The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-04-04
RODCERSL LOSES
LIFE IN FLIGHT
AT LONG BEACH
Famous Aviator Who Made
the Transcontinental Trip in
Aeroplane Meets Fate of
Many Birdmen.
WIFE FRUSTRATED
in PASADENA HOME
News of the Tragedy Received
With Profound Regret in
New York; Details of
Flight Across Country.
BY international News Service.

II OS ANGELES. April S.-Calbraith
2. Rodgers. the ocean-to can
aviator. first man to cross the con-
@@ tinent In an aeroplane, was In
stantly killed shortly after
o'clock this afternoon at Long Beach,
when his aeroplane plunged ESQ feet into
the ocean In front Of the Long Beach
bath house
The surf where he fell was but two
feet deep and only zoo yards from the
pleting his trip across the continent sew
eral months ago.
BY strange freak Of fate he fen al
most on the spot where it had been
planned TO erect monument to his
achievements.
Rodgers had been In the air about fif-
teen minutes when the catastrophe oc
CURED. He had Just flown over the Vir
ginia hotel and had made a couple OF
fancy circles in testing his aeroplane
preparatory to taking up as passenger
Edmund Z. Allyn. a Cleveland, Ohio.
aluminium manufacturer, who is a visitor
to southern California.
When but few hundred feet from the
bath house tho Prov OF Rodgerss ma
chine suddenly turned toward the water.
uud spectators expected to see sensa-
tional feat Of gliding. BY q freak OF for
tune Rodgers dashed into n flock Of sea
guIls the moment he started his dip, The
squawks or the frightened birds as the
flying machine dashed through their
ranks seemed to disconcert Rodgers. and
before he had recovered control ot him
Of
the surf and his fate was sealed beyond
recall.
Fell Like Plummet.
Grasping his clevating lever Rodgers
desperately sought to turn his aeroplano
away from its downward course, but IN
vain. The desperate aviator stuck to
his machine and struggled with the lev
ers, but the airship instead of obeyinG
its control turned straight downward
and shot to the surf liko plummet. a
mass of wreclage piled over the form OF
the unfortunate aviator. Scores Of the
several thousands Of people who were
watching the exhibition flights rushed to
Rodgers's rescue. He was dragged from
under the wreckage and carried to the
emergency hospital, where It was found
that his back s9 we'll as his neck bad
been broken. his jaw dislocated, and he
had been horribly crushed. Doctors at
the hospital stated that his death must
have been instantaneous
An examination OF tho wrecked aero
nIsne shortly after the accident dis
closed a broken steering gear. and this
undoubtedly caused the aviator's fall
,rtSa 10
Hotel Maryland In Pasadena, where she
he arrived here from his oceau-to ocean
flight.
Foremost Aviator.
ca1braith p. Rodgers became recoG-
n.zed as one OF the foremost avlators
~ the country at the largo Chicago
aviation meet last summer when he es-
tahlished a new record for endurance
flights
After the Chicago meet Rodgers was
In great demand for aviation exhibitions.
He was at Neenah. Wis. filling an en-
enjoyment when he made the announce
meut. August %. that he would compete
for tfe $4,000 Hearst prize offered for
an ocean-to-ocaan flight
Rodgers. with his characteristic direct
ness in doing things: began preparations
Immediately and on September IL arose
from the Atlantic's edge at Sheepshead
nay and pointed his acrial craft for what
soon was to become an epoch making
dieht After an elapsed time OF forty
nine days, of which time he was actually
In the air 1924 minutes, or equivalent to
three days, ten hours and four minutes.
he arrived In Pasadena on November o.
He mad flown 1881 miles, his machine
had been wrecked or severely damaged
half dozen times and at least twice he
had 10 save his lfo by volplanins from
dizzy heights because Of sudden engine
| trouble.
Rodgers had predicted just before no
bo~an HE famous flight that he would
| be nble to Cross the continent In four
dnys- but he soon found his error and
| soon substituted the assertion that hn
doubted seriously II any one could mako
it I'm thirty days. elapsed time.
| On November u Rodgers started out
| (Continued en- Page Two.)