White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-24
ELY AVIATOR BURNED To DEATH
IN WRECK OF NEW AEROPLANE


Frost near Elko Sunday afternoon
as the result of an airplane accident
was profound shock to the citizens
OF the Ely district, where the de-
ceased was former resident. No
young man has ever gone from Ely
with brighter prospects fer success
in life, and there has been a general
expression of sorrow and sympathy
for the bereaved family. who until
recently were residents of Ely and
McGill
The accident which resulted in the
death of young Frost also snuffed out
the life OF ex-senator William A.
keddie, Fallon rancher, by whom
Frost was employed as a pilot The
airship was a new one and was the
object of unusual interest because Of
the fact that Ii was the first plane to
he entirely assembled in Nevada. 1t
was named Miss Nevada" and had
been appropriately christened and
given several trial flights before the
fatal one Of Sunday afternoon. On
the flight at the Elko landing field
following the christening the plane
was piloted by Superintendent 4. M.
Barber of the Elko field. accompanied
by Mr. Keddie. Sunday Jack Frost
the coroner's inquest held at Elko,
Messrs. Keddie and Frost left the
field about $50 Sunday afternoon,
expecting to fly to the Hollan ranch
According to the Elko Free Press
the plane fell to earth from a height
of about 300 feet. bursting into
flames and burning both occupants in
horrible manner The exact cause
of the accident will never be de-
termined. says the Free Press. There
were no fiiers of the air mail service
on the field at the time. so an expert
account cannot be obtained. Super
intendent Barber hastened to the
scene as soon as he heard of the
tragedy and from reports of eye-wit-
nesses he says that Frost must have
lost control of the plane when turn
ing into the wind. which might hap
pen with either too steep or too fiat
"a turn The machine was the one
which Barber had just completed and
was owned by himself and Mr.. Ked-
die According to Mr.. Barber. who
few the plane for half an hour Sat
urday afternoon. 1t was in perfect
mechanical condition. The weather
at the time of the accident was fair.
but at the inquest was described as
with an irregular wind varying In
direction At the inquest T. ]. Git
tings, travelling salesman who saw
the bodies after the crash, said In his
Testimony:
Both men were lying practically
On their backs with both hands in the
air like they had been holding on
waiting for the crash | think that
they were both killed Immediately
IL
probably five minutes after the ma
chine struck before | arrived. and
| both men were burned to a crisp be-
yond recognition.
/ The verdict of the coroners jury
in both cases was death on the 18th
J day of July, A. ID. 1921, by the acci-
/ dental falling of an aeroplane."
John Austin Frost. affectionately
known as Jack. was born in Helena.
Mont. May IL. 1898. and came to
Ely with his parents when ne was
= years old. He attended the local
public schools and graduated with
high honors from the White Pine
county high school with the class OF
| 16. He won the state university
scholarship and entered the Univer-
sity of Nevada at Reno in the fall of
| 1916 and was soon accepted as one
of the most popular men on the cam
pus. He was a member of the Phi
Sigma Kappa fraternity. He was
president of his class in his third
year in college and editor-elect of the
"Artemisia, the university year
hook. He was also for several Sc
Inesters or the staff of the Sage
brush. the school publication
He was member of the track and
basketball squads of the university
for several seasons and had an ex-
cellent reputation as an athlete
among his fellow students
Three months after the outbreak
of the great war young Frost enlist
cd in the air service of the army
He soon came TO be considered one
of the best pilots in the service, being
member Of a pursuit squadron. He
few in San Diego, Cal, Dallas. Texas,
and Hoboken. n. j. He was at Ho-
boken and ready to embark for Eu-
| rope when the armistice was signed
While in the army he had six acci-
dents while flying. but on no occa-
sion did he receive serious injuries
He was discharged from the service
with the rank of second lieutenant.
After being discharged from the
army he returned to the university
for one semester. He then left and
went TO Texas, but later returned and
was enrolled again last semester. At
the end of the school year in May he
| became pilot for ex-senator Kiddie
During the major part of The young
mans life and career his parents re-
sided in Ely and McGill. his mother
and two brothers, Harry and Daniel,
having left the latter place about
three weeks ago for Santa Cruz. Cal,
where the father, Austin ]. Frost
has located since being let cut at
McGill following the shutdown of the
Nevada Consolidated Copper Com.
pany. Another son. Forrest. who
graduated from the White Pine coun-
ty high school with the class of 10.
Is a student at the Nevada University
and was at Reno when he learned OF
his brothers terrible death. Forrest
Frost. in company with Charles Boyd,
also from Ely but at present living In
Reno. a graduate from the high