The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-07
COL. CODY KILLED
 WITH PASSENGER IN PLANE CRASH
Famous Soldier Of For tune Ends Varied
 Career In Flight
U. 5. Cowboy FOTeswOTe AneTi- can Allegiance To Become
 British Subject


 London, Aug. 7.-CqL P. s. Cody, the famous Anglo-American aviator, was
 killed in an aeroplane accident at AL
 dershot, today.
 Cody was trying out new aeropIane
 when he met his death In the ma chine with him was passenger named Evans. They were flying over the open
 country most of which is government
 land in the Aldershot district, and had
 just reached government house when their aeroplane was seen to be travel
 ing badly and finally to fall. Some people rushed to the spot where it
 struck the ground and found the dead
 bodies of Cody and Evans among the
 ruins of the aerop1ane Cody's neck
 was broken and both Evans legs were
 fractured in the fall and their bodies
 otherwise were badly mangled.
 Cody's> sons. Leander and Frank,
 were eye witnesses to the accident.
 the body Of the craft proving too
 heavy for the wings. The machine they say, appeared to crumple up, the wings suddenly shooting upward and the whole structure co1Iapsing. Dur ing the descent, the aeroplane struck some trees and portions Of the wings were left hanging the branches. The motor was shattered and the re- mafnder of the aerop1ane smashed into matchwood by the violence of the shock wEen they h1tsthe ground.
 The aeropIane had been out earlier in the day, making an extended flight and giving every satisfaction,
 Cody was one of the most interest ing figures in aviation, more especially | in the British Isles. He was real sol | dier of fortune with a varied career. He was well known to the public in | England, as he attracted general at tention by his peculiar makeup. He wore sombrero, a long mustacfle and with long hair, was almost an exact replica Of t'Bufa1o Bill .''~=- When he came to England some years ago from the United States <s where he had been a cowboy in the f. West, he had a severe struggle to ob- tain a start. After living precariously for a, while he attracted the. attention E of the experts in the British war of fee on account of his display of nat ural gifts of construction, particularly with regard to aerial machines. He was also said to be able to build any thing in the way of flying machine or balloon He achieved such success with box kites that the British war office attached him to itSe aviation staff His theatrical appearance and methods created some prejudice against him which, however was largely dis oe1Ied when he foreswore American al- egiance and became a British sub ject. The public in England only be- gan to take n1In rS0F1OOE5Iy when ne carl ried the military prize Of $20.Oo0 open to the world at Salisbury Plain in Au- gust 1912 Since that time he has built several machines and was constantly sxperime with improvements. All ,f his machines were heavy bfplanes which his rivals considered crude in .heir construction but he nevertheless made successful flights with several of them.
 He had many narrow escapes in his aviation career in England. Last July, while he was flying at Aldershot, he ost control of his machine, which de- ,cended with great force and, striking a COW in aL field, Cody escaped with a 'ew bruises.
 Evans was a member of the. Indian Civil Service who had obtained leave if absence to come to England to study lviation The aerop1ane was flying at m altitude of between 200 and 300 feet when it fell Members of the Royal Flying Corps removed the bodies to he military mortuary and an inquest s to be held tomorrow
 Sir Hiram Maxim, when he heard to- lay of Cody's death, characterized him IS undoubtedly the greatest military aviator in England
 Almost simultaneously with his vic ory in the war office competition in e12 when he wo na prize of $20,0Oo, Cody was awarded s25O 900 in an arbi- rat tion case with the British war of ice in respect to the rights of his in rentions of man carrying kites.