The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-11-25
FALLS 70 his DEATH
Johnstone Drops 500 Feet in
His Biplane.

Denver, Col. Especial With one
wing OF his machine crumbled like q
piece Of paper, Ralph tombstone, the
brilliant young aviator, holder Of the
worlds altitude record, dropped like
. plummet from q height $500 feet
into the Enclosure at Overland Park
aviation field and was instantly
killed.
When the spectators crowded
about the Enclosure reached him his
body lay beneath the engine Of the
biplane, with the white planes that
had failed him in his time of need
wrapped about 1t like q 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, fighting coolly 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 record for
altitude with a fight of 9,714 feet,
Johnstone attempted to give the thou
sands 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, but 1t cost tombstone his
life.
His Fight For Life.
The fatal flight was the second
tombstone had made. In the first
flight. when he was in the air with
Hoxsey and Brookins, he had gone
through his usual program of dips
and glides with the machine APP
parently under perfect control. Then
tombstone rose again, and after few
circuits Of the course to gain height
headed toward the foothills.
Still ascending, he swept back in a
big circle, and as he reached the
north end Of the enclosure, he start
ed his spiral glide He was then at
an altitude of about 500 feet. With
his plane tilted at an angle of almost
80 degrees, he swooped down in q
narrow circle, the aeroplane seeming
to turn almost in its own length. AS
he started the second circle, the mid
die spur, which braces the left side OF
the lower plane, gave way, and the
wing tips of both upper and lower
planes folded up as though they had
been hinged. For second, John
stone attempted to right the plane by
warping the other wing up. Then
the horrified spectators saw the plane
swerve like a wounded bird and
plunged straight toward the earth
The Dash To Earth.
tombstone was thrown from his
seat as the nose of the plane swung
downward. He caught on one Of the
wire stays between the plane 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 to warp
the planes 80 that their surfaces
might catch the air and check his
descent. For second 1t seemed
that he might succeed, for the foot
ball helmet he wore blew on and fell
much more rapidly than the plane.
The hope was momentary, how
ever, for when about 500 feet from
the ground, the machine turned COM
pletely over and the spectators ned
wildly as the broken plane, with the
aviator still fighting grimly In the
mesh of wires and stays, plunged
among them with crash
Scarcely had tombstone hit the
ground before morbid men and wom-
en- swarmed over the wreckage. tight
ing with each other for souvenirs
One of the broken wooden stays had
gonea almost through Johnstone,s
body Before doctors or police could
reach the scene, one man had torn
this splinter from the body and run
away, carrying his trophy with the
aviator's blood still dripping from its
ends. The crowd tore away the
canvass from over the body, and even
fought for the gloves that had pro-
tected Johnstone's hands from the
cold.
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