Norwich bulletin., 1911-08-16

that she must be taken back to her
apartments on Michigan avenue. For
five minutes Mrs. Johnstone pleaded to
be allowed to cross the field and out
to the lake where her husbands ma
chine had plunged Then another me-
chanic rushed up to the group and as
sured Mrs. tombstone that her hus-
unharmed, that a boat was bringing
him ashore, and that he would join her
in the hotel Immediately.
Induced to Return to Hotel.
Reassured by this information, which
had been deliberately invented to calm
the fears of the aviator's wife she
went back to her hotel and hurriedly
laid out dry apparel for her husband.
For half an hour and more she wait
ed; then a member of the Johnstone
family took her word of the aviator's
death. The young wife was prostrat-
ed.
Twenty Minutes Before Accident
Twenty minutes before the break in
the monoplane's warping strand, the
accident that sent young Johnstone
careening into the lake. his father DIR,
Stuart ,Johnstone, and Mrs. tombstone
stood in front of the Moisant hangar
with st. Croix's wife, watching the
young aviator in what they thought
would be the last few minutes of the
fight that he had started from the field
at 3.15 o'clock and ha d sufficient petrol
to keep him in the air until $50.
"FIying Too Smoothly for. Any Mishap'
Finally, an engage ement in mind, DR..
Johnstone turned to his wife and
daughter-in-law and remarked:
Well, I must be going
"Oh don't go yet" chorused Mrs.
Johnstone and the aviator's wife. "St.
Croix will bazdown in a few minutes" ]"
mo, must CO. rejoined the docto-.
1T doesn't look as though st. Croix
would lose his-life today. He seems
to be flying too smoothly for any mis-
hap. He's been up two hours now
Wife Left Alone. ~
Then he and Mrs. Johnstone turned
away, leaving the aviator's wife with
her eyes still riveted on the soaring
monoplane. Less than twenty minutes
later the warping strand in the Moisant
broke the wings of the machine crun-
pied like paper and the machine
hurtled into the lake, its heavy engine
and tangled wires dragging it's pilot
te death.
Johnstone an Amateur.
Like Badger, tombstone flew as an
amateur. His father, DR.. Stuart Jonn-
stone, a practicing physician here,
however, had refused to buy him IN
aeroplane. Johnstone, who was 26
y
build one and went to France, where
he entered the Drexal school of avia-
ton. He then went to the Bleriot
school and learned to fly.
Father Twice Refused to Buy Aero
plane.
Then Johnstone's father again re-
fused to buy him an aeroplane and
his answer, found today in a letter
written by the father to his son, al
most year ago, seemed to foretell the
fatal accident
MY conscience will not permit me
to contribute to your certain death Dy
providing you with a flying machine -
he wrote. Il can't buy you one, st.
Croix.''
First to Fly Around Wreck of Maine.
After learning to fly in France,
Johnstone went to Havana, where he
was the first to fly over the city. He
gained record when he was the first
to fly around the wreck of the battle
ship Maine. He returned to the United
States late in the spring and was i'm
mediately engaged by Alfred Moisanr,
and had since been with the group Of
French aayiators.
Record of Events.
Twelve mile speed contest for BIZ
planes-J. A. D. McCurdy, IA minutes,
Al seconds.
Twelve mile passenger carrying
speed contest for biplanes-Lincoln
Beachey, 10 minutes, 44.76 seconds.
Fastest lap, 11-3 miles-Beachey, 1
minute, 1854 seconds.
Bud" Mars Sued.
J. c. (Bud) Mars probably will be
out of the meet for the remainder of
the week. He received rude remind
er of an accident at Erie, Pa, in which
he was nearly killed a. month ago. To-
day a deputy sheriff attached his Bald
win machine on a judgment obtained
by the promoters of the Erie meet, on
the grounds that they had lost 5000 by
Mars failure to complete his contract
after the fall.