The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-23
HAMILTON, DARING
AVIATOR, DIES IN BED
Tafflcd Death Many Times
Once Fell Nearly
Three Miles.
HEART FAILED At LAST
volplaning From Dizzy Heights
at Top Speed Proves Too
Great Strain.
HEART FAILED At LAST

CHARLES X. Hamilton. one Of the most
DARING of aviators. died yesterday as he
had often said he would, In bed. at his
home. 2oj West 1oeth street Death was
due to the giving out of a heart strained
hy many daring dips and gldes high /,
the air
His wife was aroused early yesterday
morning by her husbands groans. He
was bleeding from the mouth and was
sem. conscious, Mrs. Hamilton called a
physician. but he arrived too late
Hamilton had often had trouble with
his heart after his slides to earth from
dizzy height He once said that vol
planning. a method Of coming to earth at
a speed hard to realize, interfered with
the heart action.
Mr. Hamilton was born in New Britain.
Conn, In 1855. His most noteworthy
achievement was n flight from New York
to Philadelphia and back in a single day.
on June IL, 1870 at time when the
performance marked "A distinct advance
N aviation.
II took the small. red haired airman of
g. years just an hour and fifty minutes
- reach Philadelphia. ON the way home
engine trouble dropped him into the South
Am5oy swamps. and there he stayed
desperately tinkering until dusk. But
tefore dark his biplane came swoopins
past Liberty and alghted ON Governors
Island. His actual flying time for the II Is
mile Journey WAS three hours and thirty.
iou- minutes.
Hamilton was daring aviator In
learning TO fly, as it We're, he had sixty
three falls. His small. wiry frame was
hard 70 hurt. one escape OF he's youth
was miraculous
lie had gone up In n dirigible at Pater
son. y. j.. and had scarcely left the
ground when all the ballast slipped over
board and the balloon shot up to n height
Of nearly three miles. There 1t exploded
Nnder pressure of the expanding gas
The silk of the bag collapsed over the
frame of the dirigible in such a way that
With Hamilton's slight weight as ballas,
aviator frame and bag foated the thre.
miles to earth. landing gently
Hamilton flew from the United state.
into Mexico and back in January, 1910
The round trip was made from Sar
Diego He saw some of the fighting II
the north, and was himself put in jail
though only In the matter of private
suit.
In September. 1910. he was badly hur
when his Curtiss biplane fell at Sacra
mento with 10000 looking on. Injurie.
not so bad were received In fall OF
w" rect III Apfli. l"ll. AZ Hartford
Conn. where he was testing "a new baby
Wright aeroplano. In February. 1913. h,
fell 200 feet near Jacksonville. Fla. 4
broken leg. cuts and bruises were all II,
got to show for it,
The aviator had nervous breakdowi
last summer. He was said to have beer
placed in "A private saritarium. In Octo
her last he married for the second time
The bride was Miss Augusta Leonina
Lawson. daughter Of Mr. and Mrs. Johr
lawson of New York. Hamilton's Hrs
wife was Miss Jennie Lugan Of Bridge
port, Conn.
Many New Workers. will remember a
their first glimpse of Hamilton the tim
he rode In Israel l.udlow's kite on River
side Drive. and later over the Hudson
River. That was before his days viii
dirigible balloons and aeroplanes. l.ud
low was trying To sail kite through
the air and Hamilton offered to ride in /,
After a while he made out TO do So Late
the man bearing kite scared over tn
Hudson in tow of a ferryboat, but as tn
slack of the kite rope could not be take
IN rapidly enough at the end of the jour
ney, Hamilton went up to his hips II
freezing water.