New-York tribune., 1921-05-09
Hundreds at Mitchell Field
Fall Flat as Disabled
Craft Skins Over Them
Before Hitting Crsund
Aviator Escapes
AS Wreck Burns
Triple Parachute Leap
From Great Height and
Races Thrill at Tourney

mitchell FIELD, l.. l., May g.
Fifteen thousands spectators at the
aero tournament held here to-day had
the thrill of their lives. when Major
Henry w. Abbey. commander of Mitchell
Field. in big S. e. biplane missed
the heads of thousands by inches and
crashed into the middle of the field
on one wing. crushing the plane like
8 paper box.
Force Of the impact sent the engines
through the machines fragile struc-
ture and ruptured both gas containers,
the plane catching fire Immediately
Major Abbey. who had been thrown
clear of the wreck. stood up. staggered
and fell. 1t was thought he had been
badly hurt and Mrs. Abbey, who stood
less than 100 feet from the burning
plane. rushed toward her husband. but
he arose and walked to meet her, quite
uninjured.
Major Abbey found "knock" in his
engine when he was driving it in the
forty-five mile race. He made an ascent
afterward to find out what the trouble
was. When not more than fifty feet
frJm the ground he found the plane
beyond control and fighting his levers
ii an effort to recover it, drove above
the heads of the crowd so closely that
hundreds lay down to escape possible
decapitation. When the plane struck
it turned ,over and dug its nose into
the ground. Major Abbey was thrown
clear on the first roll
Many Exciting Stunts
One of the most exciting stunt pro-
grams ever seen at the aviation field
was staged to-day. There were para
chute jumps from great heights. aero
batic flying. half a dozen narrow es-
capes from death by the parachute
men and a succession Of close calls on
turns in the long race.
The program was opened with for
nation parade in which Captain Harry
N. Smith, Lieutenants e. H. Barksdale,
Victor G. Beau, A. e. Siminon and H. w.
Morris demonstrated the formations
used in France by American fiers dur
ing the war.
Following the formation parade the
crowd was brought to it's toes when
Sergeant Jean Riviere dropped $4,000
feet from q speeding plane and was
carried nearly half mile by his para
chute in making landing. After
landing Sergeant Riviere was dragged
several hundred yards. Lieutenants
Fonda B: johnson piloted the machine
from which the leap was made.
Roulette Wins 45-Mile Race
The forty-five mile race, the next
number on the program, kept the
crowd thrilled from start to finish.
Major Abbey, Lieutenant Roulette and
Lieutenant Siminon piloted their
machines at dizzy rate of speed. fly
ing low and taking the turns in an
almost perpend: :cular position. For
the first thirty miles less than 100 feet
separated them at any time, but after
that distance Lieutenant Roulette with
his big De Haviland q drew away and
won by more than mile. Major Abbey
finished second. The race was run
within full sight of the spectators at
all times, and on various occasions the
f1iers were SO low that hangers hid
them from sight at intervals.
Lieutenant Barksdale then performed
stunts with his baby De Haviland f.
loops, tail spins, side slips, glides and
nose dives.
Then came the triple parachute jump.
Two machines carrying the parachute
jumpers, L. V. Beau, E. E. johnson
and P. A. Jones, took off at the same
time. Jones and Johnson rode on the
wings of one plane while Beau oc-
cupied the cockpit of the second. After
the planes reached an altitude of $500
feet all three jumpers leaped at the
same time. Johnson, after landing, was
dragged for several hundred feet when
an air current caught his parachute.
and suffered a dislocated shoulder. The
other two jumpers landed safely.