The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-06-25

-\dNdi dcdueHly dUOe0 ltS lrSJ Nlctlm
TO the death roll Of the air today
when Ensign William d. Billingsley
was hurled from a disabled biplane
1000 feet in the air and fell, straight
as plummet, into the depth Of Ches-
ape axe bay. Lieut.. John A Powers,
chief of the navy aviators, clung to
the hurting wreck that followed his
comrades course from sky to water
and escaped death, almost mi
raculOusly.
Ensign Billingsley, in a biplane that
had been converted into a hydro
aeroplane by the addition of pom
toons, with Lieut.. Powers as a pas
senger, left the AVIATION grounds at
the Naval academy here this morning
to fly TO Caliborn, some Is miles
across the bay. About ten miles down
the bay gust of wind struck them.
Ensign Billingsley was thrown for
ward across the steering gear, which
was disabled The craft dropped like
dead bird toward the water AS il
fell the pilot was catapulted out, and
turning over and over his body out
sped the disabled machine toward the
water. Deep in the bay the body sank
and late tonight all the available boats
in the neighborhood were out seek
ing it.
4 When the aeroplane started on it's
dive for the bay, Lieut.. Powers clung
desperately to one of the uprights be-
tween the planes
/ After falling about 900 feet, the
blplane turned a complete somersauit
and for a moment the force OF the
fall was broken. Striking the bay, It,
carried Lieut.. Powers beneath the
water but rose to the surface aitfbst
Immediately. The aviator, stifferlhg
excruciating pain, feared that he
would lose consciousness before he
could be rescued, and tearing loose
the lashings of one of the piahes,
bound himself fast to a p0htboh.
Within a few minutes, however, he
was taken off by B. L. Bronson and
5. Kellar, who had watched the aero
planes movements from a motor boat
kept on the bay for use in Just such
accidents.
At the Naval academy hospital,
Lieut. Powers, almost in a state of
nervous collapse, his head wagging
piteously, told of the tragic story of his
fall from the sky.
Just before the accident" he said,
Il looked at the altitude dial and il
showed we were running at o height
OF ABOUT l,G25 feet. Just then
gust of wind seemed to come up from
below.
The machine lurched violently
and took an uncertain dive forward.
This threw Billingsley across the steer,
ing gear and the lateral rpddef planes
Went out of business. '. '"'f
with another forward plunge the
biplane dropped down at express train
speed. 1t all happened inra tpinute.
biilingsiey went out of his seat and
clear of the plane.
When the ship started to fall.
had one hand around the upright. be-
tween the planes, and l locked il
there. l knew that was my only
hope. l was torn loose from the.seat.
but held on TO the upright. 1 swung
clear of the planes, and the gearing.
Ihe strain on my arms and fingers
was awful, but l clenched my teeth
and held on. l tried to kick the
steering gear back into working order.
but l could not make it go. looked
down and saw Billingsley turning
over and over in the air"
The trembling officer halted his
story to wipe the sweat from his ashy
lace. but went on Immediately:
When the aeroplane had dropped
about 900 feet the front planes went
down and under until the ship had
been turned completely over. When
II was half way over it steadied for
a minute and the force of the fall was
broken little, but it gathered mo-
mentum again and when it hit the wa
ter there was a terrific crash But /
Kept clear of the engine and the
planes and managed to come to the
surface safely"
At the hospital tonight. Lieut.. Pow
eTS was listed as slightly injured in
ternally," but the surgeons We're i'm
doubt as to the exact extent of his
injuries. He suffered terribly from
shock.
Capt. John II. Gibbons in charge of
tn" naval academy, tonight appointed
a naval board of inquiry Ia investi-
gate the accident, Commander w. w.