a crash.