Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-16

: to make a triumphal flight into his
! home. Pittsburg. He was entered Al
: a coming meet there. Capt. Baldwin,
: after the accident at once withdrew
,all his machines from the meet.
Badgers mother died recently and so
far as is known. his step-father, Mr.
Goettman, is the only surviving rela-
tive.
Johnstone's accident was due, ac-
lcording to expert aviators, to SINH
liar unsupported flaw in the mechan-
ism of his monoplane. Just what il
was probably will never be known, as
the engine is deep in the lake. and
1.-The wood and canvas of the. plane were
scattered by the tremendous impact
with the surface of the water. Johns
tones actual fall was witnessed by
his young wife, although it was not
until half an hour later that she was
informed of his death
AS the monoplane faltered in mid
lair. then crashed downward to the
surface of the lake the young aviators
wife, who had been following his
flight closely. grasped mechanics
arm and exclaimed in fear
oh! oh! pity, he's falling! Ny boy
| will be Killed.
Wives of half dozen other aviators
whose attention was riveted upon the
plunging machine that was to carry
1.-The second victim of the day to his
death, rushed to Mrs. Johnstone's side
and as the machine hurled into the
lake and out of sight they tried to as
sure her that tombstone would suffer
nothing worse than a ducking.
POSSIBLY not" exclaimed the fear
stricken wife, but you could see the
way the machine plunged that ST. CroiX
had completely lost control of it. Oh!
why don't they hurry up and get him
out? Some of ysu men must take me to
a boat so / can 50 out and help him"
BY this time a half dozen mechanics
and hangar attaches had rushed up TO
the group They whispered to the wo-
linen surrounding Mrs. tombstone that
she must be taken back to her apart
ments in a Michigan avenue hotel. For
five minutes Mrs. tombstone pleaded TO
/ be allowed to cross the field and out to
the lake where her husbands machine
had plunged. Then another mechanic
rushed up to the group and assured Mrs.
| tombstone that her husband had been
plucked out of the lake unframed, that
q boat was bringing him ashore, and that
| he would join her in the hotel immedi-
ately.
| 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 haIs
an hour and more she waited, and then
a member of the tombstone family took
her word of the aviator's death, The
young wife was Frustrated.
Twenty minutes before the break in
the monoplane's warping strand, the ae-
cident that sent young tombstone careen-
ing into the lake, his father, DIR. Stuart
Johnstone and Mrs. tombstone stood in
| front of the Moisant hangar with st.
Crooks wife, watching the young avia-
| tor in what they though would DE the
last few minutes of the flight that he
had started from the field at S15 o'clock
and had sufficient petrol to keep him In
the air until $50.
| Finally, an engagement in mind, Dr.
tombstone turned 10 his wife and daugh-
ter-in-law and remarked: well, / must
be going
"oh. don't go yet chorused Mrs.
| tombstone and the aviator's wife. st.
Croix will be down in a few minutes"
NO, | must 60" rejoined the doe
| tor. 1T don't look as though st. CrolX
would lose his life today. he seems 10
l be flying too smoothly for any mis-
hap. He's been up two hours now.'
Then he and Mrs. tombstone turned
| away. leaving the young wife with
her eyes still riveted on the soaring
| u,onoplane. Less than 90 minutes later
| the wings of the machine crumpled
like paper and the machine hurtled in
TO the lake, it's heavy engine and tan
| glad wires dragging it's pilot 10 his
death.
| ,iko Badger, tombstone flew as an
| amateur. His father, DIR. Stuart john
stone. practicing physician, however,
had refused to buy him an aeroplane
| tombstone. who was but 90 years Old
and ambitious. started to build one
and vent 10 France. where he entered
the Drexel School of Aviation. he
thar, went TO the Bleriot school amt
learned to fly. Then Johnstone's fathe'
| again refused to buy HIM an aero
nIane. and his answer. found today in
letter written by father to his son
almos. a wear ago, seemed TO foreteti
the fatal accident
"My conscience will not permit me
n contribute to your certain death by
proyidine YOU with flying machine,
ba wrote. II can't buy you one, 81.
Croix."
After learning to fly in France, John-
stone went to Havana, where ne was
the first To flv around the wreck OF the
battleship Maine. He returned to the
I7aited states late in the spring ana
was Immediately engaged by Alfred
Moisant ana had since been WIN Tue
groun of French ayiators. Alt'r ''S
rot,,n from Havana. tombstone estab-
Hebed the American record. during
a flying exhibition at Mineola Aug. g.
no remained in the air hours, MIN
nte and "a seconds. His last pnnhc
appearance was on "Wednesday Aug y
at Augusta, Me.
n TIT T1~noc