The Colorado statesman., 1910-11-19
BIPLANE FALLS;
AVIATOR KILLED
RALPH JoHnsToNE, WoRLD-FA-
NOUS, MEETS HIS DEATH
IN DENVER.
FALLS FULLY 300 FEET
HOLDER OF WORLDS ALTITUDE
RECORD OF e,714 FEET-WAs
80 YEARS OLD.

Denver.-Trapped in the wire
trusses and frame work of his Wright
biplane, Ralph Johnstone, 30 years
old, Americas most daring aviator,
and the birdman who held the worlds
altitude record of 9,714 feet, made a
few days ago at Belmont park, New
York, fell like meteor to his death
at 4:07 p. m. Thursday at Overland
park before the horror-struck gaze Of
thousands of spectators. He is the
thirtieth victim of the lure of the air
since Sept. II, 1908, and the first ex-
pert aviator to be killed in America.
Johnstone fell probably 300 feet,
landing just outside the fench about
200 yards south of the northeast cor
ner of Overland park grounds with the
wrecked machine on top of him. While
a score of bystanders were extricatin3
him from the debris, he was heard to
groan twice. He was unconscious Five
minutes later he was pronounced dead
by half a dozen physicians.
An examination at the morgue
showed that Johnstone had sustained
a broken neck. Nearly all his ribs
were broken in the shock of his fall,
and his left leg was found to be bad
ly fractured above the knee, where
the broken bone had pierced the flesh
and clothing.
The accident was caused by the col
lapse of the left lower plane just as
Johnstone, from height of between
500 and 600 feet, was making SEN
sational spiral descent. In making two
complete turns, he had descended
about half way. When facing north
and continuing his spiral curve down
ward from left to right, he was seen,
at a height of about 300 feet, to flex
his left planes strongly so that the
wings might grip the air and force
that side of the biplane upward in or
der to make sharp turn. AT this
iuncture. the lower left plane col
lapsed; the upper left plane buckled
under the double stress laid upon 1t,
and in flash the machine was seen
to turn on it's edge. Like thunder
bolt it shot earthward, its momentum,
probably 30 miles an hour, causing the
machine to describe the parabolic
curve OF meteor.
That many were not killed or IN
jured in the crash is due to the fact
that the eyes of the thousands of spec
tators Immediately under the wrecked
aeroplane were watching intently the
thrilling aerial maneuvers. A cry
rose from a thousand throats as the
machine was seen to collapse. In two
seconds a space 100 feet square had
been cleared by fleeing humanity, and
two seconds later the machine lay on
the earth. spattered with the blood OF
its driver
Hardly had the wrecked machine
ceased it's quivering and the body OF
the broken and bruised aviator
ceased to breathe before throng OF
ghoulish souvenir-hunters began fight
ing for blood-stained splinters OF the
wreckage. Pieces of canvas were
ripped off the planes, wires were cut
and in few minutes nearly every
movable fragment or splinter was
taken away as mementos of john
stones death.
The statements of bystanders diff
fer. Some maintain that Johnstone,
when he found he had lost control OF
his machine, climbed out of his seat
in an effort to break the fall by tiit-
ing the other planes at such an angie
as to cause the machine to glide down,
wards. Others say that tombstone dio
not leave his seat; he was thrown out
when the aeroplane tipped over on It's
side.
w. C. Brookins, one of the aviators'
who was found standing disconsolate-
ly with one foot resting on the
wrecked machine, flatly denied the re-
ports of Johnstone losing the control
of his machine.
He didn't lose any control OF MIS-
machine-not Johnstone," said BROOK
ms. "The machine collapsed, and that
is all there is to it."