The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-07-03
NeW High Record
in Aviation Deaths

With the deaths yesterday Of Miss Har-
riet Quimby and her passenger at Bos-
ton. 4 new high record in the toll Of
human life has been reached in avia-
ton during the six months. Last year
was by far the most disastrous. but this
year promises to eclipse the figures Of
1911. The number Of fatalities for the
six months OF the present year Is forty
three, compared with seventy-three in
the whole year Of 1911.
Beginning with the death Of Lieut.
Thomas E. Selfridge. the first person
killed in an aeroplane in 1905. the list OF
fatalities has rapidly increased In 1905
one man lost his life; in 1909. four; in
1910, Q; N 1911. - and to date for the
present year I3 persons have been Kill
cd. making a total Of 49,
The countries in which fatalities have
occurred this year are France. Germany.
England. Russia, Italy. and the United
States. France has contributed as many
victims this year as all Of the other
European countries combined, the num-
Der being sixteen. including a woman,
Miss Suzanne Bernard, who fell at
Etampe5 on March IL
German airmen who lost their lives
number eleven; English. two; Russian,
two, and Italian, one. In addition to the
two Emf Ysh aviators the number Of vic
tins in England Included a third. Victor
Louis Mason. q young American, who
was killed May % while making a flight
at Brooklands with the English aviator.
F. V. Fisher.
Double fatalities, in which two riders
or a rider and passenger were killed,
were numerous this year. nine having
occurred. while on June 10 occurred the
first deaths ever caused by a collision
Capt Dubois and Lieut.. Peignan. both
ohicers in the Fench army. and trained
airmen. who were killed when the b.
planes they were plotting round the ar
tilIery flying ground at Douai collided
with terrific force in midair.
The American victims for the past six
months, exclusive Of Victor Louis Mason,
who was killed in England, number ten.
among them being one woman. The list
is as follows:
January 22-Rutherford Page. one OF
the Curtiss aviators, killed by a fall Of
10 feet in the international meet at Los
Angeles.
April s-GaIbraIth J. Rodgers. the first
to cross the American Continent in an
aeroplane. killed by a fall OF 800 feet in
the ocean at Long Beach, Cal
May BRAY Wheeler. an amateur.
killed when his aeroplane struck a tele-
graph pole at KInloch Park, st. Louis.
Peter GIssser, who fell with Wheeler,
died from his injuries two days later.
May H-Fred J. Southland, an amateur
aviator of Minneapolis, killed by a fall
Df 100 feet at the Wright aviation field
near Xenia, Ohio.
June IT-Mrs. Julia Clark, OF Denver,
killed at the State Fair Grounds at
Ill. when the wing OF a BIZ
plane IN which she was making a prac-
tlce flight struck the limb of tree
June Phillip o. ParmaIee. a young
aviator. who had acquired considerable
fame as a member Of the Wright team
Of flyers, instantly killed at North va
xima, Wash, when a gust OF wind
caught the tail Of his bnpIane and caused
Il to overturn and plunge 100 feet to
earth.
June 11-Lieut Leighton W. Halle
hurst, Seventeenth Infantry. L. S. A.,
Of Macon. Ga, and A. l. Welsh, an
aviation expert. OF Washington, D. c.,
killed at the Army Aviation School, at
College Park, Nd. when "A new army
aeroplane Of the Wright type, In which