The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-08-23
BARELY ESCAPE.
More Mishaps Marx the international
Aeroplane Meet at Chicago.
DID not Want TO GO UP

DID not WANT TO GO Up
Stone Plunges into Lake and is Res
cued. gill NHraculously Escapes
Cninjured Beachy and Ward Bat
tie Bravely anG Successfully and
Land in Safety.
Arthur Stone, a driver OF a Queen
monoplane, was snatcted back from
death at the International eviation
meet at Chicago Wednesday, after
hopes for his life had been given up
Howard Gill, in baby Wright,
came almost as close to his
death, but escaped from the wreck Of
lis machine, unhurt.
Lincoln Beachey, after being driv-
en- far to the South and fighting his
way back to the field, glide6 5000
feet in safety to the earth. after his
engine had stopped suddenly.
James Ward had an equally hard
time to make his way back to the
field from far cut over Lake Michi-
gan, but descended in safetv.
Stones machine fell into the lake
just at dusk. He leaped from the
falling plane and was rescued at the
point of exhaustion by motor
boat after he had supported himself
in the water more than a half an
hour. His machine was not recover
ed.
That Stone was rescued was at
tributed largely to the insistence of
his wife that he guard himself with a
life preserver. In spite of the order
that all flyers should wear life pre-
servers, Stone, with others, started
for their machines unguarded. Mrs.
Stone ran from the hangar just be-
fore the flight and insisted that he
wait while she tied an inflated au-
tcmobile tire about his shoulders.
Unnerved by the deaths Tuesday of
William R. Badger and St. Croix
Johnstone, and deterrer by high
wind, many of the flyers protested
against going up.
But the judges were insistent and
finally half a dozen flyers rose for a
cross water race around the crib,
three and half miles out. Thomas
Sopwith had completed the second
lap of the race and had been de-
clared winner, when cry arose that
Stones machine had fallen into the
water and that the aviator was
drowned
| Reports that Stone had heen
drowned were quickly flashed to the
hangers. Almost the first to hear Of
disappearance was his wife, Mrs
Irene Stone, who with her baby,
awaited Stones return from the race
far over the lake.
AS Mrs Stone darted out from a
group of friends, who sought to have
her return to the hotel, an automo-
bile came in from the lake front, and
Mrs. Stone was assured that her hus-
band had been picked up, alive, and
merely the victim Of ducking.
i I'm mighty glad I made Arthur
put on that life preserver," exclaimed
Mrs. Stone, her tears drying up. I'm
sure it saved his life.
Howard Gill, of the Wright team,
promised the first feature Of Ro-
man holiday when his machine sud
denly checked as it skinned over the
ground after perfect landing, top
pied over with terrific force. Gill
was pinioned for an instant between
tangled wires and the taut canvas OF
the baby Wright, but before the
startled spectators reached him he
dug himself from the ruins.
Gill really had narrow escape. He
had made a perfect landing and was
skimming over the turf at forty
miles an hour speed The wheels OF
his machine struck a rut. The skid
supports snapped and the machine
toppled overhead foremost.
| Beachey swept down before the
grand stand with dead engine that
had stopped with him at height of
5000 feet. He had had hard fight
against the wind from the southwest
and almost everyone of the specta-
tors was watching him when the pro-
peller stopped. Instead OF falling
the airship began long circular
glide, so steep that one could see be-
tween the planes. The angle became
sharper and sharper until the aero
plane touched the earth, rolled a few
feet and the aviator stepped down,
scarcely Jared by the descent.
The effect Of Tuesdays tragedies
was manifested plainly, both on avi-
ators and spectators. There was a
noticeably smaller attendance. Even
some of the free seats were unoccu-
pied. On the field and at the hang
ers the flyers grouped together and
presented objections to further fly
! ing.
Walter Brookins expressed the
feeling OF others. No individual
would dare refuse to fly he said:
''his personal reputation as an avia-
tor of daring and courage would be
cone and he would be branded a cow
ard. Every man here feels the loss
Of Badger and Johnstone, though,
and none wants TO go up"
At the starting gun, at $3.50 o'clock
when usually a dozen machines are
IN the air, not one had started. Fin
ally Beachey and Ward went up.
Beachey went high up in the air and
was blown far South. Ward minute
| - low Al oJv