Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-01
News Broken to Mother.

A reporter of Pasadena newspaper
broke the news of Hoxsey's death to his
mother this afternoon at her Bellevue
drive home in that city.
She bore up under the shock with an
exhibition Of the courage that had char
acterized the aerial daring of her son.
Mrs. HOxSey missed by mere accident
seeing her son meet his death. She had
arranged to attend the tournament and
to take her first aerOplane ride with her
son. Some detail of Importance in her
household kept her at home.
Immediately after the accident Roy
Knabenshue of the Wright Company and
Thomas jackson, representatives of the
Wright brothers. left for Pasadena to in
form Mrs. Hoxsey of the tragedy. Jack
son nearly collapsed when he was in
formed that hOxsey was dead.
Il saw Ralph tombstone killed in Dem
yer. Now ! have seen Hoxsey go. It's
too much,' he said.
Latham First to Reach Wreck.
When Hoxsey came down Hubert
Latham. the. French aviator. had just
essayed a flight in his birdlike An
toinette macntne. He came down rapid
ly but cautiously when he saw HoXsey
fall. He laI.ded within a few feet of the
spot where the Wright biplane fell.
Leaping uu of his machine, the little
Frenchman was among the first to at
tack the wreckage and lift the motor.
Hoxseys Paragraph instruments were
absolutely Lhinjured. They were rum
ming as if rcthing had happened when
the judges took charge OF them.
The charts showed that Hoxsey fell a
distance of 563 feet. He had been up
7.142 feet. and had begun the fatal glide
while at an altitude of 6.673 feet.
Latham said he was watching Hoxsey
when he entered the vortex of the coun-
$o. hot 10 70
1T was the same hole in the air. that
caused me to alight,'' said the French
man.
From the actions of Hoxsey's machine
LOO or 1880 feet up. When Hoxsey
started his last glide one current caught
the right end Of his planes and lifted the
machine up and turned it over.
AT best, in these spiral glides, an avi-
ator has but dangerously narrow mar
gin of air-bank to support him. HoXsey
seemed to slip out of the bank entirely
and he fell like a brick In my opinion.
the fall was due entirely to the treacher-
Gus air currents.
Il never saw such bad meteorological
conditions in my life as prevailed today.
HOxsey's machine was intact until it
struck the ground.
Crowd Remains Calm.
Although the tragedy had in it every
element calculated to rouse the crowd to
the highest pitch of excitement, it re-
manned calm during the seconds OF HOx-
seys fall and the ensuing long period of
suspense before it was known whether
Hoxsey had been killed outright or only
injured.
4 squad of mounted police was drawn
up around the wreck. but they were not
needed. A few field attendants and
newspaper men attempted to get on the
field. The souvenir hunter was cOnspic-
uous by his absence.
Without waiting for the announcement
that all flying events would be called of
for the day the crowd, Of its own ac-
cord began filing out through the exits
to go home Only few scattering. dis
gruntled ones remained to demand back
their admission fee and to dispute with
police and committeeman when their de-
mands were CURLY refused until arrange
ments could be made for proper refund
ing.
Flags All Lowered.
Within @ few minutes after Hoxsey's
body had been borne to the field hospital
the American flag flying over his hangar
was lowered to half-mast and the cur
tains were drawn before the entrance.
James Radley, the English aviator.
sprang on the roof Of his own hangar
next door and. climbing the flagpole, like
wise half-masted his st. Georges cross.
All the flying machines standing on
the field were drawn into their shelters.
xoin the members