The Greeley tribune., 1910-11-24
AlRNiAN Is KILLED AT THE
EXHIBITIONS IN DENVER

Denver, Nov 1S.-Ralph John
stone. the wonderful young aviator,
who held the worlds record for an
altitude flight. was killed by fall
of nearly 500 feet while giving an
areoplane exhibition at Overland
park yesterday afternoon, dropping
into Delaware street, outside the
grounds.
Even as his machine was lunging
earthward. it S wings crippled and
/ helpless, he was fighting for his life
with a GOODNESS which seems in
credible. The nerve that gained him
the nickname of the Dare Devil of
the Air" never deserted him. He
tossed his leather helmet overheard,
thrust his goggles in his pocket, and
then tried to warp the planes with
his bare hands to check his descent.
Just as he might have succeeded, his
biplane whirled over, and second
later the brilliant young airman was
churned beneath splintered mass
of wood and steel, every bone in his
body broken.
Thousands Witness Tragedy
eli tuouSaAu PCOplc saw tHS VI
plane flutter from sky as a wound
ed duck comes down-thousands of
them fought for place about the
. wreckage, trying to get glimpse of
the poor young fellow who had gone
to his death while giving them en-
tertainment. many trying to snatch
bits Of the shattered biplane as SOU
venirs.
1t was an extraordinary scene. 1t
to help. only top many others were
grabbing at the bloody bits of wood.
while the pitiful. crumpled body lay
stretched upon the ground like a
rag-some pushed. and showed and
fought for even the gloves that had
covered his hands; some shouted
and snarled in veritable frenzy.
1t is said that broken wooden
stay from the machine had been run
through the aviator's body, and that
one man seized upon this jagged bit
OF wood and made of with 1t before
the police could reach the scene.
Theory Of Accident
A broken wing on the biplane was
the cause of the accident. A men,
ber OF the management of the meet
quotes Walter r. Brookins, one of
Johnstone's companions in the Den
yer exhibition. as saying that 1t may
have been due to defective repairs
following the accident of Wednesday.
when Johnstone's machine veered in
to fence while gliding along the
ground after a fight. One wing was
damaged at that time, but the me-
chanicians say that the repairs were
absolutely perfect. and could have
had nothing to do with yesterdays
unfortunate affair.
Fought Hard for Life
The same authority quotes Brook
ins as saying that had Johnstone
stuck to his lever he might have had
a chance-the idea OF the aviators
being that as long as the levers are
working there is hope. Brookins
himself refused to make a statement,
and Hoxsey went into seclusion i'm
mediately after the accident.
A theory that the nonresistance OF
the air, as Johnstone started one OF
his famous dips. caused the machine
to over balance and fall, is unten-
able Spectators with field glasses
plainly saw the wing crumple.
Johnstone's struggle for life In
midair as his crippled machine was
rushing downward will live forever
in the annals of aviation. He was at
a height of about 500 feet. at the
north end of the park. and started
to swoop downward, his plane tilted
at an angle OF ninety degrees. He
came down. spirally, in narrow
circle; then the machine seemed to
pause momentarily, and start a
aocopd cnfra1