The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-18
new WAR HERO AND
US. WRITER KILLED
WarncfOrd. Who Wrecked
Zeppelin. and II. Beach Need
ham Dashed to Death.
ACCIDENT IS A MYSTERY
Aviator Had Complained Of III
ness on Leaving Paris Hotel
for AcrOdrOme.
Special Cabie Despatch TO Tnx sr>

special fnOfe DcSp1fCN 10 IHk Sun
PARIS. June I7.--Lieut. Reginald A. J.
Warneford. the young Canadian aviator
who recently won the Victoria Cross and
the Legion of Honor for destroying
Zeppelin In mdair. lost control OF
new aeroplane he was testing at Buc
Acrodrome. near Paris. this afternoon
and the machine tumbled TO earth from
a great height Lieut. warneford was
killed instantly
Henry Beach Needham, the American
writer. in Europe to get impressions OF
the war, was a passenger with Warne-
ford. lie too was killed.
The exact cause OF the accident is
unknown and will remain so, as the
acroplanc and its engine are mass
OF tangled wreckage. Blu, the cause
may be found in part. at least. by the
fact that Lieut. Warneford remarked
to friends on leaving the Hotel Ritz
for Buc this morning that he felt sick
and dizzy and would not ay. although
he had been asked to experiment with
some new machines.
BY the time Warncford reached the
aviation grounds, however, he had re-
covered his usual buoyancy of health
and Immediately set about to ascend
in one OF the aeroplanes to be tested.
He took the machine up alone. put IL
through some OF the customary man
puvres. and alighted without mishap.
Then he got into the second machine.
which was of the same type as the first.
and taking Needhsm as a passenger
scared into the air. There were few
spectators on the grounds and some
officers and men connected with the
aerial corps. The aeroplane glided from
earth with no hint OF anything wrong
and the young lieutenant and his Amer
ican passenger had soon become but
speck In the sky.
No Hint of Trouble.
II was n perfect day for testing work.
The sky was clear there was no wind
There is no telling the exact height the
aeropiane had attained when the mishap.
whatever II was. occurred. But IL was
so high that nothing out OF the ordi-
nary could be detected by the specta-
tors on the ground until the machine
came plunging downward
Lieut. Reginald A. j Warneford
Joined the British Flying Corps in
Great Britain only a few months ago
Prior to that time he had never OPP
Grated an aeroplane. He proved so
adaptable. however. that he soon re-
,eived a military license and was sent
to northern France.
on June at 3 o'clock in the morn
ing. while reconnoitring near Ghent
in Belgium. he sighted "A Zeppelin air
ship and Immediately went into battle
with it. BY flying above the Zeppelin
he was able to drop bombs on II. one
of these struck 1t squarely in the centre
The resultant explosion tore the gas bag
to pieces and the airship with its crew
of twenty eight officers and men fell
to the ground from "A great height The
conclusion from the explosion was so
great that IL turned Warnefords aero
plane completely over. He was able
however, to regain control and to make
n safe landing behind the British lines
Two days later King George bestowed
the Victoria Cross on the young aviator
in recognition OF his distinguished gall
lantry. ON the following day Lieut.
Warneford was decorated with the
Legion OF Honor.
Cheered In Paris Restaurant.
on Tuesday of this week he was rec
ognized in the Ambassadeurs restau-
rant In the Avenue des Champs Elysees
and was wildly cheered as the hero OF
the hour by n throng OF enthusiastic
diners party of Americans sent him
"A note Of congratulation. An elderly
Frenchman rose and remarked that all
France owed him deep gratitude for the
performance OF the most remarkable
feat since the beginning OF the war
Lieut.. Warneford was not Canadian
but an Enclishman born in India. ac-
cording to j. hn ). Thomson, the writer
who in letter written when Warue-
ford's exploit was made known. says the
aviator was born In Czech Bchar in
1892. He went to England in 1913 Re
fore the war Lieut. Warneford was en-
ployed Cn British-lndian steamers in the
orient.
Henry Beach Needham was widely
known through his work for McCIurc's
Magazine. Golfers and the Saturdau
EueninO Post. much of which prior TO
the present war had been OF a political
and economic character. He had spent
most of his time abroad for the past
four or five years, living by turns in
Paris and in London. and was in Paris
working on series of studies OF life
In the Latin Quarter when the war
began.
with the beginning OF the war Mr.
Needham was engaged by Golfers as
war correspondent. lie visited the front.
but because OF the strict regulations was
unable 10 see as much Of the actual
lighting as he had hoped went TO Eng
land for n time and described conditions
there with regard to recruiting and the
other problems presented by the war
While in England he interviewed Pre-