The Washington herald., 1912-06-12

Cation Of the aeroplane wrecKage will
be made. Following the accident a
guard was detailed 10 watch the pile
of debris, so that It might not be dis
turbed- As night fell upon the field.
q glimmer OF light could be seen far
away through the dsrkness, marking
the spot where death hid claimed two
the lantern which the lone guard held.
Was Eager for Test.
The afternoon had been a busy one
at the aviation field. More than TWEEN
ty lights were made in Wright and
Curtis machines. Welsh tuned up his
Wright biplane during the az ernoon,
and shortly before o'cIetk an
nounced his intention of attempting
the altitude test Monday he had as
cended with Capt. Hennessy to q
height of 1880 feet in ten minutes, but
the requirement under the army con-
tract was 1000 feet in that time. He
had passed nine OF the ten require
ments and was eager TO fulfn the last
one Of them.
At As o'clock Welsh, accompanied by
Lieut. Hazlehurst as his passenger, left
the field The two aviatorE arose to a
height Of 1s27 feet in ten minutes. They
descended at 5:12 o'clock. At $40 o'clock
the two men left the field again. The
start was a clean one, and II was firmly
believed that the required altitude would
be reached. But after three minutes in
the air, death appeared and claimed the
birdmen as its victims.
Captain, I should like very much to
get excused early this afternoon" said
Lieut.. Hazelhurst to Capt Chandler a
short time before the fatal accident
occurred. Il have an engagement in
town
Want to see the baseball scorer" in
quired the captain. smiling.
Not this trip" replied Lieut.. Halle
hurst.
"Oh. it's your lady friend this timer
suggested the captain. Hazlehurst smiled
and then blushed, but he never answered
that question. He finally decided to make
the flight and postpone the engagement.
It is thought that the engagement was
with a young woman in Washington Of
whom he had become enamoured.
Corporal Saw Accident.
Lieut. Hazlehurst had requested Capt
Hennessey to make the trip with Welsh
so that he might leave the field early, and
the captain consented, but the lieutenant
later decided to 20 aloft. Capt. Hennessey
was the first officer to reach the side Of
the aviators after the tragic accident. 1t
was the third army officer whom he had
seen dashed TO death.
Corp. Adams, who is detailed at the
aviation field, was the only person who
saw the accident from close range. He
had been timing the altitude flights, and
was just preparing to snap the stop
watch when the machine suddenly dashed
&c the field a wreck. He was to have
started the timing when the machine
started upward after descending to a
distance of fifteen feet from the ground
Corp. Adams says that the biplane col
lapsed apparently in the center and that
the left part struck the ground first He
said that the great mechanical bird
dashed to the ground nose downward,
hUrrOwing into the earth.
BirdmRn n WashInEtonIan.
Lieut. Hazlehurst was twenty-six years
old. He was born at Brunswick, Ca,
July ., 1886 He spent his boyhood days |
n Georgia and later moved to Mississippi, |
from which State he was appointed TO
the United States Military Academy at
West Point in 1904 He was graduated in
1903
Welsh was a native Of Washington and
had been living in Dayton, Ohio, for
about three years. He had been in Wash /
Ington about a month demonstrating the
Wright machine at College Park. He
came to the National Capital with his
wife. Following the accident yesterday
the wife was notified on the telephone.
Welsh was considered one Of Wright's
best aviators. He was an excellent bird
man and was universally liked at the
aviation school
The machine in which the two aviators
were flying when they plunged to the
earth was a military model Of the |
Wright biplane. The engine was Of the