Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-10
Famous Aviator Suffers Serious
Accident at State Fair
in Sacramento
THOUSANDS SEE THE MISHAP
Huge HaChine, While Speeding
Above Auto, PIunges
from Sky to Earth
ASSOCIATED Pressl

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 9.-Charles K.
Hamilton, one of the most famous of
aviators, hero of the great race from
Philadelphia to New York last June 13,
and of other wonderful exploits of air
| navigation, was seriously, and possibly
fatally, injured at the state fair
grounds in this city about Z o'clock
biplane nearly crushing the life out of
him when it crashed to the ground
after q spectacular flight.
Hamilton met with two accidents
today. The first occurred about l
o'clock in the afternoon. He attempt
ed flight from in front of the grand
stand at the fair grounds, but the
motor did not work well and the ma
chine barely skinned over the fence,
lighting heavily in field outside the
grounds.
AIRSHIP DASIIES TO EARTH
After several hours work it was
thought that all repairs had been prop
erly made. Early in the evening Ham,
ilton made another ascent from the
field outside the grounds. He circled
the mile race track three times at great
speed, racing an automobile, which was
unable to keep up with him.
After the third round he attempted
to alight, but The huge machine
SWOOpCO uOWII " LlIC GdI III dL
an acute angle, dashing into the
ground in full view of 10000 persons.
Hamilton's wife was one of the wit
nesses. Hamilton was found uncon-
scious and covered with blood, under
the six-cylinder engine of the biplane.
He was extricated by the excited
crowd and sent to his hotel in an am
failed to reveal any broken limbs, but
the pelvic bone is thought to be frac-
tured and serious internal injuries are
believed to have resulted.
His face was badly lacerated, one
eye being entirely closed 1t was nee
essary to put him under the influence
of opiates, and the full extent of his
| injuries have not yet been ascertained.
At midnight consultation of sur
geons was being held.
FLIGHT SENSATIONAL
Hamilton's flight tonight was by far
the most sensational he had given dur
ing the week. On his second lap around
the course he reached an altitude of
more than 200 feet, with his newly built
115-horsepower machine going at a ter
rife rate of speed. On the third and
last lap Hamilton started to descend
near his tent in the center of the field,
and the machine was being maneu-
vered spirally in the descent. When
~
the engine refused to work, and the
biplane tipped and shot to earth like an
arrow, burying Hamilton in the wreck
age.
It was apparently Hamilton's inten-
ton to give his famous swallow Dip"
which has been a feature of his flights
here during the week. The aviator
would approach within a few feet of
the ground with engines going full
speed, and suddenly raise his planes
and seek the higher attitudes. Owing
to the semi-darkness, it was difficult
to determine just what Hamilton in
tended doing when the accident oc-
Cured.
At a consultation of surgeons at
midnight, after Hamilton had recov-
cred from the effects of an opiate adj
ministered to ease the pain, it was
found impossible to fix the exact ma
ture of the internal injuries. Hamil-
ton was conscious and during the eX-
animation remarked:
"Fix up the machine, boys, and
will make a flight tomorrow morning.
1 don't want to disappoint the crowd
It was found that Hamilton had
been severely bruised and cut all over
the body, and one leg had been burned
by contact with a live wire during
the descent. He was able to smoke,
propped up in bed but complained of
a great pain in the pelvic region.
Mrs. Hamilton, who tainted as she
saw her husband crash to the ground,
was in constant attendance at the ho-
tel. Hamilton's first request to the
physicians as soon as he was extricat-
ed from the wreck, was that his moth
er in Connecticut be notified that his
injuries were not serious 1t is be-
lieved the full extent of internal in
turies cannot be ascertained until an
X-ray examination is made.