Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-17

WRIGHT FLYERS FAIL,
Aeachcy Won Speed Contest and
SopMith in a Blcfiot Took Nonors
In Over Water Contest.

Chicago, Ill, Aug. l6-The thrill
Jig rescue tonight OF Arthur Stone by
faEes y eHgb's hydroplaue Disturb
y =. alter be had been plunged into
Lake Micbisan by the falI of bis one
hundred horse power Queen mono
blame, was tae clinaz Of ii day filled
With miraculous escapes from death
by the ayiators in Grand Park. Stone
vas one of the contestants for the
over water flight prize AID was fly
ing his plane with a one hundred
horse power Gnome rotary engine for
the first time. Tbe high wind fore
ed him far to the Southwark in his
attempt to round the Harrison street
crib and he was near Thifty-fifst
street when his machine fell into the
water. Stone was kept afloat by It
life preserver which he had strapped
Jon before starting, until the boat
reached him.
Only short time before Stones ac=
cident, Howard Gill, one of the
Wright ayiators had a ground acct
dent that babe fair to end in a trag-
edy. He was flying for duration when
the wind compelled him to dc send. He
made a pretty landing in TIE North
field near the hangers, and WAS roll
ing over the ground when e Of his
wheels bumped into rut along the
roadway, leading from the hangers to
the Lake. The plane trembled for an
instant and then plunged forward
and tipped over with a crash, burying
the aviator beneath the heavy engine,
which all believed had crushed out his
life.
When several men reached the ma
chine and lifted the planes, Gill crawl
ed out and said: 81 am mighty glad
that the Wrights build their engine
frames solidly. | thought that was
my finish, but luck was with me-
Gill was one of the three Wright men
to receive injuries tdoay.
The monoplane speed event, the
first contest on the program, was
postponed because Of the wind, and
was finally declared Off by the judi
GEES In the open speed event only
three entries qualified. The Wright
aViators were unable to get their ma
chimes into the air and keep them
there. The two early accidents took
the hearts out of the Wright flyers
and none of them showed UP at the
line for the speed contest.
Earle Ovington, in his Bleriot,
started out with Lincoln Beachey and
Jimmy Ward in Curtiss biplanes 10
keep his company on the race around
the oval. Beachey was CONSPICUOUS
for the sensational flying with which
he has kept the crowd guessing
where he was falling to death or just
fooling the people. He chopped cor
ners with the same abandon that has
marked is previous performances and
finished in nine minutes and % Sec
onds. Ovington flying high in his
monoplane, finished second in 8 min
:etes and 1915 seconds, and Jimmy
Ward took just one minute longer TO
make the finishing line. The prizes Of
fered for this race were first 1000;
second 5000, and third $500.
The over water race around the
crib was won by Sopwith in his Bleriot
in 17:0226 and he was awarded the
$1,100 first prize Simon (MoissanD
carried off the 500 second prize by
making the course in 19:26.53. Lin
coin Beachey got $500 third money in
18:2801 and Jimmy Ward won $500
fourth prize, his time being 20:06.82.
Stone lost out through his accident
and Ovington, who was carried by
the wind over one of the pylons, was
notified he had been penalized one
lap for fouling aid dropped out in the
stretch.
At a height of $500 feet Beachey's
engine stopped, while he was ascend
ing, and he completed his descent in a
beautiful spiral glide. So step was
the angle at which he brought down
us biplane that many though the was
failing, but he Strengthened out and
lit softly on the grass.
The Wright men were much chag-