Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-12
THREE EYE-WITNESSES
GIVE THEIR TESTIMONY
Photos Taken of Remains of Aero.
plane at College Park.
BURY HELMSMAN TOMORROW
Plans for Funeral of Officer Not to
Be Completed Until His Parents
Are Heard From-Fatal Ma
chine of New Type.


10 determine the cause OF the accident
al the College Park aviation field yester-
day afternoon, I'm which Lieut.. Leighton
W. Hazlehurst jr., and Aviator A. l..
Welch Were hurled to death, four officers
all members of the flying squadron. met
at College Park this morning to survey
the remains of the Wright aeropiane. the
collapse OF which caused the double
fatality.
The officers comprising the inquiry board
were Capt. +. B. Hennessy. Capt. Paul
Beck. Lieut. r. c. Kirkland and Lieut..
Thomas De Witt Milling. Also present,
but not members Of the board, were Col
George p. Scribben and Capt. Charles
De Forest Chandler.
Numerous photographs were taken OF
the tangled wreckage of the machine as
ii lay on the ground at the south end OF
the flying field. After these pictures had
been obtained the board adjourned to
the office and there heard the statements
of three eyewitnesses of the accident.
Machine Gave in Middle.
Curously enough. none of the officers
, of the school had actually seen the ac-
cident, although several were busy at
the hangers at the time. The best that
can be gathered from the testimony OF
the eyewitnesses is that the machine
made a dip, at an angle of IS degrees,
as a signal to the tinekeeper. WEIGH.
VINO was the operator then recovered and
| started a CLIMB. which. judging from the
previous performances. must have been
| at an angle Of at least 30 degrees This
made almost a right angle turn for the
| machine In the air.
| Practically 1000 pounds in weight.
including aviators, motor, gasoline and
part OF the shot bag. were centered on
! With this sudden strain thrown on H.
| the heavily loaded middle section was
practically shot toward the earth.
while the ends OF the planes buckled
upward. The board OF officers VIII
| make its findings public later.
1t developed that Lieut. Hazlehurst
| did not want TO start on the last flight
| yesterday. In speaking to one of the
| was not feeling well. and that he did
not like the steep dips Welch had
been making when he started climb.
| The weights in the machine, however.
were adjusted to the weight OF Lieut..
| Hazlehurst. so ne took his place in the
| mac hine in order that il might not be
thrown out of adjustment.
Respect His Last Wish.
One OF the points that the other men,
bers of the flying squad are anxious to
arrange in connection with Lieut.. Hazle-
hurst's death, is to carry out last wish
Of his, that a younger brother, now in
Memphis. should get an appointment TO
West Point. Lieut.. Hazlehurst had made
appucation to President Taft on the sub
lect but found that the Presidents list
of appointments was full The members
of the fyin. squad hope, however. that
Congress VIII give the President an ad-
dit.onal appointment for young Hazie-
hurst
The officers OF the aviation school. who
are on the field express themselves deep
| ly greved at the double fatality OF yes
| terday but one or them, In speaking VI
| the matter, said:
Perhaps this will show Congress that
aviation is not an armchair exercise.
Take Russia, France. Germany and
England and you will find that all oi them
make special provision for increasing the
| pay of officers on aviation duty. In our
| case. not only is the pay not raised. but
| il actually costs US $40 or Sl3 month IN
carfare TO come to the field. and the only
reward we get is just the possibility OF
what happened here yesterday evening
| The only witnesses who We're called by
! the board were Corp Adams. Corp. Us
trander
were the only men on the ground who
actually saw the accident. The board,
after its meeeing. made verbal report
| 10 Can't. Chandler, the officer in charge
of the camp. A written report VIII Do
made later to the chief signal offcer
Welch's Funeral Tomorrow.
The body of welch was removed this
morning TO Geiers undertaking estab-
lisbment. 9TH street northwest, TO be pre-
pared for burial. The funeral VIII he
held at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning
from the residence. 466 II street south
west. Interment Will be in Adas Israel
CONGREGATION cemetery.
1'ke hody of Lieut.. HaZlehurSt Is still
az the Walter Reed Hospital. where the
two bodies were taken after the fatal
II probably will be buried in Arling-
TON national cemetery. There seems to
he some doubt as To the wishes of the
ofIicers parents on that point.
Two kilograms were received at the
office of the chief signal officer at the
War Department this morning from the
Young officers father. who is at Evans
WILLIE Ind One stated his desire TO have
Lieut. HaZelhursts body sent to Mem
phis, Tenn. for burial, and the other
asked that arrangements De fndde .of
the burial at Arlington.
kilograms of inquiry have been sent
10 Mr. Hazelhurst with view TO hav-
ing the mAtter Slrdisnleneu out. AZ -
expected that the officers father and
mother will come 10 Washington to take
charge of their sons body.
With Welch on All Flights.
Lieut. HaElehurst had been making all
the flights with Welch In the new ma
chine. One OF the army requirements was
that the machine should carry a load OF
$50 pounds In the various trials for speed.
endurance and altitude. The extra weight
was put on in the form of shot bags, and
this load was adjusted to the weight of
Lieut.. Hazlehurst The result was that
Welch carried him on all the flights.
Lieut.. Hazlehurst was himself an avia-
ton student and had Just completed his
training He had been a member of the
living SQUAD at College Park since the re-
turn of the aviators from the south about
two months ago. He had not been able TO
get in many lessons on account of wealth
er conditions and other obstacles. He