The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-24
George Chavez, Daring Peruyi-
an Aviator, AccOmplishes
Most Wonderful Feat.
is SERIOUSLY INJURED
AT END OF FLIGHT
Machine 0yerturnS as He Nears
Ground and Falls Upon
Him.

DOMODOSSOLA, Italy, Sept. %
The great feat of crossing the snow
capped Alpine barrier between Switzer-
land and Italy in heavier-than-air ma
chine was accomplished today by
Georges Chavez, the young Peruvian av
iator.
The plucky hero Of the exploit, how
ever, lies tonight In the Domodossola
hospital badly injured us the result OF
an accident that occurred just as he
had completed the most arduous and
nerveracking portion Of the task.
Both his legs are broken, his left
thigh is fractured and his body IS bad
ly confused, but physicians are of the
| opinion that these hurts will not prove
| fatal.
Trouble Comes at Landing.
The accident occurred as Chavez was
| trying TO make landing here. The
Alps had been crossed successfully and
the aviator was descending with the
| power of his machine cut off, When
about thirty feet above the ground,
sudden gust Of wind seemed to catch
| the monoplape which turned over and
| fell. When the crowds that had been
watching the descent ran up they found
| Chavez living bleeding and unconscious
beneath the twisted wreckage. Willing
| hands lifted the aviator from the
ground aud bore him to the hospital
| Fifty miles away and over country
| that has none of the hazards of the
Alps Law 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.
Leaving the ground with this motor
running at full speed. he rose in sweep
ing circles until he had reached an al
| titude of 1900 feet, then turned ms ma
chine south over the terrifying Sim
p!eou pass.
Contrast to Napoleon.
After crossing the divide Chavez
turned the towering mountained head
of Monte Leone, which rises to a height
of 1866 feet and passed down above
the Condo gorge. Il deep gulf between
sheer walls until he reached the open
valley of Nedro and then descended
easily toward Domodossola. 1t was
here that the accident occurred. The
twenty-five miles between Brig aud
! Domodossola, which il took the armies
Of Napoleon a fortnight to negotiate,
| Chavez accomplished in forty minutes,
After treatment in the hospital Cha
vez regained consciousness. He suf
fcrcd terribly from his hurts.
He said he was unable 10 explain
| how the accident occurred.
Henry Weymann, the American avia-
tor who made two unsuccessful attempts
in the Brig Milan race today. sent q tel
egram Of sympathy to Chavez. Al
though Chavez did not succeed in win
ming the prize of $4,000. having failed
TO reach Milan. some of the members
OF the aviation committee arc in favor
Of turning over the prize to HIM and
erecting n monument in commemoration
of man IS first flight across the Alps.
Good Weather Conditions,
The weather for the competition was
excellent. The morning opened clear on
the surface and the haze that had gath
cred on the mountain tops was early
blown away. BY noon the wind had
died out
Chavez believed that the favorable
opportunity which he had awaited since
Monday morning had come and he de
cided to make the start He got away
at Leg o'clock and rose to a height
estimated to be nearly 1000 feet. He
passed swiftly over the mountain tops.
clearing the summit of Simplon pass at
:46. At that time his monoplanc was
moving as steadily as n railroad train
After negotiating Simplon pass.
Chavez followed the route over Condo
gorge, one of the grandest and at the
same time one OF the most savage of
the Alps, He reached here at Eli
o clock
But for the mishap in aighting there
is little doubt that he would have sue
cessfully continued TO the goal AS the
remainder of the course presented conn
paratjyely small difficulties
There is general regret that fate
which permitted him TO make what has
been described as the most reckless
flight ever attempted. should have dealt
less kindly with him when no had
reached the zone of easy flying and the
prize was in sight.
/ With the exception of Chavez and
| Wcymann. the aviators have abandoned
the competition. The timc limit of the
| contest viii expire tomorrow.
New Altitude Record.
| Chavez's s most notable feat up to to-
day was in establishing new altitude
| record On September ) he rose to a
height Of S27l feet.
| In starting Chavez rose 10 4 height cs.
timated at nearly 1000 feet, 1t was
known that il would be necessary for
HIM to attain TO nearly this altitude TO
clear the Simplon pass, the summit of
| wnlcn rises ooS- Ieet. RE malnta)neu
apparently this altitude for at least
half hour and followed over the road
built by Napoleon in 1900 over the Sim
plon pass. He accomplished the eight
miles that brought him over the top of
Simplon. and then sailed gracefully over
the eighteen miles down to Domodos.
sola Arriving at Domodossola he had
left the hardest part of his journey
behind him. having escaped the high
peaks and the tumble of rocky gorges
on the side of the summit.
The remaining distance to this city
offers less difficulty but takes the avi-