The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-11-19
TOMBSTONE HAD NO FEAR
Wilbur Wright Constantly Restrained
Him-Brilliant Career Of 6 Months

4 FtiFf- DiitiidHh NaiSCt " WS"t'o
IF I'd leave that boy alone for a
minute he'd be in the hospital" VIII
bur Wright remarked many times
while no ding Ralph tombstone who
was killed at Denver Thursday, in re-
straint.
Johnstone's training as a trick bicy-
Gle rider. in which art he was in the
first rank, was part of his equipment
as an aviator, and probably had much
TO do with his death. No trick was
TO him too daring and he was always
begging the Wrights to let him try
much more than his teachers would
permit
Johnstones most remarkable idea
was that he could loop the loop in an
aeroplane just as bicycle riders do
the trick.
i've got it all figured out" he
would say to Wilbur Wright "All l
have to do is to go up, say 500 feet,
point her down, at the sharpest angle
she'll stand and then at just the right
moment lift the elevating planes.
She can't go wrong, tell you she
can't go wrong
Wright would never listen to ar.
gument on this point and told John
stone If he ever tried the trick he'd
never sit in a Wright machine again,
no matter whether he succeeded or
not.
IF something did go wrong" John
some said to reporters who had be-
come his confidantes, wouldn't 1t be
glorious way to end 1t all. It'd
make the greatest stunt ever pulled
off-or it'd be good night for Ralph
tombstone"
Friends of tombstone took hand
in dissuading him at times from try
ing his loop" trick, but the best they
could get from him on any occasion
was a promise that he would not try
It while Wilbur Wright was around
to watch.
But" he would insist, some day
when nobody's close to tell me
mustn't I'm going TO steal a machine
and do It."
tombstone, native of Kansas City
and IS years old, had travelled all
over the United States and in many
parts of the world az trick bicyclist
before he became an airman. He
joined the stan of the Wright broth
ers at Dayton only six months ago,
having been recommended by Roy
Knabenshue His ability as q bicy-
. clist stood him in good stead In keep
ing his equilibrium in an aeroplane
and he learned rapidly.
A He received his first introduction
to an Eastern audience at Asbury
. Park where the Wright team turned
up in August for its appearance in
4 the international meeting later at
Belmont Park. He was one of the
4 three young aviators all practically
y unknown at that time who came
4 East with the Wrights from Dayton.
j The others were Brookins and Hox-
sey. the latter OF whom soon came TO
4 be known as Johnstones School
! mate and flying companion under
a the cognomen of "the stardust twins.
Y Johnstones first real opportunity
4 came when Brookins fell from a
height OF so feet into the spectators
at Asbury Park, smashing his ma.
y chine and putting himself out of the
4 flying for several days. The accident
3 crippled the Wright team through the
l loss Of the only flyer who had been
II trained for altitude. JohnstOne's
! task had been to trim the daisies
A in fancy roller coasting and to dc
Y tricks at an elevation of so and 10C
A feet.
Y When Brookins fell into the Grove
4 at Asbury Park tombstone ordered
\ HIS craft onto the field almost in
4 stantly and was up circling above tht
y heads of the crowd before Brookin!
| had been taken from beneath thu
Il wrecked machine. The next day
! when j. Armstrong Drexel broke tn,
4 American record for altitude whicl
Y Brookins had made a few weeks earl
4 Ter at Atlantic City, tombstone beg
Y ged to be permitted to go up an,
4 take II back for the Wrights. H
y had had no training in altitude fly
ing, and Wilbur Wright refused L
N let him go.
Ordered out for spin around tn
track, tombstone headed his machn
Inward and gained an altitude of 500
feet He was not skillful then 4
making the long spiral turns require
for climbing and kept his craft o
such an angle that the engine ha
constantly to lift its entire weight.
Wright, who appreciated his fea
even though il was made against o.
ders. told him about these mistakes
and he was up and off again ne,
day, bundled in arctic wrappings [
fight on the cold which had humble
him on his first attempt. He did nj
regain the record in those first trial
but he stored up knowledge and fan
iliarity with soaring at great height
which he used TO great advantage
the Belmont Park meet, when III
capture OF words record became
matter OF keen international interel
with machines from all the world
fight for the chance Of making It.
On the final day just as the flyel
were turning hangerward at evenin
tombstone went into the sunset an
winged his way for altitude and e
durance. For one hour and 45 mi
utes he continued to cruise acroi
the sky, and then slid down out
the heavens with n barograph shol
ing an altitude OF 9714 feet. II W,
n worlds record but was under n
10000 foot mark that Wilbur WrigI
wanted to see him make. The |