The evening world., 1915-03-15
BEACHEY'S DEATH
LA|D.TO DEFECTS
|NNEW M0NOPLANE
Daring Aviator Kept Promise
Not to Fall on Crowd
at Exposition.

SAN FRANCISCO. March iS.-
Structural dSfects In his new Taube
monoplane. not inability to control
the craft, are believed by local avia-
tors to have been responsible for the
death Of. Lincoln Beachey. who. while
flying over tho Panama Pacific Ex-
position grounds yesterday. fell into
San Francisco Bay and was drowned.
Tho wings Of the aeroplane had
crumpled under tho pressure Of
banking" after an almost perpen-
dicular glide Of 1000 feet He was
strapped into the machine.
Yesterday was the first time
Beachey had made a public flight in
the new nonoplane. his previous
flights hero having been in q biplane.
over which he had perfect control.
Tho aviator was extremely grave -
he took his seat In the machine and.
according to his mechanisians. he
seemed TO have . premonition OF
trouble, but vas determined 10 please
the crowd Of $4,000.
Beachsy's aged mother. Mrs. Amy
Bcaohsy. who lives In this city. COL
lapsed when told Of her sons death.
and 10 under the case OF physicians.
HAD PRoMisEp NOT TO FALL
ON GxPoeiTioN CROWD.
Beachey made the statement sev-
erai days ago that II he should find
himself falling. he would head hh
machine out to sea, % az not to fAli
ON the Exposition crowd. He kept
his word. his fall into the bay being
about fifty yards from shore.
Tho body was found by . sailor on
the battieship Oregon. who made two
descents In . diving suit
Miss Ethel Shoemaker. Bsacheys
fiancse was not told Of his death
until to-day. She believed he had
been only injured.
Hillary Beachsy. . brother Of the
aviator, witnessed the tragedy from
the deck Of the Crook.
That Beachey was still alive when
he struck the water and had suffered
NO major injury ~ Q result Of the
tall, except . broken Leo. was the
opinion expressed BY Dr. David +.
Stafford. autopsy surgeon. who 81.
amined the body ut the morgus to-
day.
The face. said DR.. Stafford. disooi.
ored from choking and stsansiins. In
dicatsd that death was due u drown
Ing, and cuts ON the aviators hands
were taken to indicate that he had
made desperate efforts to release
himself from the mesh Of twisted
wires and rods in which he was en-.
tangled.
WAS TRYING THE "LAsr THING
IN FLYING"
The monoplans was . German
Taube which Beachey had chosen to
fly, instead Of his biplsns which he
had used, believing that with It he
could make a vertical night, the '1ast
thing In hying. II was . craft Of
small wing surface.
Beachey was not only the most dar-
Ing OF the American aviators. but was
considered by many In aeronautical
C1fCIoo u Iuo uhVDS oSAisko4 uySs - SusS
country becauss OF his feAts In the
air. In May. 1911, he dew over the
Capitol In Washington: the next
mont. no sailed over Niagara Falls.
and his racing In An aeroplane against
barney Oldfield In an automobile at
tracted attention all over the coun.
try. He was often called the show
man of the air because OF his ability
TO keep up string OF sensational
stunts.
he had many fans. but they did net
eeem TO unnerve him. In October
1918, he dew too close 10 q roof at
Hammondsport. N. T., ana swept four
persons OF who were watching him.
Miss Ruth Hiidrsth was killed,
Beachey was born In San Francis.
co in 1857, and made his 1rst fitght
at Oakland when he was only eight
cen years old. That was In a small
| dirigible balloon.
When he retired from the game. In
1918, he gave ~ q reason besides that
| Of having nothing more to learn. that
he felt partly responsdble for the deaths
| Of nine aviators who had tried to emu-
late him. He figured last winter that
moro than So.ooo.ooo persons had seen
him fiy.
Beachy, who was . California giri, q
little more than . year a9o.
i