New-York tribune., 1910-08-20
Drops Fifty Feet, and Heavy
Motor Misses Young Flyers
Head by a Few Inches.
MACHINES THIRD MIsHAP
Crawls from Wreck Unhurt and
Declares He Will Try Again
-Shriver's New Machine
a Success.


| afternoon, and narrowly escaped death.
HIS engine missed his head by only a
few inches. The engine weighs 90
pounds
II was the first time that any aero
plane had fallen so far at Garden. tet,,
1t was the third attempt by as MANY
aFlators to operate the Wilcox ma
chlhe' and the second time that the ap-
paratus was demolished for their pains
But MT Wilcox Will continue to trv TO
fly.
MI wilcox is the son of DR. Sidney F.
Wilcox, of No Il West sd street. Man
haitian. He is only twentv-four wears
old, tall. keen faced, dark haired and
feverishly absorbed in the science of
aerona utics
CIlfford 5. Harmon, Captain Thomas
5. Baldwin and George S. Russell we're
holding the interest of the five thousand
spectators, including several hundred
who had come from the new building Of
Doubleday, Page & Co, where Theodore
Roosevelt had laid the cornerstone at
5 p. m.
All. INccStNtI OIl not go the aV1a-
ton grounds, but in expectation that he
might eight machines were on view be-
fore 6 o'clock
Charles X. Hamilton had taken his
seat in machine built by Tod" Shriver.
internationally better known as Slimm,
and had found the apparatus good be-
fore the paint was dry.
Hamilton was flying $50 feet up, while
Slimm tried to keep back tears of Joy, 1t
being the first aeroplane Slimm had ever
made. and all his money and hopes be-
ing wrapped up in the thing
Four men were sailing around in a
rather windy looking sky, and young
Wilcox said at 6:45 o'clock:
The wind seems all right; guess I'll
try her. This is as good time as any"
The Wilcox aeroplane had been twice
tried with bad results since it was first
completed six weeks ago.
Lewis Strang. the automobile driver.
it along the ground. refused to take It
up. declaring that the construction was
defective.
When Wilcox said that he would take
UP his own machine several friends
showed concern. This strengthened his
purpose. and he took his seat.
How do You spell Your names? ?"
asked reporter. One Z or tWo?"
That's a sad thing to toss at a man at
a time like this" he replied. laughing
II myself employ one T.
Wilcox Takes the Chance.
He gave the signal to his helpers. and
the white and yellow machine ran along
the ground perhaps one hundred yards
before leaving it. The crowd knew that
Young Wilcox was at the wheel, and of
his long struggle for success, and he was
cheered heartily.
Fifty feet above the ground the plane
to the right hand of the aviator dropped:
in an instant the whole Contrivance was
seen to be falling TO earth sideWise and
then to crush noiselessly as so much pie
crust
Hundreds of spectators started to run
to the wreck. Hamilton had come down
and he ran for his automobile Harmon
came down. Baldwin still was flying
and Russell was preparing to alight.
The Wilcox machine fell half a mile
To the east of the grandstand. There
was. of course. no movement visible in
that possibly fatal heap. Men, as well
as women. muttered and grew pale in
the suspense.
Wilcox was pinned TO earth by the
lower left hand plane, but was unhurt.
In falling. the motor which fortunately
was not firmly seated in the machine. fell
out of it and narrowly missed the young
mans head As is weighs 80 pounds,
death would have resulted had he fallen
beneath II.
Six men helped Wilcox out of the
tansl4. Hamilton got him in his auto
mobile. Harmon sat on one side, and
Cage +. Tarbell on the other, while the
white faced aviator came toward the
grandstand
i've been in railroad wrecks. runa-
ravs and steamship disasters" said
Wilcox. whose only mark was. grease on
the right ear. "and now I've been in an
aeroplane accident