The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-18
Aviator Is Dashed to Earth With His AiTShip and His
 Life Crushed Out
FATAL FLIGHT IN DENVER
 HORR|F|ES SPECTATORS
Johnstone Tries to surpass Eyolutions of Hoxsey But a Wing of His Ma chine Crumples Up and His
 Life Pays Penalty

Denver. November 17-With one wing tip of his machine crumpled like piece of paper, Ralph Johnstone, the daring aviator, hero of the worlds altitude record, dropped like plummet from a height of 500 feet into the inclosure at Overland park aviation field this afternoon and was instantly killed. ( When spectators reached him his body Jay beneath the engine of the biplane with the white planes that had failed him in his time of need wrapped about 1t like shroud. Nearly every bone in his body was broken.
 He had gambled with death once too often but he played the game to the end. fgh ting coo1ly and grimly to the last second to regain control of his broken machine.
 Fresh from his triumphs at Belmont park, where he had broken the worlds 9714 feet, Johnstone attempted to give the thousands of spectators an extra thrill with his most daring feat, the spiral glide, which has made the Wright aviators famous. The spectators got their thrill.
 The Fatal Flight
 The fatal flight was the second Johnstone had made during this aft ernoon. In the first flight when he was 3n the air with Hoxsey and Brookins he had gone through his usual pro- gramme of dips and glides with the machine apparently under perfect con srol. Then Johnstone rose again and after a few circuits of the course to gain height, headed toward the foot 1lSD. Still ascending. he swept back fsE big circle and as he reached the 6nnqaf D end of the enclosure he started yn9 @spiral glide. He was then at an ai aude of about 800 feet. With his -es tilted at an angle of almost go detrnes he swooped down in a narrow circle, the aeroplane seeming to turn almost in it's own length. As he start e to circle the middle ,spur,s which bracee the left side of the lower planes folded up as though it had been hinged.
 For second Johnstone attempted to right the plane by warping the other wing tip. Then the mortified spect ators Eaw the plane swerve like a wounded bird and plunge straight toward the earth. Johnstone was thrown from his seat as the nose {of the plane swung downward He caught on one of the wire stays between the planes and grasped one of the wooden braces of the upper plane with both hands. Then, working with hands and feet, he fought by main strength toward the planes so that their surface might catch the afr and check his descent. For e second 1t seemed that he might suc- ceed, for tho football helmet he wore tlew off and fell much more rapidly than the plane. The hope was momen- sary. however, for. when about 300 feet from the ground, the machine turned completely over and the spectators fled wildly as the broken plane, with fhe aviator still fighting grimly in its mesh of wires and stays, plunged hmong them with crash.
 Morbid and Gruesome Scene
 Scarcely had Johnstone hit the ground { before morbid men and women swarmed over the wreckage fighting with each other for souvenirs. One of the broken wooden stays had gone almost through Johnstones body. Before doctors or po- lice could reach the scene one man had torn this splinter from the body and run away carrying his trophy with the avi- ator's blood still dripping from its ends.
 Frantic, the crowd tore away the can wass from over his body and fought for the very gloves that had protected his hands from the cold The machine fell on the opposite side of the field from the grandstand, and there were but a few hundred persons near the spot, but physi- clans and police were rushed across as Soon as possible.
 Physicians declare that death must have been instantaneous, as Johnstone's s back, neck and both legs were broken, the bones of his thigh being forced through the flesh and leather garments he wore.
 Arch Hoxsey, who in a previous flight xhis afternoon had reached an altitude had ric d,.at haF Jo1, stone began his fatal glide, and was in the air when the accident took place. As he swung around the other end of the course he saw that Johnstone had fallen and guided his machine directly over the body of his friend. He descended as soon as he could bring his plane to the ground and rushed to the wreckage, where he and Walter Brookins helped lift the man. gled body to an automobile, which brought it to. the city.
 ssMy God, He's Gone!"
 Many of the spectators were watching Hoxsey's flight and did not see John stones machine collapse, but woman's shriek. My God, he's gone," drew every eye in time to see him dashed to death upon the ground.
 The band in the grandstand blaring away under contract, never ceased to play, and Johnstones body was taken
 
 "A Grizzly Bear" for funeral march.
 It would seem that many incidents had happened throughout the aviation meet Co warn the il-fated aviator. Yesterday ln alighting Johnstone broke the left wing tip of his machine against the fence. It was the same wing that gave way today and caused his death.
 Today when he started on his first flight one of the wheels on which the aero- plane runs along the ground gave way and had to be replaced. As he prepared to start for his last flight, fox terrier that had grolxen through the fence sta- tioned himself directly in front of the machine, and barking franticaily, refused to be driven away. As the machine rolled down the track one of the wings swept above the dog, which pursued the ma chine until it lifted into the air.
 Forget All Warnings
 Tn discussing his flights in this rare atmosphere yesterday with represents i've of the Associated Press Johnstonc declared he would ''attempt no tricks here as he considered 1t too dangerous. r.vldently, however, he believed he had Iw solved the problems of this altitude when ( he departed from his determination. Hoxsey's daring flight far over the foothills seemed to fire him with de- txrmtnatiop to outdo his teem-mate tor