The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-11-18
RALPH TOMBSTONE
KILLED WHEN HIS
BIPLANE FELL
High Record Holder Drops To
His Death at Denver
TRIED DARING SPIRAL DIP
Wings of Machine crumpIed When
at Height Of 500
TRIED DARING SPIRAL DIP

Denver, Col. Nov. 1S.-Ralph John
stone, the brilliant young aviator hol-
der of the worlds altitude record,
with one wing tip of his machine
crumpled up like a piece Of paper,
dropped yesterday like plummet
from a height of 500 feet into the in
closure at Overland park aviation
field here and was instantly killed.
Nearly every bone in his body was
broken
Fresh from his triumphs at Bel
mont park, where he had broken the
worlds record for altitude with
fight Of 9714 feet, tombstone attempt
ed to give the thousands of specta-
tors an extra thrill with his most
daring feat, the spiral glide, which
has made the Wright aviators ia
nous. The spectators got their thrill
but 1t cost tombstone his life. The
fatal fight was the second tombstone
made yesterday afternoon In the
first fight, when he was in the air
with Hoxsey and Brookins he went
through his usual program of dips
and glides, with the machine appar-
emily under perfect control Then he
rose again, and after few circuits of
the course to gain height, headed tow
ard the foothills.
Still ascending, he swept back in a
big circle, and as he reached the
north end of the Enclosure he started
his spiral glide. He was then at an
| altitude of about 500 feet With his
| planes tilted at an angle OF almost 80
degrees, he swooped down in q mar
row circle, the aeroplane 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 plane, gave way, and the wing
tips of both upper and lower planes
doubled up as though they had been
hinged. For a second tombstone at
tempted to right the plane by warp
ing the other wing tip. Then the hor
rified spectators saw the aeroplane
swerve and plunge straight toward
the earth.
tombstone was thrown from hi:
seat as the nose of the aeroplans
swung downward. He caught one O
the wire stays between the planes
and grasped one OF the wooden brac
es OF the upper plane with boil
HAMS. Then. working with haDd-
and feet, he tried by main strength
to warp the planes so that their sur
faces might catch the air and checI
the descent. For a second It SCENE,
! he might succeed. for the football he
met he wore b'ew off and fell mucl
} more rapidly than the plane. TIL
hope was momentary, however 70
when about 300 feet from the groun,
the machine turned completely over
and the spectators fed wildly as tn
} broken plane, with the aviator still
, struggling bravely in its mesh @
wires and stays, plunged anon
I them with a crash.
. Scarcely had tombstone hit IN
ground before morbid men and VIZ
men swarmed over the wreckag,
: highting with each other for souv,
: mrs. One OF the broken woode
p stays had gone almost through Johl
a stones body. Before doctors or n,
y lice could reach the scene one ma
4 lore TINS splinter from the body an
I ran away carrying his trophy wit
the aviators blood still dripping frol
9 It's ends. The crowd tore away IN
canvas from over the body and eve
fought for the gloves that had DR.
: tected Johnstone's hands from N
s cold. The machine we'll on the opp
site side OF the field from the gran
stand and there were but few hur
ured near the spot, but physician
. ana police were rushed across :
4 possible. Physicians declare deal
must have been instantaneous. Z,
- Johnstone's back. neck and legs wei
broken, the bones OF his thigh beir
;, forced through the flesh and the Leaf
4. er garments he wore.