The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-06-04
Fell 1900 Feet When the
Plane Failed Him
SKULL MAY Be BROKEN
Riding In the Rear Seat Saved
Life of Famous Mankato
Aviator

Earth, comfortable and secure. was
1900 feet below. The air, smooth and
clear, bore up the ship with an ex-
ultant hum and flying conditions were
ideal above Curtiss field at $50 p. m
yesterday, says The st. Paul Pioneer
Press.
Deliberately, Lyle Thro, Mankato
aviator, went into a tail spin. The
machine responded.
The earth rushed up and in mo-
ment he would come out" But the
elevators Quivered ominously and re.
fused to turn. The earth approached
with increasing velocity, he made
frantic efforts to right the machine,
bct the unsubmissive elevators still
quivered.
Engine Buried In Ground.
The engine, in the center of mass
Of wire and broken things that had
been beautiful airplane, plunged out
Of sight in the ground beside the
Hoyt nursery.
And today Thro is telling about il
to friends who come to Midway hos
his miraculous escape. His arm was
torn and bruised. His feet were in
iured slightly and physicians fear
that he may have suffered slight
conclusion of the brain. But he
moves on his bed acknowledging
only that he feels a little sore
OF course, anything may develop, but
DR.. P. H. Benuion, who attended him,
saw no reason 10 doubt his recovery.
Sensations" he said in response
to a question. Why. they were
plenty and thrilling. l remember a
sort of sick and gone feeling when
fhncA xrnt,l1nSf f,trn httf
had more important things to think
about than to take an account of the
sensations"
He began then a technical explana-
ton of reasons for the accident, but
the nurse restrained him firmly and
he was more submissive than the ele-
vators.
Saved BY Position.
Thro, about twenty four . rs old,
served as an aviator during the war
He is an Independent pilot and was in
st. Paul to direct the purchase of a
plane. Yesterday Afternoon he took
the air with his machine and flew
to Curtiss field. THO had been rid
ing in the back seat, a circumstance
which saved his life. The plane
struck at an angle, the engine crash
ing through the front seat and miss
ing the rear seat. The injured atia-
tor was on the way to the hospital in
a motor car a few seconds after the
accident. He regained consciousness
almost Immediately and began tell
ing at once of the elevators that had
failed.
Thro was the owner re a plane
that was wrecked in the windstorm
Saturday afternoon. The machine, en-
the ground at Arlington, Mimi. was
raised seventy five feet ento the air
and dropped.
Lieutenant Lyle Thro is the son of
Mr.. and Mrs. o. A. Thro of Mankato,
and considered one OF the best avia-
tors in the northwest His mother
was at st. Peter last evening when
the news was flashed there Of her
sons mi3hap. She Immediately left
for Minneapolis to be present with
her son. The father was at Madison,
Mimi, at the time and was immedi-
ately telegraphed to, and he also left
for his sons beside. This is Lieu
tenant Thro's first serious accident,
but is no fault Of Lieutenant Thro
who is expert in the manipulation OF
a plane. It is understood that the
control guys were not properly ad-
justed.
Lieutenant Thro's many friends in
this city are pleased to know that he
escaped with his life.