Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-27
LIEUT.. POSTS
DEATH CAUSES
REFORM TALK
Army Officers Claim Thai the
U. S. Is Throwing Away
Lives in Aviation


When Lieut. Henry q. Frost. 18th In
fantry. met with an aeroplane acci-
dent that resulted In his death at San
Diego a few weeks ago. brother off,
GERS here expressed the opinion that
there must be something radically
wrong with the whole system Of army
aviation, on account OF the high death
rate. 1t appears from the coast press
that this same opinion is held by
mainland army officers, and the young
aviator from Schofeld Barracks has
started an agitation for reform that
may result in lasting good
The San Francisco Chronicle OF re-
cent date says:
Local army officers are OF the opin-
ion that the sooner the war depart
ment or Congress institutes a search
ing Investigation as to the reasons
for the tremendous loss OF life among
army. aviators In comparison with
civilian ,;birdmen. the quicker will
some definite results be arrived at in
this country, and the proportion Of
fatalities among army officers be re-
duced to a minimum.
The recent death OF Lieut.. Henry
b. Post at San Diego, who lost his
life after attaining an altitude rec
ord of 1920 feet, through a faulty
machine coliapsing. has greatly stirred
up army men to the necessity for de-
termining where the real blame of the
many fatalities among officers during
the past year lies.
Although. so far as local officers are
aware, there are but Is aerOplanes in
use by the government through the
army. there were seven army officers
killed In 1913 as against 10 civilian
aviators.
Death Rate is High.
This, officers believe. is a ridiculous
showing. considering that In the
United States there are some $500
civilian aviators who are flying more
or less regularly and continually do
ing fancy flying that the military bird
men see little reason for Undertaking.
and The sole explanation military men
can give Of the proportion of deaths
Of military and civilian birdmen is that
Liz SOtClullfCnI 10 puICuoDtu6 dliu
maintaining poor types Of machines.
The death roll Of officers for 1918,
so far as boards Of investigation seem
to show, places the majority of the
as unduestionably due to-
faulty engines or planes. In the case
of Lieutenant's Posts accident, the
aeroplane simply collapsed like an
eggshell when 600 feet above the sur
face Of the water One other ma
chine did the same thing at Texas
City July s, 1913. when Lieutenant L.
IT. Call was thrown to his death.
6Iames Army Regulation.
Lieut.. j. D. Park went to his death
at Santa Ana, CAL, May 9, when his
machine struck tree because 1t be-
came entirely unmanageable. although
Park was an excellent and experienced
aviator. Engine trouble caused the
death of Lieut. c. r. Rich of.the Phil
ippine Scouts In Manila November IA,
and loss of control possibly caused by
engine trouble precipitated Lieuts. H.
M. Kelly and e. L. Ellington to their
deaths at San Diego November "a.
Regulations that prevent army Off
GERS from indulging in any undue crit
fcism of Congress or their superiors in
the war department are responsible
for the fact that officers here can not
frankly and above their names say
Continued on page threel
3 )