The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-18
Ralph Johnstone's Spiral Glide
Stopped by Broken Wing,
Causing Fatal Tumble.
MORBID SPECTATORS FIGHT
LIKE MAD FOR SOUVENIRS
Bleeding Corpse Borne From
Ground While Band Played
"Grizzly Bear, March.

Tip of his machine crumplcd like a piece
of paper. Ralph Johnstope, the brilliant
young aviator, holder of the world 3
altitude record, dropped like plummet
from Il height of 500 feet into the in
closure at Overland Park aviation field
today and was instantly killed,
When the spectators crowded about
til inclosurc reached him lis body lay
beneath the engine of the biplane. with
The white planes that had failed him in
his time of need, wrapped about it like
a shroud.
Nearly every bone iu his body was
broken.
lie had gambled with death once too
often, but be PLAYED the game TO the
end, fighting cody and grimly to the
| last second to regain control of his
| broken machine. Fresh from his tri-
umphs at Belmont Park. where he had
broken the world s record for altitude
with q flight Of 9714 feet, Johnstone
attempted to give the thousands of
| spectators. who stood with craned necks
to watch him, an extra thrill with his
| most daring feat. the spiral glide. which
had made the Wright aviators famous.
The spectators got their ~ I'll, but it
cost Johnstone his life.
Starts Spiral Glide.
The fatal flight was the second JOIN
stone lad made this afternoon. In the
| flight when he was In the air Wi h
| IIoxsey and Brookins he had gone
| throu"h his usual programme of dips
and gIdrs with his machine apparently
under pert f control, Theu Johnstoue c
rose again and after few circuits of
the course TO gain height, headed toward
| the foothills.
Still ascending. he swept back in a
big circle and as he reached the north
end of the incloSure he started his spiral
glide He was then AT an altitude of
aboCt 500 feet. With his planes tilted
at an angie of almost 80 degrees. lie
swooped down in narrow circle the
acroplane seeming to turn almost in its
own length
As he started the second circle the
middle spur which braces the left side
of the lower pl2ne gave way and the
wing tips of both upper and lower
planes folded up is though they had
attempted TO right the plane by warping
Then the borrified spectators saw the
nlane swerye like wounded bird and
plunge straight toward the earth
Johnstonc was thrown from his scat
as the nose of the planes swung down
ward. He caught IN one side of the
|
graspcd one of the wooden braces Of the
upper plane with both hands. Then,
working with hands and feet he fought
| ov main strength to warp the planes so
that their surfaces might catch the air
and check his descent. For second
| IL seemed TO the white faced spectators
| almost under him that he might succeed
! far the football helmet he wore, blew
off and rel much more rapidly than the
plane.
The hope was only momentary, how
ever. for when only about 300 feet from
the ground. the machine turned com.
plctelv over and the frightened spccta.
tors fled wildly as the broken plane
with the tense ced boy still fighting
grimly in its mesh Of wires and stays
! plunged among them with n thud md
crash that could be heard all over the
big field.
Create Disgraceful Scene.
Scarcely had he bit the ground when
morbid and scpsation-mad spectators
| both men and women, swarmed over
the wreckage fighting with one another
for souvenirs OF the terrible occasic :,
One Of the broken wooden stays had
thrust its Jagged end almost through
,Johnstopc's IS body.
Before doctors or police could reacl
| the scene one man had torn this sp1in
ter from the crushed and mangled body
md run glcefully away carrying hls
horrid trophy with The aviator,s blood
still dripping from its end. Frantic
the crowd tore away the canvas from
over his body and fought for the very
gloves that had covered tombstone 8
| hands.
The machine fell on the opposite
aide Of tho field from the grand stand
and there were few near the spot, but
physicians and police were rushed
~ II r.t
that death was instantaneous as John
stone s back and legs were broken. tho
bones Of his thighs being forced
through the flesh and the leather gar
meuis he wore.
Arch Hoxsey. VITO in previous flight
this afternoon had reached an altitude
of 1900. had risen Just before John
stone began his fatal glide aud was IT
the air when the accident took place
AS he swung around the other end oil
the course he saw that Johnstonc had
fallen and guided his machine directly
over the body of his friend. He de
sccnded as soon as he could bring hi'
F, plane TO the ground and rushed to tht
, wreckage whero he and Walter Brook
9 ins helped 60 lift the mapgled body into
: an automobile which brought 1T to th'
city.
? MANY of the spectators were watch
ing Hoxscy's III ght and did not SCI
Johnstone' machine collapse, but !
woman s sbriek. my God, he IS gone;
drew every eve in time to see th'
! doomed man dashed TO death upon th'
ground.
The band in the grand stand, blarn;
o away under contract, never ceased u
! niay and ,Iohnstoue IS body WINS drIvoi
. out of the inclosure with The strain
4 of GA Grizzly Bear" for funera
!, march.
:. It would seem that enough accident
! Continued Oh Page Eleven.