The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-02
Phil ParnaIee's BlpIane Turned Tur-
tie When About Four Hundred
Feet In the Air and Plunged
to Death.
WAS KILLED INSTANTLY
Victim, Who Arrived In Yakima Ten
Days Ago With Other Avlators,
Was Daring Wright
Graduate.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Servioe.]
NORTH YAKIMA, Wash, June l.
Struck suddenly by gust Of wind,
of the best Wright aviators, turned
turtle, while about four hundred feet
In the air, here this after
noon and crashed to the
ground, plunging Parmalee to
instant death. The accident occurred
in plain view OF several thousand /
spectators at the fair grounds. Par
malee's fall was entirely unexpected,
as when he started on his fight there
was not a breath of wind. The cur
rent that caused his death was ap-
parently one Of those unexpected
gusts so often encountered by bird
men. 1t was this sort of tricky atmos-
phere that killed Hoxsey at Los An
geles.
Parmalee had been in the air only
three or four minutes when the &C
cident occurred
Parmalee was trained by Wilbur
Wright Parmalee held the American
weight carrying record made at Chi
cago August 10, 1911, when he went
aloft in a Wright biplane carrying 45S
pounds.
Follows Partners Accident.
Parmalee arrived in Seattle ten
days ago from Los Angeles With
4 Cliff Turpin and S. E. D. Morton, a
parachute jumper, they opened two
days meet Wednesday
Thursday Turpin's machine ran in
to the grand stand, killing two per
sons and tnjuring a score. The in
: quest over the body of the victims was
held in Seattle today, Turpin remain
ing there to testify. Phil Parmalee
I, proceeded to North Yakima to fly.
One of the youngest avfators in the
. game, Parmalee according to report
had already tired of flying and said
that after the Chicago meet he would
retire from the game for good.
Philip O. Parmalee. a pupil OF the
late Wilbur Wright was the first mar
to make commercial flight in ar
aeroplane. He successfully carried {
cargo OF silk from Dayton, Ohio, t.
Columbus, distance of fifty-two miles
] He also was credited with establish
) ing an American record for endur
: ance, when at San Francisco he cruis
; ed the upper air over Selfridge fielt
for three hours, thirty-nine minute
, and forty-eight seconds.
Fiancee Coilapses.
g Miss c. e. Turpin, Clifford Turpin'
!. sister, and Parmalee's fiancee, co
e lapsed tonight She expected to b
IS married next week. Although sh
T went out in the automobile and helI
u ed bring the dead mans body back t
s the city, she refused to believe tha
IS he was dead and chung to him in tn
morgue, kissing his hands and fac
and embracing him until she was he
self covered with blood from hi
. wounds. Apparently she was tempo
q arily out of her head.
j, He's not dead she cried. "H
t. cannot be! He told me when he lie
Is the grand stand that he would /
d. back in ten minutes and he'll con-
p back. The time is nearly UP and
It. hope he is having successful fligh
No, he's not dead! He said he'd
hack and I know he'll comet"
About Three Minutes.
=, Parmalee had been aloft abo
- three minutes and had travelled b
-. three miles from the fair grounds
"a height of 400 feet, when a suddt
he gust of wind struck the tail of b
machine and overturned it. The
plane crashed to the ground crus
ing the aviator beneath 1t. Parmalee
mechanicians rushed to the scene
the accident in an automobile, b
did not reach Parmalee for fife
minutes after the accident. He W
OF dead when they arrived.
s. Parmalee's body was first found
W. farmers in the lower end Of t
e. Mckee Valley. They pulled him c
n from under the engine and debris
the biplane, so that, when the mex
"; anicians arrived, they we're unable
determine exactly how he met
death. The biplanes engine W
wrenched from its place and
IS; planes shattered.
ly. The theory advanced by the me-
anicians is that Parmalee had turn
and was flying before the wind j
% below the rim of the Mckee hi
when he struck gust from one s.
70 and was unable ts control the I
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