The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-17
Gill Has Narrow Escape in
in Place Where Badger
Met Death
O FAILS INTO
LAKE; IS c
Curtiss Machines Show Up
Better Than Wright in
Blasts That Awe
Bold AViators

tit5 - AlASh t 1A \ tAAAA
by James a. Pughs hydroplane. Dis
turDtr IL. after lie had been plunged
into Lake Michigan. by the tall OF
ATS 1o0-horse power queen monoplane.
was he climax OF IL day filled with
miraculous escapes from death NY
the aviators in Grant Park.
Stone was one of the contestants
for the oyer-water flight and was
flying his plane with the 100-horse
power gnoms rotary engine for the
first time, The high ygind forced him
Tar to the southwark in his attempt
TO round the Harrison street Cab and
he was near Thirty-tirst street when
his machine fell into the water.
stone was kept ahoat by a life
preserYer. until Pugh's 300-horse
power boat reached him.
stones fail had been seen from
the Chicago Yacht Club. WHERE Pugn
was just mooring his craft after rae
ing with Glenn II, Curuss' hydro
aeroplane. The distance to the spot
where the aviator was swimming FOR
his life was about three miles from
the club. but the pisturber was there
in four minutes. Stone was taken
from the water. seemingly little the
worse.
Accident to Gu.
only q short time before Stones
accident Howard Gill. one of the
Wright aviators. had d ground acci-
dent that babe fair to end ia a
tragedy. He was flying for duration
when the high wind compelled hun
to descend. lie made a pretty and
ing IN the north field near the hangers
and was rolling over the ground when
one of his wheels bumped into a
rat along the roadway leading from
the hangers to the lake. The plane
rrembled for an instant and then
plunged forward and tipped over with
"a crash, burylng the aviator beneath
the heavy engine which all BELIEF ed
had crushed out his life.
When several men reached the
machine and lifted the planes gill
crawied out and. said:
I'm mighty glad that the Wrights
build their engine frames solIdly,
/ thought that was my finish. hut
luck was with me and l am not
much hurt"
Three Narrow Lscap pes.
Gill was one of three Wright aTia-
tnrs-wke-hea-Ha tue
day. The first being &, l.. Welsh, who
Owed into the death pit" the
Lagoon excavation, where Badger was
killed yesterday.
Welsh was starting up for duration
when a gust Of wine dropped him. A
groan of horror went up from the
grandstand where the people thought
that the Badger tragedy had been
repeated. When the machine did not
reappear the approximations Of the
crowd seemed 10 be confirmed.
Welsh had seen the Badger acct
dent, however. and instead OF trying
10 pick up his machine sharply, land
ed cleveriy on the upward slope and
was looking over his machine when
the. resc3ga. CORPS and Ambulance. ar
rived. He was not hurt by the fall and
the wrecked machine was dragged
ont and wheeled back 10 the han
gars.
Welsh was the second man up In
the air to-day and G. Ii. Rodgers.
who followed hin three minutes later
at 3:4s. was driven down back Of the
scorehoard by a sudden downward
current of air and lighted with such
force that his machine bounced sew
eral times and smashed the wheels
and running gear. All OF the acct
dents that occurred. with the excep-
tton OF Howard GilTs ground somer-
sault. which was duo to a rut in the
field. were caused by the wind.
Wind Awes Amman.
Wlnd-the III foe--did not
keep the flyers on the ground to-
day. only a short time before stones
almost fatal accident he remarked
that he would not take UP a mono
plane in such weather II the prize
was the city of Chicago itself.
"A man who won't go up tn this
wind is naa nsoessaei4. hacking In
nerve, and ii would be almost like
committing suicide he said.
A few minutes Iafar when ia a
Earle o~rvtngton's big dragon-hy
wheeled out for the over-water event
Stone could not resist tho temptation
To test providence and IL little later
was reported to have fallen into the
lake.
The I~nonoplane speed event, the
first contest on the program. was post
poned because OF the wind. and was
finally declared OF by the Judges, In
the. opep speed. event only three en-
tries quaithed. The Wright aviators
were unable TO get their machines into
the air and keep. them there. The
two early accidents took the heart
out OF the Wright flyers and none of
them showed at the line for the speed
contest.
Sensational Flight.
Earl orVington. in his Bleriot, start
ed off with Lincoln Beaehy and Jim
my Ward in Curtiss biplanes TO keep
him company on the race round the
oval. Beachy a conspicuous for
the sensational flying with which he
had kept the crowd guessing whether
he was falling 10 death or just fool
ing them. He chopped corners with
the same abandon that has marked
his previous performances and finish
ed In nine minutes 2S.49 seconds
Ovtngton. flying high In his mono
plane, finished in 2 minutes 49.4b
seconds and Jimmy Ward took Just
one minute longer TO make the finish
line. The prizes offered for this race
was for 81, 900. second $500. and third
$400.
The over-water race around the
crib was won by Tom Sopwith in HIS
HAeriot in t7.o2.06, and he was award
: ACoutinued on Sixth paEaos