El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-15

the body was found about O'clock, I
strapped to the machine under 40 feet
OF water Divers from the battlesnlp
oregon first reached the body
BeaChey flew his first aerOplane at
Toledo at the age Of is years He was
working in an aerOplane factory here
and his employer refused to give him a
chance TO fly Beachey then began
sleeping i'm tent at the factory and at
dawn used TO take out o:e OF the craft
and make a flight unknown to his EN-
ployer. He kept this up several weeks
and finally demanded contract
Was Daring Aviator.
Lincoln Beachey was regarded as the
most sI1illful and daring Of American
aviators. He earned his reputation
long before the French flyers began
gliding through the air up-side-dOwn-
Beachey was in retirement when Pc
gOud began to perform unheard OF
feats in the air and was drawn back
into the game by his desire to demon
strate he could duplicate the remark
able flying of the foreigner.
He started out, as he expressed It
"tO OUtfly the birds" He flew up side
down, made spirals while head down
ward. looped the loop, and did other
stunts 1000 feet above the earth
which the WriEhts and others had
never believed were possible.
Was IS Years Old.
BeaChey was born in San Francisco
in September 1881 At 13 he entered
TO study aerial navigation. He made
his first flight at Idora park. Oakland.
Cal, in February, 1905, plotting George
E Heaton's dirigible balloon
In August Of that year he flew at
the Lewis-Clark exposition at Port
land. Ore. as an aerOuaut for Capt T.
5. Baldwin In 1906 Beachey flew
around the dome Of the national CAPT
jOurned TO witness the flight and
scores Of congressman greeted him as
he alighted at the steps Of the capitol.
One Thrilling Escape.
July %, 1907, hundreds of thousands
stopped their work in New York to
watch him soar over the city. He made
a landing at Battery Park, but was
compelled to rise almost Immediately
to escape the thousands who nocked
TO the spot Beachey sailed over Broad
and Nassau streets and Park row.
over Williamsburg bridge his motor
began to miss fire and the wind carried
him toward Sunlzen Meadows. Within
so feet Of the ground a gust Of wind
Whirled the gas bag around, carried
il across the river. and dashed it hard
against the tall steel spire on Spindle
light The bag was impaled and
Beacney saved himself by throwing
his arms around the pole He was
rescued by fishermen.
Flies over NiaErn.
On May ;. 1911. he was the first man
to circle the capitol at Washington in a
heavier than-air machine The flight
made him famous, and a few weeks
later the nation gasped when it read
he had flown over Niagra Falls On
June p he circled above the cataract
and with the machine Obscured in fog.
swOOped beneath the arches Of the up
FER steel bridge and down the gorge
almost 10 the Whirlpool II was the
first an aviator had cut through the
air currents and mist that have lured
many Adventures TO death
10 vr-nnn- Fn17n-r-frrn- TQaaphav- the
first inter-city areOplane race held OF
the continent flying from New York TO
Philadelphia in two hours and p sec
Onds. Later in the month he was the
most prominent figure in the notable
aviation meet in Chicago He spiraled
at such angles that persons thought he
was falling and telephoned for ambu-
lances- He played leap frog over the
steam engines in Grant park He did
what he called the Texas Tommy" on
Michigan boulevard, juggling the wheels
driving automobiles TO the sidewalk
He spun his landing wheels on the top
planes OF another machine
Couldn't quit flying.
In the spring OF 1913 Beachey an
nOunced he had made his last Tight he
asserted he believed himself partly re
sponsible for the deaths OF nine avia-
tors who tried to emulate my foolish
case Of war he would fly for Old Glory !
but until then he was through
But later in the year when American |
newspapers began the chronicle OF the /
feats OF the Frenchman Pegoud. the I
"cau of the air mastered Beachey's |
will and he said he would prove Ameri- /
cans were the equals Of the French in 4
aviation He constructed a Diplane only 4
p feet wide with double beams and !
wires to stand the extra strain and 4
said he was going TO loop the loop. In \
trying out this machine at Hammonds- I
port, y. Y. October Z, 1913. Beachey
lost control and swept several persons 4
from the roof Of a shed Miss Ruth /
Of New York was killed and /
her sister was injured
The accident uunerved him for time |
and he did not fly for weeks Tnen |
he took his machine to California and
BEGAN TO practice the stunts which !
ater thrilled large crowds in exhibI-
tons he gave in many parts Of the /
United states.