The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-01-11
DETAILS Of DEATHS OF TWO
GREAT AVIATORS LAST WEEK

Los ANGELES, January 1.-The fall
of Arch Hoxsey was that of a bird
with a broken wing. This is the the
DRY of Glenn Curtiss and Hubert Lat
ham, now largely conceded in by the
other notable aviators and seems to
explain the terrible death of the new
ly-crowned Altitude King on Do
minguez field yesterday afternoon.
The theory borne out by the fiutter-
ing of his crippled biplane, is that a
strut wire on one of the wings part
ed, throwing so much strain on the
others that more of them broke, max
ing further fight impossible. This
the experts believe happened at an
altitude of about 1000 feet, and the
daring manbird Immediately began his
descent. Down to 500 feet he was
well-balanced, but there gust caught
the broken wing, additional strut
wires snapped, and his doom was seal
ed He could not right the biplane in
time.
1t seems to be the consensus of OPT
Mon among the aviators that within
another hundred feet or less Hoxsey
would have saved himself easily, and
made one of the graceful landings for
which he had so quickly become IA
nous. One of the mechanicians who
was but a hundred yards from the
spot when the biplane crashed into the
earth and buried the great aviator
under it says the machines sweep in
the last fifty feet showed that Hoxsey
was regaining control, and could
readily have swooped clear of the
ground in little more space.
The initial damage to the airship
was not caused by the gale, according
to Curtiss, because the wind did not
appear to interfere with the flights
above 500 to 1000 feet.
A remarkable snapshot of Hoxsey's
death fall was obtained by a Chron-
icle photographer His camera caught
the biplane at a height of about 3OO
feet descending nose downward, her
brave driver still in his seat, but with
one leg apparently swinging clear
This is the only sharp picture MADE
If the fearful plunge, though scores
of lenses were trained on the terrlOle
scene in the sky-a scene OF a he"
seconds that will remain always ike
bideous nightmare in the minds OF
thousands who saw 1t.
Phil Parmalee, Hoxsey's teammate
and the speed aviator of the VIRGIN
camp, saw the accident and has mau'
close study of the wreck. His views
heor ont the ideas advanced by Curtiss
: Latham and others.
, "uoxsey's last effort seemed to be
: n adjust his machine and Keep Vi
living" says he. "The indications
from the way the machine fell are
that Hoxsey used a mighty EFFORT to
rigbt himself. If he had had fifty feel
,,ore hetween himself and the eartn
10 might have succeeded. The ma
nbina struck almost on its bottom
This indicates that it was being rlghU
cd even while the aviator was peiht
rvbirIed in a series of somersaults'
"Hoxsey worked with a cool neat
90 the very last second of his life. He
never lost his nerve for an instant. II
NAV he Hoxsey had scented trouol'
bieb nm and was hurrying down. Az
, IN that we shall never know. CERTAIN
q is that he came down gliding at
terrific rate. The lower wind was HI
undoing." go,
Today's crowd at the meet thousl
large. was extremely nervous ana al
the flyers shared this feeling Fra'
: ticallv no chances we're taken, but eV
. erv fight was watched with a tense
ness that betokened the effect OF yes
terday's calamity. There was III
cheering in the grand stand.
> All the aviators assembled, but the'
few apparently only because thei
contracts called for daily fights AM
because There were people IN the
> grand stands who had paid money U
see them fly. Their hearts were no
in the work. None of them remained
, in the air more than a few minutes
and long before the programme MAJ
been completed the committee uis
!, missed the spectators with the an
= nouncement that the meet, which wa
not to have closed until Tuesday
would be terminated tomorrow.
NEW ORLEANS, January Tina
y John B. Moisant believed himself res
~ sonably safe in an aeroplane unde
anv circumstances was made know