Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-08-16
CROWDS HORROR STRICKEN
IN FRONT OF MAIN eRANDsTAND,
BADGER AND TOMBSTONE
LOSE LIVES
one CRUSHED; OTHER DROWNED
DESPITE MIsHAPs, OTHERS CON-
TINUE THEIR ATTEMPTS TO
BREAK RECORDS

Chicago, Aug. 16.-Chicago's big
aviation meet was marred late last
evening by two fatal accidents in
which the victims were William r.
Badger, of Pittsburg, and st. Croix
Johnstone of Chicago, who plunged to
their death from great heights in
plain view of thousands of Mortified
spectators occupying the grandstands
on the aviation field. Today a variety
of theories were advanced for the ac-
cidents. Badger, who plunged 100 feet
to the ground in view Of the main
Igrandstand, suffered broken neck
under the crumpled wreck of his ma
chine, tombstone fell from height
CT five hundred feet into Lake Mich
ligan and was drowned. officials of
The meet declare that Badger was kill
ed as result of gliding without shat
ting off his meter in volplaning to
descend. Excessive air pressure In
the gas tank caused Johntone's acci-
dent. the tank exploding and wreclxing
Ibis machine. He was carried to the
bottom of the lake and his body was
mot recovered for an hour.
| Badger lived fhree-quanters of an
hour after he had been extricated
from the wreck of his machine. He
did not recover consciousness. His
death was the first serious accident
of the meet, although thirty-five fly
ers have dipped and glided here for
three days, and experts say several
similar accidents have been narrowly
averted.
Badger flew, as he formerly drove
racing automobiles, purely as an anna
teur. He was the step-son Of John
Goettman of Pittsburg, and was %
years old. He possessed an independ.
ent fortune and gratified a we'll de-
veloped speed mania.
In the early days Of automobiles he
was among the first to make amateur
records at Dayton and Palm Beach.
The meet here was Badgers first
public appearance. The big mechanic
al sign board after his death recorded
that he had flown UP just two hours,
thirteen minutes and nineteen seconds.
The flight that ended his life earned
him possibly an hour more.
Johnstone's actual fall was witness
ed by his young wife, although it
was not until a half hour later that
she was informed of his death.
AS the monoplane faltered in mid
air, then crashed downward to the
surface Of the lake, the young avia-
tors wife, who had been following his
fight closely, grasped mechanics
ar mand exclaimed in fear: ooh, Oh!
Pity. He's falling. My boy will be
killed."
For some minutes Mrs. Johnstone~
pleaded to be allowed to cross the field
and go out to the lake where her
husbands machine had plunged. Then
"a mechanic rushed up to the group
and assured Mrs. Johnstone that her
husband had been drawn out Of the
lake unharmed, that boat was bring
ing him ashore and that he would join
her at the hotel Immediately.
Reassured by this information;
which had been deliberately invented.
she went back to her hotel, and hurri-
edly laid out dry apparel for her hus-
band. For half an hour more she
waited, then a member Of the John
stone family took her word of the
aviator's death.
The young wife was prostrated.
Despite yesterdays accidents, the
meet continued today. many aviators
trying for the rich prizes offered.