Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1910-08-13
RISKED LIFE To
AVERT ACCIDENT
Aviator BrOOkins Injured In
Fall to Earth.
DASHED INTO SPECTATORS
Seven Other Persons Badly Hurt
When Aeroplane Fell - Narrowly
Missed Grand Stand.

Walter A. Brookins. the youthful pu-
Dill of the wrights. who on July .
climbed TO the record height OF 6275
feet at Atlantic City. and then coasted
safely to earth with his power shut
on. crashed to earth from height
Of about fifty feet during the first
hour OF the opening OF the ten-day
aviation meet at Asbury Park. N. j.
This is the first time since aviation
began to draw big crowds OF onlook-
ers that an aeroplane has tumbled
down on the spectators.
Seven persons besides Brookins
were injured One OF them. a fourteen.
ycar.old boy named George Burnett.
of Spring Lake. was crushed beneath
the framework of the lower part OF
the main planes OF the machine and
had his skull fractured and his hip
broken. He was removed to the Long
Branch hospital in an automobile. The
boy will probably die.
When Brookins was found beneath
the tangle of the torn plane. fabric
and splintered framework and wires
he lay on the sod of the aviation field.
with his face in a pool of blood and
his right hand still grasping steer
ing lever. He was thought TO be dead
as he was dragged out of the wreck.
The doctors say that superficial ex.
animation showed that Brookins has a
broken nose. severely lacerated head
and face. his eyes are closed and he
has general bruises about the body.
The doctors do not expect fatal re.
suits from his fall.
Brookins says that his fall was due
to efforts he was making while de-
scending to avoid crowd OF camera
men and other spectators grouped on
the aviation field few feet In front
of the north end of the uncovered
grand stand and that this point was
solidly packed with spectators. When
about fifty feet over the heads OF the
grand stand crowd the aeroplane was
seen to tip at what seemed TO be al
most an agile OF forty-five degrees as
the aviator tried to swing his ma.
chine in sharp circle between the
grand stand and the knot of men out
on the field
AS II sharp pun of wind had hit
the lower surface of the highest edges
of the main planes. the machine mo
mentarily stood on edge in mid-air and
then II headed straight downward and
crumpled into q cracking help of
wreckage.
Had the aeroplane fallen ten feet
further back in It's flight It would have
undoubtedly crashed upon the grand
stand crowd and crushed many men.
women and children. who a few mo
ments before were cheering the avia-
tor One could almost reach out and
touch the wreckage from the front
row Of the grand stand seats. Shrieks
OF terror arose from the grand stand
onlookers. men and women crouched
and with appraised hands seemed TO
try to ward off the weight bearing
toward them.
Out on the sod in front OF the grand
stand there was wild scramble
among the ISLANDERS whose badges per.
mitted them TO he on the field Along
the grand stand seats at a safe dis
lance from the machine the 5000 spec
tators arose with a cry of horror.
The aeropane fell upon a group OF
program sellers. policemen and spe.
cial deputies and some small boys who
had been flying kites of strange design
before Brookins took the air.
Their efforts to break for safety
were only partly successful The plane
smashed through cigar case standing
on the grass. the starboard edges of
the planes tearing through the wire
netting that was supposed TO keep the
crowd back.