The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-07-10
TWO were KILLED BY
A|RPLANE THE Fourth

Mrs. Chas. J. Fisk Met Instant Death
and Little Ruth Stahl Died Two
Hours Later When Lieut.: Jacob
sons Plane Crashed Into
Crowd.
The great homecoming celebration
for soldiers and sailors was marred by
one Of the most horrible accidents in
the history of our city on the after
noon of the Fourth, when the Curtis
airplane, driven by Lieut.. Chester ia
cobson, crashed into the immense
crowd which had gathered at the hang
ar q mile west Of the city, causing. the
instant death Of Mrs. Chas. J. FNk.
wife of the former Judge of the North
Dakota supreme court, and injuring
Miss Ruth Estella Stahl, daughter Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Harry Stahl, SO badly
that she died in a local hospital at 4
o'clock, two hours after the accident
occurred.
T. F. Denker, a farmer residing z
miles west of Garrison, was severely
injured, one of the wires of the plane
evidently striking him, cutting cash
eight inches long on the forehead and
Side of the face. 1t was reported that
he, too, had died, but he is recovering
nicely and will be out Of the hospital
in day or two.
Mr.. jacobson had just concluded his
fifth fight during the two days cele-
bration, which all regarded as the very
best he had yet given and an immense
crowd gathered in the vicinity Of the
hangar, anxious. to see him alight.
When he left the grounds to make the
flight, he warned the crowd to remain
back Of the line extending west from
the south side of the hangar to give
him free field in which to land. Full
ly thousand autos had gone to the
field and those left in charge of the
hangar tried in vain to keep the crowd
back. AS the aviator came near the
landing place, he sw0oped down but
saw that there. were too many people
in The way. so made a circle of the
field. He thot he had picked land
ing place but as he shut off his en-
gine and started down, he saw q crowd
Of perhaps q couple hundred men rush
ont into the space to meet him. His
lnachine by that time was quite near
the ground. He realixed thstg il he
plowed into the crowd there might be
terrible toll Of human lives, 90 he
took q desperate chance Of trying TO
get his plane up over the crowd. He
opened his engine ana started ahead
Mying to raise the machine up over
the automobiles, but the lower part of
the wheels of the plane struck the
wind shield of C. II. Parker's Mercer
car, tearing the top off and the ma
chine nosed to the ground. The ma
chine struck the Fisk car. tearing off
the top and struck the Denker Ford
car squarely, wrecking the machine.
Denker was standing close to his ma
chine and it is believed that he was
struck by one Of the wires Of the plane.
Mrs. Fisk was standing at the rear
Of the Fisk machine. Her husband
stood at the side and near the car her
daughters, the Misses Doris and Helen
Fisk, and Geo. E. Walker, all members
Of the party, were standing. It all
happened 50 quickly that no one knows
just how Mrs. Fisk met her death,
but it is believed that she was struck
by the propeller of the airplane. She
was injured about the head and death
was instantaneous. Other members
of the Fisk party escaped injury.
Little Ruth Estella Stahl, daughter
Of Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Stahl, was
standing beside her mother when she
was struck. 1t is believed that she,
too, was struck by the propeller. Mrs.
SSahl says that she remembers she
was holding to her daughter and that
some force pulled the little girl out of
her arms. Ruth's arm was broken in
two places and she was injured so bad
" about the head and neck that she
died two hours later at the hospital,
where she was taken. She never re-
gained consciousness. Mrs. Stahl was
not injured.
Mr.. jacobson was not injured, altho
he was horribly shocked over the af-
fair. His machine was quite serious
" wrecked. The propeller was brok-
en-, one wing was totally destroyed and
tte under carriage was damaged. The
damage to the machine amounted to
fully $500. The machine was placed
in the hangar. All afternoon curious
crowds visited the field to view the
wreckage.
Mr.. jacobson was held blameless for
the terrible accident by the hundreds
who witnessed it. 1t was one Of those
occurrences which appear to have
been inevitable.
John Hills, a Roseglen farmer, was
in his Ford when the accident hap
pened Himself and family had q
very narrow escape for one Of the
wings struck the top Of the car, wreck
ing it.
Martin jacobson, father Of the avi-
ator, was on the ground when the
Srash came. he had just gone into the
hangar to don some flying clothes, as
arrangements had been made to give
him his first flight, just as soon as his
nm had finished the afternoons exhi-
bition. u
Minot Grange Organized.
One Of the biggest charter organiza-
tions Of the Grange Of this state was
effected for Minot Wednesday even
mg in this city, there being 81 char-
ter members. most Of whom are farm
ers.
Mr.. q. "A. johnson. who lives 8