Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-10-06

heavy motor In the fall. Inc french
have been the heaviest losers in
life Of any Of the nations interest
ed in aeronautics Half a score OF
daring and temperamental French
men have paid with their lives the
penalty for venturing into the sky
spaces on frail machines of silk, alu-
minum and piano wire. The Germans
are the next heaviest losers In life
and property. The wrecking OF the
numerous rigid and semi-rigid dirigibles
of the Zeppelin and Parseval types has
hit hard the hackers of the German
idea in aeronautics The casualties
for the year 1909 were terminated by
the death of the Spanish aviator, Fer
nandeZ, at Nice, on December 6. He
was a martyr to the idea Of lightnesE
in aeroplane construction. His deatk
was undoubtedly caused by trying to
fly with motor that was entirely toG
light for the strain it had to bear durs
ing his determined flights. While
sweeping in great circles over the
aviation grounds of the French city
the tiny motor gave way with a split
ting crash. The watchers turned their
heads away while the swift fall lasted.
In spite of the warning conveyed in
his death, many ayiators even yet are
sacrificing safety for lightness in their
engines. Delagrange, who was killed
in the frsc week of January, 1910,
made the opposing mistake of having
an engine whose weight was too great
for his wing area. His planes were
not sufficiently large to bear up under
the weight of his heavy motor, when
under the strain of full flight Della
grange was the first aviator to CARRY
passenger with him in his aerial
trips. Mrs. Pettier, the first woman
passenger in the history of the aero
plane. made flight with him in July,
1908.
After the death Of Delagrange, the
first few months of 1910 were devoid
of fatal accidents. Aviation meetings
were going on late in the winter in
America, southern Europe and in
Egypt It was April in the present
year before lie Blon was killed on the
Spanish seacoast at San Sebastian.
LIE Blon was the idol of the more dar-
ing aviators. He had attracted inter
national attention by his remarkable
flights at Doncaster, England, late in
October of the previous year. He had
15-mile flight on October 10, and on
the next day he made trip that all
aviators. even his nervous fellow
countrymen. characterized as fool
hardy. A great gale blew up out of
the Atlantic on the night Of October
Is, growing steadily worse through
the night of tho nineteenth. 1t was
the sort that sweeps the tight little
island every autumn, terrific blew
that comes roaring up the channel
from the Atlantic, sending fishermen
and channel shipping scurrying for
shelter In some rock-bound harbor.
In the midst of this great gale tho
| Frenchman announced that he was
going to make a flight. In aeronau-
teal records the flight that he made
that day is set down as being "a fool
| hardy flight in great gale"
| The death roll has grown rapidly
In this, the summer of 1910. On May
IS. Michelin was carried by a strong
4 wind against derrick, and in the fall
that followed sustained injuries that
caused his death. Eugene Spier was
killed at San Francisco while prac-
Using on glider" M. Robi met his
death in meet at Stettin. Wachter
was killed at Re4ns Charles Stewart
Rolls, hero Of England by reason Of
his remarkable flight from Dover to
Calais and return, was killed at Bour.
Enemouth through rudder OF his own
invention, failing to answer the lever.
Kinet, q Belgian. met his death during
recent aviation exhibition in
French town. Eugene Ely. while try
ing for the third time to make con.
tinuous fight from Winnipeg to Port.
4 age 10 Prairie, fell from height Of
several hundred feet and was killed.
i The dirigibles have been the occa,
sion OF nine Of the twenty-thrsa
deaths OF the laEt two years. on
A September as, 1904 the French war
4 4 n he aes:.sl!s..e
4 TO Meudon from the field mansuvsrs
at Ia Palisse. was destroyed, sup
possably by a propeller blade breaking
4 on AID ripping open the wallis of the
4 craft. Four men were Killed IN the
4 fall OF 400 feat, that followed tie uttar
collapse ct thu dirigible. In ths de.
ssruction Of the Erbsloeh, III Lsich-
4 lingsn, Germany, 9 few days arc. 6ye
men. including the inventor. me- sheir
4 doom