Evening star., 1911-08-16
TWO A|RMEN KILLED
Fall to Death in Presence of
Crowd at Grant Park.
ONE CRUSHED BY ENGINE
Wings of w. r. Badgers Biplane
Double Up After Dip.
TOMBSTONE BROWNS IN LAKE
His Monoplane Drops Following Ex-
plosion-Wife Is a Witness
of the Tragedy.

were killed here yesterday. the fourth day
of the big aviation meet at Grant Park.
after three days without serious acci-
dent. The victims were William r..
Badger, Of a wealthy Pittsburgh family,
and st. Croix Johnstone of Chicago, both
young men, and the double tragedy took
place in the presence of an immense
throng.
Badger was literally broken to pieces by
the engine Of his Baldwin biplane In
front Of the grandstands. He was still
living when he was taken from the
wreckage, but died Immediately after his
arrival at hospital to which he was
hurried in an ambulance.
Johnstone, whose father is a Chicago
physician, fell into Lake Michigan from
a height Of LOCO feet. nearly an hour
being consumed before his body was re-
covered and towed to the Chicago Yacht
Club.
Apparently no one saw the beginning
of the fall which caused Johnstone' S
death except his wife, who was standing
her eyes glued to the darting craft which
supported her husband above the lake.
Suddenly Mrs. Johnstone uttered pierre
ing scream and pointed to the falling ma
chine her husband was driving. john
stones aeroplane was seen to drop like
shot into the lake. yet. fast as 1t fell,
it seemed to the watching thousands that
ii took minutes instead of fractions of
seconds. The airman was caught under
his machine, from which he had jumped
as he fell, and which sank in the lake.
The fall of Johnstone's monoplane is
ascribed to the explosion Of his engine.
Crushed Under Biplane.
Badgers fatal accident occurred while
which had been excavated in Grant Park
for the purpose Of creating either la
COON or stadium, and which was re-
Gently utilized as the arena for big
military tournament, in which 10000
used for grandstands, with a seating ca
pacity of 10000.
Badger was flying above this depression
in the center of the lake side of the
course. about 300 feet in the air. All the
afternoon he had been performing feats
hesitated to attempt in the tricky airs
prevailing. Though he was an amateur
fiier merely. the spiral dips and long
glides in the red machine driven by
Badger had thrilled the spectators time
and again.
Just before his fall he had scared from
within few feet Of the ground to the
3O0-foot level. Then he turned the nose
of his machine toward the earth and
dipped with terrific speed toward the
depression. He dropped within seventy
five feet OF the earth and then attempted
to straighten out his machine for an
other ascension.
Pressure of 1000 Pounds.
The resulting air pressure. experts say.
was over 1900 pounds-to great for the
frail wings of the biplane. Both wings
crumpled up and the machine was dashed
into the bank of the excavation with a
force that buried part of the engine in
the mud and reduced the canvas and
wood structure of the machine to rags
and splnters.
Earl Ovington was the first man to
reach the wreck of the machine He
found Badger crushed between the radia-
tor and the engine. He was bleeding
from the nose and the eyes. and was un-
conscious. while steel rod of the engine
had pierced his skull. He was hurried to
St. Luke's Hospital in an ambulance an6
died Immediately after his arrival at the
institution.
The post-mortem examination disclosed
the fact that in addition to having a
crushed skull the fall broke Badger
back i'm several places
IL was very soon after Badgers acci-
dent and death that Johnstone's machine
fell into the lake. Motor boats which
were at some distance from the scene JIM
media tely started for him. The first
boat to reach him was the kouise, a
speed motor boat belonging to c. W.
Houck, chauffeur working for J. Ogden
Armour. When the kouSie arrived John
stone had been in the water ten minutes.
held under by the wreckage. i'm which
he was entangled. Although Mr.. Houck
made strenuous efforts to lift the drown
ing aviator into his boat. he was unable
to do SO. as his narrow craft was several
times in imminent danger of capsizng.
Taken From Water.