The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-11-18
,I0RIIST0ll'|
.BE.RIE|.B DIVE
PR0lE5BB1A!
THE DARING AVIATOR Az Il; 4 DEN y
YER DROPS FIVE HUNDRED
FEET TO HI s. dealt The Z
RiRAl5 DIVE COSTS THE LIFE
oFs FAMOUS WRIGHT OPERA
.GL0VEs7TAKEN F1RIS0UVENIRsT
Part Of the AeropIsne Vas Disnat,.
tied and IN Falling Enyeloped the
Victim After the Fashion s6f & u
Shroud. x " 4, y I! 81


<, DENVER Col, Nov. Is. with one
wing tip OF his machine crumpled Ike
a piece or, paper, Ralph Johnstose, the;
brilliant young aviator older OF the \
world s altitude rec cord 4, d dropped a Ike ID
iplummet roma heisH of 800 feet into
Ithe inclosufe at Overland Park Win
ton field and was Instantly Killed Sess3
terday. Z. ii i Z z ~ u ii Z "
Z When The fspectato tors crowded about
the tnclosures reachc J him his body
lay beneath the engine OF the bi.plane
withe the white planes that had failed
him in timeSof need wrapped about n
like a shfoud Nearly, every bone in
his body was broken AZ fsS
Fresh from his trirmphs at Belmont
Park where he had broken the worlds
record for altitude with a flight of
97l4 feet Johnstone attempted 10 give
the thousands OF spectators an eytfa
thrill with his most daring feat. the (
spiral glide. which shas made the
Wright aViators famous. The specta-
tors got their thrill. but 1t. cost john.
stone his life: he had gambled withS
death once too often. Z y y 81 <
The fatal flight was the second
Johnstone had made In the afternoon!
In the first flight, when he was In the
air with Hoxsey and .Brools lsins, lie had
gone through. his usual programme of
dips and glides with the machine APP
parently under perfect control Then
Johnstonel arose aga:2 and aftersa few
circuits OF the course to- gain sheig
headed towards the foothills
still ascending he swept back In d
big circle, and as he reached the north
end of Tile enclosure he started his
:spiEai sgiide sieli ill au al
.tIdes ofi about & 100 feet, With his
planes tilted at an angle OF almost DO
degrees, he swooped down In d mar
row circle, the saefopl lane seeming to
tur1f5 5almpst in{its own length As he
started the seoond 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
folded 'upsas though they had been
hinged. For a second Johnstofle at.
tempted TO right the plane by Jwarping3
the other wing tip.f Then the horrifod
spectators saw the, plane swerye like
a wounded bird and Ilunge toward the
earth. " N Il Il 6 x
Iohnstone was thrown from his
seat as the nose Of the plane swung
downward. I, 4. q
He caught on one, e,of the wire stays !
between the planes and grasped one
Of the wooden braces OF the upper
plane with both hands. Then; work
ing with hands and feat, he fought by /
main strength to warp the planes SO
that their surfaces might catch the 4
air and check his esSent For d secit
ond 1t seemed that re nigh succeed, /,
for the football helmet he wore blew \
off and fell much more rapidly than
the plane. The nope was fnomept tary,S
however, gtorI when about 800 feet from 1
the ground the mac Cline turned COM
pletely over and tie spec tors fledls
wildly as the 5brokep plane with the Il
aviator still fighting grimly In its d
mesh of wires and stays plunged
among them with a crash. a sss i Y
Scarcely had tombstone hit the 4
ground before morbid men and women
swarined over. thetwrec ckage,i lighting
each ,other for souvenirs. One Of the
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