Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-11-18
AVIATORS UNDAUNTED
BY COMPANIONS DEATH.

DENVER, Colo Nov 1S.-Despita,
yesterdays fatal accident, when Ralph
Johnstone plunged to his death. thu
aviation meet in progress here will coma
tinue, according to an announcements
made by the promoters. Yodss n}sH u
will be made by Arch sHozseyssi1l 4
Wright biplahe and by J. q. Mnrs il
the Curtiss Sky Lark. a new eight
cylinder sixty horsepower machine
Walter Brookins the third Wright
aviator participating in the meet, LEFT
today for Kansas City with the body
of his teammate.
Johnstone. who. in five months. had
become one of the worlds foremost
aviators and held the altitude record of
9,714 feet, won recently in Belmont
Park. WAS almost instantly killed.
While the exact cause of the accident
may never be known. it appeared to
the spectators that one of the wings OF
his machine crumpled up as he was
attempting a swooping spiral dip 1t
was his second flight of the afternoon.
Hoxsey and Brool1ins were manoeu-
wiring over the park as Johnstone re-
turned at a height of about 500 feet
from a flight over Fort Logan.
Johnstone gracefully dipped his ma =
chine in response to the cheer that
went up, and started a spiral descent
Suddenly the aeroplane seemed to wab-
BILE, then swerved and darted downward.
A spur bracing the left lower plane ap-
peared TO have given away.
Tried to save Himself.
The daring aviator tried TO warp the
right wing tips as those of the left
folded up. One spectator said he saw
Johnstone trying to climb out on the
rods. The aeroplane turned three COM
plete somersaults after he lost control
of it.
Although almost every bone in his
body was broken. 5ohnstone, after he
struck the earth, tried to remove his
helmet He was dead when the first
of the spectators reached him.
Johnstone was one of the most daring
of the young aviators. When he left
Kansas City Sunday his uncle. W. NJ.
Federmann. said: II suppose I'll re-
ceive a telegram one Of these days to
come after your remains"
Not mine, replied Johnstone When
1 make a fight have my plans we'll
laid. Before leave the ground l know
exactly what I am going to do. Don't
worry about me being injured"
Johnstone a Fatalist.
Once Johnstone, who was a sort OF
fatalist, said: Nothing on earth can
save me when the time comes to 60.
expect to die without a moments no.
tice: but I'm going to die with all rec
ords worth anything hanging to my
belt"
Ralph Johnstone was born in Kansas
City. Kan. thirty years ago, and il
known the world around for his trick
bicycle riding. One of his most daring
feats was to ride high wheel down a
long fight of steps at the Hippodroms
in New York In the earlier days
He was one of the original five pupils
of the Wright brothers and has been
one of the big attractions at their
meets. At the recent Belmont Park
tournament he broke the worlds alti-
tude record in an ascent of 9,114 feet.
for which he was awarded the special
grand altitude prize of $1,000 John
stone also captured the grand altitude
prize of $1,000 on October % In q flight
of SAL feet
He was one of the star performers at
the Harvard Boston meet held in Sep
tember. and set up two American ren-
ords In fight Of three hours ) rnin-
utes and 40 seconds he broke the Amer.
lean record for duration. lie made =
distance high mark for America By
covering 1o1 miles and $50 feet. At
the same moet he took the prize for
totalization Of duration. Esing the
same machine throughout, he vac Ia
the air for nearly thirteen hours during