Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-06-02
JOKED ABOUT MISFORTUNE
URGED TO KEEP DOWN UNTIL
BREEZE QuIETED-'ALLED
SAFEST BIRDNLiN.
DEATH WAS Instantaneous
Made Fortune for Wrlghts-Was %
Years Old; Had Participated In
Many COnqucsts Of Air.

NORTH YAKIMA, Wash, June l..
With smile and wave of his
hand to thousands who watched him
In his aeroplane, Phillip O. Parmalee
took the air in the teeth of gusty
wind here this afternoon. Three
mlrutes later his broken and lifeless
body was dragged from beneath the
wreckage OF his biplane In an apple
orchard two miles from his starting
point. The exact cause of his plunge
TO death will probably never be
known.
As he rose before the grandstand at
the fair grounds. Parmalee swung TO
the west over the Yakima river. He
rose to a height of about 400 feet,
and his speed increased to almost a
mile a minute, although It was no
ticed that his plane dipped and rolled
and seemed TO be controlled with
ifficulty.
When he had gone about two miles
from the fair grounds, he swung In
a wide circle to the eastward for the
return journey.
Machine Like Wounded Bird.
As he squared away before the
wind, the great plane checked its
course Guttored "A second ike
wounded bird, and plunged below the
line Of trees
1t h thought by Parmalee's mechan
leans that sudden gust of wind from
the draw or small canyons tsat notch
the sides of the valley, struck the
machine and rendered the elevating
planes unmanageable.
The body Of the aviator was drag
Eed from beneath the wreckage OF
the machine by farmers who were
working in the orchard
His skull was fractured and he
must have died instantly.
Laughed at Misfortune.
Before he prepared for his last
flight, Parmalee was urged TO post
pone the exhibition at least until the
wind quieted, but he laughed at the
persistent and fatal misfortune that
had dogged avlators for the last week,
and climbed to his seat.
J. Clifford Turpin, his partner in
aviation, is expected to arrive
from Seattle probably tonight to take
charge of Parmalee's body.
The biplane was so crushed that
mechanicans were unable to trace de-
flnitely the cause of its fall.
Made Money for Wrights.
Phillip O. Parmalee was regarded
by experts as the Safest OF Ameri-
can aViators, as well as the most sue
cessful financially, Of those employed
by the Wrights. He was said to have
earned $4,000 for the Wright
brothers during 1911, and he quit
their employ only a few weeks ago.
When Parmalee and his partner j.
clifford Turpin, came here two weeks
ago, after spending eight months In
Los Angeles, they brought with them
two tractor bipanes." which were
built under Parmalee's supervision
in Los Angeles.
A Michigan Boy, % Years Old.
Parmalee was born at st. Johns
Mich, about 25 years. ago, and his
first business venture was as a part
ner with his father in the manufac-
ture of gas engines. Later he became
an automobile tester. He drove an
automobile in the New York Atlanta
tour, for large factory at Flint,
Mich
Two years ago Parmalee entered
the employ of the Wright brothers
and went to Los Angeles with Arch
Hoxsey who was killed there on De-
oember 81, 1910.
In Chicago last August Parmalee
established a worlds altitude rtcord,
flying to a height Of 10000 feet but
the record was broken on the next
day by Lincoln Beachy.