The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-19
But George A. Gray Was Not
Much Hurt at Burlington.
HIS MACHINE WAS DAMAGED
Fall Was Not Far, as the Aviator Had
Just Started to Ascend--Several On
lockers Had Narrow Escapes
When He Came Down.

Burlington, Oct. l0.-George A. Gray
flying in a Wright Burgess. aeroplane
had narrow escape from death here
yesterday afternoon, when his machine
dropped near Centennial field, pinning
the aviator beneath it. Gray lay there
unconscious for several minutes, but it
is now thought that he was not seri-
ously hurt.
Less than 100 persons We're on the field
at the time, although many others were
standing outside the fence and on the
roofs of neighboring houses. A number
of automobile parties We're included in
the crowd which gathered outside, where
they hoped to see the aviator fly with
out having to pay for admission to the
field. On account of the small number
of people inside the gates, the receipts
did not amount to S25. Inasmuch as
Mr.. Gray has to pay the Wright COM
pany a royalty of this amount for every
flight made, he would have made the
start at personal loss, had not the hat
been passed. Some $50 in all having
been taken in, and not wishing to dis
appoint the onlookers, he consented to
make the flight, although in his judg- |
ment the puffy wind made an ascent hlz.
ardous.
The aviator made his start at the |
north end of the field, rising from the
ground just after crossing the cinder
track, and turning west, to pass arounf
the bleachers. Barely had he started,
when his engine, Of 35 horse power, be-
gan to miss. Mr. Gray said last night
that his mechanician, contrary to his
orders and the instructions of the manu-
fscturers, had changed the adjustment
of the magnetic, although in flights
through the Adirondacks and across lake
Champlain the former adjustment had
given every satisfaction.
The engine, missing as it did, lacked
necessary power, and the aeroplane rose
to height Of 20 feet with difficulty.
There the engine, with one parting shot,
stopped dead, Mr.. Gray was in pre-
,arious position. "Had | been 1900 or
900 feet up,' said he "the stop of the
,ngine would have given ME no concern,
or | could then have descended at my
eisure and picked out a good place to
and
As it was, he had his choice Of descend
ng among the automobiles standing near
nd endangering the life and property
# others, or of landing at the risk Of
lis own life in the uneven field beyond
he fence. He chose the latter. The
machine came down in a distance of
bout 30 feet, headed for hummock in
he field. The birdman hoped to clear
his slight elevation, but his machine J
leked the momentum to carry it over, }
nd, instead, it thrust its nose into the
ide of the hummock, throwing Mr.. Gray y
pom his face. with the plane of the :
,recked machine resting across his back. v
man and several children standing near n
he spot narrowly escaped being struck {
V the falling aeroplane. j
The crowd, including several physi
ans, rushed to the spot, raised the I
recked machine, and picked up the un e
1nscious man. The morbdly curious )
ade haste to secure splinters of the ma r
,ine At first it was thought that the i
rator had been seriously injured, but e'
hen examined later at the Mary Fletch- Al
hospital, no broken ribs or internal HI
iuries could be discovered. it
Mr.. Gray estimates the damage TO the rs
aehine at $3.50. W