The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-06-13


accident
Foolhardy Photographer Blamed.
Dozens of spectators testified to
the fact that the accident was directly
caused by the action of the uniden-
titled amateur photographer who at
tempted to cross the race track from
the grandstand enclosure to the field
just in front of the onrushing aero
plane. Descriptions of the man vary
and he could not be located after the
smash-up.
When the machine struck the
grandstand and tumbled into the
crowd, knocking people right and
left, Turpin was hurled sideways
out of his seat. The right side of his
face struck the piano wire bracings
and steel tubular frame, and when
the unconscious man was picked up,
he presented a terrible sight.
-. Wounded Are Disfgured.
This was true in the case of most
of the victims, the injuries inflicted
being due to the sharp cutting
edges of the planes and the razor
like edges of the big laminated
wooden propeller.
Features and limbs were sliced off
as with a knife and several minutes
after the accident a severed nose and
finger were picked up in front of the
grand stand.
Turpin had sufficiently revived
last night to give a brief explanation
of the cause of the accident. 1t tai
lies with reports of the eye wit
nesses.
Turpin's Story of Accident.
II saw the man start to cross in
front of the machine just as l was
rising" said the injured aviator who
was suffering intense pain. II knew
that an accident was unavoidable,
but to save his life I tilted my left
plane to pass over him, knowing
that it would throw the machine,
but hoping to guide it into an open
field. To prevent it overturning on
the spot, I had to elevate the right
wing also and the sudden swerve
threw the machine just enough to
the left so that the left aileron
caught in some upright, an iron pipe,
I learned afterward, in front of the
little stand at the edge of the track.
I don't know what happened after
that"
L Turpin caught such slight
glimpse of the man who was the d.
rect cause of the accident that he
could give no definite description of
him. When the aviator learned that
spectators had been killed, he said
bitterly:
''The only thing I wish is that I
had been killed myself"
Escapes by Dodging.
..Gs e. L. Gale, postmaster at Bremen
ton, and owner of the Bremerton
News, was standing in the front of
the crowd near the grandstand when
the machine came in contact with
the iron pipe. He escaped by dodg-
ing.
SKI "The first man the machine struck
was standing very near me-" said
Gale. "The blow knocked him down
and the machine came right on in
through the fence, scattering the
people, and brought up against the
grandstand. Everyone threw them
selves fiat on the ground instantly
and many thus undoubtedly saved
their lives, as the big wings of the
machine sped directly over them
few feet off the ground. I picked up
the man who had been knocked down
near me and l saw that he was suf-
ferlng from bad cuts on top of the
head. l don't know how badly he
was hurt"
Mr.: Gale said that after picking
the man up he went to the grand
stand and there found $3.50 in sill
yer which some one had dropped in
the excitement.
4 IF fund is raised for the VIC
TINS" he said, II will contribute
this money to start with"
Policing Difficult Job.
Frank Hart, director of the King
County Fair Association, in charge
of policing the meet, also saw the
man who was the cause of the ac-
cident start across the track and
recognized him as one whom he had
been having trouble with.
II put this same man off the track
several times" said Mr.. Hart, while
warning the people away from the
danger. The man was very stub
born and became abusive when I in
sisted that he could not cross. He
wore straw hat and light gray
suit and carried a small open kodak.
Crowd is manageable.
incidentally. the crowd gave those
in charge of the meet great trouble,
both on Wednesday and yesterday.
On Wednesday the spectators flocked
into the field time and again, crowd
ing about the machine, handling it
and interfering SO with the aviators
that both Parmalee and Turpin de-
clined to attempt to go up unless the
crowd was driven back least to the
race course This the managers
finally did in a somewhat Intellectual
manner, and the aviators started.
The same tactics were repeated by
Yesterdays crowd, but conditions
were worse because the crowd was
double that of Wednesday, approx
mately 1000 persons visiting the
grounds. Many crossed the race
course back and forth and others
even went out into the field, sur
rounding the machines, the manage
ment appearing unable to prevent
them
7& Saw Man Cross Track.
A. L. McClinton, 5717 Sixteenth
avenue northeast, was another stand