The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-28
RECORD.
Peruvian Aviator, Follows Ea
gle's Route Across
The SNOW CAPPED ALPS

Passes Safely Over Yawning Clutches
and Threatening Peaks of Italy's
Natural Fortress, Only TO Meet
With Disaster and Serious Injury
Within Fifty Easy Miles of Goal.
The great feat of crossing the
snow-capped Alpine barrier between
| Switzerland and Italy in a heavier
than air machine was accomplished
Friday by George Chavese. the young
Peruvian aviator.
The plucky hero of the exploit,
however, lies in a local hospital bad
ly injured as the result of all acct
dent that occurred Just as he had
completed the most arduous and
ne~rve-raking portion of a task he
had set out to accomplish-a flight
from Brig, Switzerland, across the
Alps to Milan in Italy, in all a dis
lance of about rs miles.
Both his legs are broken, his left
thigh is fractured and his body is
badly confused; but the physicians
in attendance are of the opinion that
these hurts will not prove fatal and
that unless unlocked for complica-
| tons ensue Chavese will be about
in two months.
The accident occurred as Chav-
csc was endeavoring to make a land
ing at PomodossOla, Italy. The
Alps had been crossed successfully
and the aviator was descending with
| the power Of his machine cut off.
When about thirty feet above the
| ground a sudden gust of wind SEEM
ed to catch the monoplane, which
turned over and fell. When crowds
that had been watching the descent
ran up they found Chavese lying
twisted and bleeding beneath the
twisted wreckage.
Fifty miles away lay Milan, the
goal for which he was seeking In
order to win the prize of $4,000
offered by the Italian Aviation So
ciety. Chavese lost the race.
The weather at Brig was clear and
bright when Chavese made his start
Leaving the ground with his motor
running at full speed he rose in
sweeping circles until he had reach
ed an altitude sufficient for him to
crear the shoulder to the southeast
ward of zrig.
This obstacle having been over
come, the Peruvian aviator headed
his monoplane straight for the snow
capped crags of the Fletchern. Con-
stantly ascending, Chavese reached
the Simplon Kuhn, where, at an al
titude estimated at 1900 feet. he
turned his machine south over the
terrifying Simplon pass with the
Kaltwasser glacier at his left and the
frozen peak of the Hubschhorn at his
right.
After crossing the divide, Chavese
turned to the towering white noun
tain head of Monte Leone, which
rises to a height of 1854 feet, and
passed down above the Condo gorge,
until he reached the open valley OF
Vedro, and then descended easily to-
word Domodossola, which is S89 feet
above sea level. 1t was here that the
accident occurred.
Some of the spectators of the
flight say that Chavese, after cross
ing the Simplon pass, followed the
short cut route over the Monseera
pass, which is 5000 feet above sea
level. If this be so. it is possible
that the Peruvian beat his "
worlds record for height Of S,271.
The 25 miles between Brig and
| Domodossola, which it took the ar
mics of Napoleon a fortnight 70 ne
gotiate. Chavese accomplished by
the route of the eagle in aIactly
forty minutes.
From the high point at Monseera
he descended 1000 feet in 10 min
utes, his machine gaining in momen-
tum as it flew over the tumble OF
lower peaks, gulches and hills beyond
until the speed was terrific as it APP
preached the aerodrome at Domo-
| dossla.
This doubtless caused the accl-
| dent which turned the cheers of ad-
miration of the waiting crowd into
| cries of horror when the machine
| came hurting to the ground just as
il seemed that Chavese was about to
alight in safety.
After treatment in the hospital
| Chavese regained consciousness bnt
was unable to explain how the acct
dent had occurred. The generally
accepted opinion is that the accident
was due to a slight shift in the rud-
der while the %monoplane was being
sent at a high rate of speed.
Although Chavese did not succeed
in winning the prize of $4,000. hay
ing failed to reach Milan, some OF
the members of the aviation commit