The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-09-30
FLIES THE ALPS
GEORGE CHAVEZ ACCOMPLlSHES
MOST DARING FEAT AVA.
TOR EVER ESSAYED.
AMERICAN FAILS TWICE
Mistake Would Have Meant Certain
Oeath.-Safe Until He Tries to
AIight, When Ship Is
Wrecked.

Domodossola, Italy. To young
George Chavez, the Peruvian aviator.
belongs the honor of being the first
to fly across the Alps in an aeroplane
The daring feat was accomplished
in an attempt to win the prize Of
$4,000 offered by the Italian Aviation
Society of Milan for flight from
Brig, Switzerland, to Milan. Chavez,
however was unable to complete the
trip, having sustained painful injuries
when he alighted here. His machine
was overturned and he was buried in
the wreckage.
AS the air man was seen slowly des-
cending great crowd gathered.
Gracefully the airship neared the sur
face and was only about 80 feet above
ground when a gust of wind caught
and overturned the machine. 1t fell
heavily, carrying the aviator beneath
it,
American Aviator Fails.
Chavez was pinned under the motor
He had tainted on striking the ground
and was bleeding profusely when re-
leased from the wreckage The ma
chine was ruined.
Chavezs injuries proved to be more
serious than was at first thought.
Physicians found that both his legs
were broken and that the left thigh
was fractured. His condition is grave.
The American aviator. Waymann,
also attempted the flight, leaving the
table land at Brig at 10 p. m. Later
word was received here that he had
descended after being in the air four
minutes. He started on another at
tempt at 3.43 o'clock.
Chavez crossed the Simplon at Las
and thus accomplished what has been
regarded as one of the most daring
feats attempted by air navigators. He
had waited patiently for favorable
weather for the route where strong
winds are the rule.
Most Reckless Flight.
The weather for the competition was
excellent The haze that had gath.
cred on the mountain tops, was early
blown away and the wind died out.
Chavez believed the favorable op-
pOrtunity he had awaited since Mon
day morning had come and he decided
to make the start. He got away at
1929 o'clock. He reached here at 2: II
o'clock
There is general regret that fate
which permitted him to make what
has been described as the most reck-
less flight attempted, should have
dealt less kindly with him when he
had reached the zone of easy flying
and the prize was in sight.
With the exception of Chavez and
Weymann, the aviators abandoned the
competition.
Follows Road Napoleon Built.
This morning both sides of the Alps
reported clear weather, but the top Of
Simplon Pass was obscured in a haze.
Chavez rose to a height estimated at
nearly 1000 feet 1t was known that
it would be necessary for him to clear
the pass where the summit rises 6,592
feet.
He apparently maintained this alti.
tude for at least half hour and fol-
lowed the road built by Napoleon in
1900 over the Simplon Pass. He COW
cred the eight miles that took him
over the top of Simplon and then
sailed gracefully over the 18 miles
down to Domodossola.
Easy rlnish Lay Before Him.
Arriving at Domodossola he had left
the hardest part of his journey behind
/ him, having escaped the high peaks
and the tumble of rocky gorges on
| this side of the summit.
The remaining distance to Milan Of
fers less difficulty but leads over Lake
| Maggiore and a succession of plains
1he distance from Brig, Switzerland
to Milan is IS miles and the prize was
J for the aviator who should accomplish
the first flight, starting from a table
of land 900 feet above sea level at the
head of the Rhone valley.
In addition to reaching height that
would take him over the Simplon sum
nit and in doing which he must suffer
severely from the cold, the aviator
was required to guide his frail craft
over wide chasms, notably the Gorge
of Ysette where safe resent would
be quite impossible and an accident
must mean almost certain death.
Success or Death Faced Him.
Aviation experts had predicted free
ly that the only alternative to sue
cessful flight across the Alps was
death of the aviator.