The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1911-08-22
TWO FLYERS KILLED.
On Same Day Death Takes Dou-
BILE Toll of the Men who Pierce
the Air.

burg, and ~. CroN tombstone OF
Chicago, both young men. lost
their lives at the international
aviation meet here today. In dy-
ing both revealed the frailty of
the craft in which twO-score more
aviators were curving and glid-
ing about the air. with scarcely a
pause for the deaths of their
contemporaries.
Death in both eases was due
to unexplained accidents. proha-
ly the results of unexpected de
fleets in the mechanism of the
machine and was in no way cauS-
ed by earelesSneSs nor lack of
responsibility of the drivers.
Badger. wealthy young man,
careeneed to his death in a pit
in the aviation field. There had
been flaw in one of the wings
of the propeller of the Baldwin
machine he drove. Centrifugal
force broke the propeller. upset
the delicate equilibrium of the
machine and Badger dashed 100
feet TO the bottom of the pit, his
neck being broken. tombstone
fell 500 feet under his engine
and was drowned as a result of
an equally unsupported defect.
Caught under the heavy engine
of the Moisant monoplane he was
carried deep into Lake Michigan
and his body was not brought to
the surface until an hour later.
Badger lived for three-quarters
of an hour after he had been la
ken from the remains of his en-
CINE. He did not recover con
sciousess and died almost at on
ce after he had reached the hos
pital. His death was the first
serious accident of the meet.
Badger flew as he formerly
drove racing automobiles, purely
as Il amatuer. He was the step
son of John Goettman of Pitts
burg, and was % years old. lie
possessed an Independent fortune
and gratified well developed
speed mania. In the early days
of automobiles he was among
those to make ametuer records
at Dayton and Palm Beach. He
was an intimate friend Of Lewis
Strang. the automobile race driv-
er who died beneath the engine
of an automobile a month ago in
Wisconsin.
.lohnStone s accident was due,
according to expert aviatorS, TO
Il similar unsupported flaw in the
mechanism of his monoplane. jus
what it was probably will never
be known. as the engine is deep
in the lake and the wood and
canvas Of the plane were broken
and scattered by the tremendous
impact with the surface of the
water.
tombstone S actual fall was wit
messed by his young wife, al
though it was not until a half
hour later that she was informed
of his death.
As the monoplane faltered in
midair, then crashed downward
to the surface of the lake, the
young aviators wife, who had
been following his flight closely,
grasped a mechanics arm, and
exclaimed in fear:
"Oh, pity; he's falling My
boy will be killed
Wives of a half dozen aviators
whose attention had been rivet-
ed on the plunging machine that
was to carry the second victim of
the day to his death, rushed to
Mrs. tombstone side and as the
machine hmtled into the lake an
out of sight, they tried to assure
her that tombstone would suffer
nothing worse than a ducking.
But by this time "A half dozen
mechanics and hangar attaches
had rushed up to the group.
For five minutes Mrs. John
stone pleaded TO be allowed to
cross the field and out to the
lake where her husband S ma
chine had plunged. A mechanic
rushed up and assured Mrs. John
stone that her husband had been
plueked out of the lake unframed
that a boat was bringing him to
shore and that he would join her
in the hotel Immediately.
Reassured by this information,
which had been deliberately in
vented to calm the fears of the
aviators wife, she went back to
her hotel and hurriedly laid out
dry apparel for her husband.
For half an hour and more. she