Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-09-29
Accomplishes Trip in 40 Minutes
That Took Napoleon's Army
Two Weeks.
Is BADLY HURT IN LANDING
Descended 1000 Feet in 13 Miles
at Too Great Speed Tech
nically Lost $4,000
Prize.

! Domodossola, Italy, Sept. 23.--The
great feat Of crossing the snow-cap-
ped Alpine barrier between Switaer
land and italy in n heavier than air
machine was accomplished to-day by
George Chavez. the young Peruvian
| a viator.
The plucky hero of the exploit. how
ever. lies tonight in the Domodossola
hospital badly injured as the result of
an accident that occurred just as he
had completed the most arduous and
nerve racking portion Of n task he had
set out to accomplish. a flight from
Frir in Switzerland across the Alps
10 Milan in Italy. Il distance of about
| - miles.
Both his legs are broken, hts left
thigh is fractured and his body H.
badly confused, but the physicians
believe theso hurts will not prove
fatal and that barring complications.
Chavez will be about in two months.
The accident occurred as chavez was
endnavoring to make n landing here The
| Alps had been crossed successfully arl
! the aviator was descending with the
power of his machine cut OFT When about
| 81 feet above he ground sudden gust
! seemed to catch the mOnoplane which
turned over and fell Wien the crowds
ran up. they found chavez lying bleed
| ing and unconscious beneath the twisted
wreckage.
Fifty miles away, and over country
that has none of the hazards Of the Alps,
| lay Milan the goal chavez was seekiiT; in
an endeavor TO win prize Of 10000
offered by the italian Aviation society
| for the flight He had lost the race.
The weather NJ Brig was clear and
| bright when Chavez made his start. Leav-
ing the ground with his motor running at
full speed he rose in sweeping circles
until hc had reached an altitude sufficient
Tor him to clear th- Rosti shoIlder. to the
| southeaStvard of Brig. Then he headed
Cor the snowcapped crags of the FLEET
! chrn. Constantly ascending. Chavez
reached tho S!mplon Kuhn whore at an
| altitude estimated at 1900 fee he turned
south Over the terrifying Simpon pass,
with the Kaltwasser glacier at his left
and the frozen peak OF the iIuhschorn at
| his right.
After crossing the divide, instead of TAX
ing short cut over Moncher's pass,
huge glacier. Chavez turned the towering
white mountain head of Monteleone.
which rises 10 a height Of 1856 feet. and
passed down above the Condo gorge,
deep gulf between sheer walls until he
| reached the open valley Of Vedro. and
then descended easily toward Domodos-
! sofa, which IL $50 feet above sea level. 1t
WAS here that the accident occurred.
Some OF the spectators Of the flight
say that Chavez, after crossing the
Smplon pass, followed the short cut
route over the Monscra pass, which is
5000 feet above the sea. II this be so
it is possible that the Peruvian beat his
own worlds record for height of s,21l
feet.
GAINED TERRIBLE MOMENTUM.
| The % miles between Brig and Domo-
dossola. which it took the armies Of
| NAPOLEON fortnight to cover, Chavez
| acc omplished In exactly 40 minutes. From
the high point at Montsera he descended
| 100 feet in 10 miles, his machine gaining
| in momentum until the speed was terrific
| as 1t approached the aerodrome here.
| This doubtless caused the accident. which
turned tho cheers of the waiting crowd
| into cries Of horror MS the machine came
| hurting 10 the ground just as it seemed
Chavez was about to alight in safety
| After treatment in the hospital
Chavez regained consciousness, He
said he was unable to explain how the
accident had occurred, that he could
not remember having fallen.
Thousands Of the aviator's admirers
arrived here from Milan and other
| points to tender their services.
Among them was NJ. Palette. who.
II had been reported earlier in the day
had started from Brig In his aeroplane
and had landed safely at Stresa. Pail
lette did not even made an attempt al
flight having aba ndoned the race and
packed his machine for shipment.
AMERICAN UNSUCCESSFUL
Henry Weymann, the American avi-
ntor, who made two unsuccessful at
tempts in the BRIG Milan race, to-day
sent this telegram to Chavez:
MY sincere and enthusiastic con-
| Rratulntions on your exploit. | am
heartbroken over your accident and
you have my prayerful wishes for an
| early recovery
Much sympathy Is expressed here for
Weymann Although his motor has re-
ability to reach high altitude. Weyman
made n last and desperate effort to win
the race after hearing that Chavez had
met with an accident. He managed to
climb over the Resti Shoulder. but find
ing that tho aeroplano was incapable of
flying higher he returned to Brig and
| alighted.
Three Frenchmen who were racing IN
an automobile from Brig to tho scene OF
the accident were ditchod in n ravine. 1t
is feared they were fatally injured.
| Although Chavez failed to win the
prize Of $4,000 having failed to reach
Milan, some Of the members of the avia-
ton committee are in favor of turning
over the purse to him and erecting u
monument in commemoration of mans
first flight across the Alps,
| Chavez although n Peruvian, was born
| In Paris In 1897. He received his license
from the Aero club February Is last