The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-08-19
TRIPLE AIRPLANE TRAGEDY.
Continued from Page u

time TO be OF assistance. Inc occurrence
of the accident in the isolated section
along the railroad made immediate succor
practically impossible. especially because
of the Intervening river. 1T took several I
minutes for aid to reach the spot by way
Of Linden street down to the common and
un North Main street to the three bridges
and then over the rough road across the
field bordering the tracks In sort
space of time n large number OF auto
mobiles We're on the spot. among them
being the limousine driven By Gov. james
Harness who Had been an interested
spectator al day at the meet Governor
HARNESS. was greatly shocked and dis
turbed and felt the enormity Of the trag-
edy very keenly.
Shortly after the Oriole crashed to the
ground Lieut. John i. Wood, pilot ~
''The Buffalo the seventh and last
plane to arrive on the field at bio yes
terday afternoon, circied over the field
and shouted that everything was all
right" Charles F. Mann. who was an
nouncing the events on the field to the
assembled crowd, passed on the message
to the throng of spectators. who settled
back III their places relieved in the belief
that nothing serious had happened
When news of the disaster filtered
through the crowd everyone felt the blow
all the more severely.
4 distressing incident connected with
the catastrophe was that the burning OF
the plane was witnessed by Fred III. iar
riS who was u passenger in one OF the
three planes in the air ut the time, ana
from his heighth of 900 feet thought 1t
was q bonfire When he alighted on the
field and realized what had happened. he
made all haste to the scene Of the tragedy
and worked like a demon trying to put
out tie flames
Miss Harris Taken TO Hospital.
Miss Harris and Pilot Hughes were
taken TO the Memorial hospital where
pilot Hughes's injuries were dressed. and
in short time lie was able to leave for
the Brooks House, where he had made
his Headquarters.
Pilot Hughes was completely unnerved
after he had been taken to the Brooks
House last evening. and his mental con-
ditiOn was such as to prevent the obtain
ment OF a clear and accurate account
as to how the tragedy actually occurred.
As nearly as can be learned and with the
additional information secured from Pilot
Casey JONES' Hughes decided to take OFF
the field from the northern end ON this
particular flight because he had had diff
Guilty in taking off from the southern end
in several previous flights. Spectators
viii recall that on the taSe-oH Just previ-
Gus to the ill-fated fight, Hughes'S Oriole
made q leap in the air as it struck the
bump i'm the center of the field when
landing from a previous flight. going to
ward the south. This particular expert
ence caused Hughes to make the next
take-off in a nOrtherly direction
Hughes and the other pilots were IN
accord with the statement that consider
able dead air hung over the northern
end of the field and the meadows north
Of the West river 1t was this dead air
or air pocket that prevented the Inflated
OriOle from attaining the altitude that
Hughes expected to attain. Nhlle the
pilot was attempting to gain altitude,
the ulanp crashed hardly with any warn
ing into the elm tree, deadening the mo-
mentum Of the ship and causing II 10
drop among the wires which carry 10000
volts of electric current. The impact
with the heavily charged wires not only
set fire to the plane but charged the wires
of the plane which hold the wings firmly
together. 1t was these charged wires
that gave Hughes his shock when he at,
tempted to assist the passengers. Had
he stumbled into the actual live wires ne
would have been instantly electrocuted.
The plane fell directly on its nose with
its tail sticking high into the air and
as soon as the fans reached the body
of the ship it became chimney OF seeth-
ing fire. Hughes succeeded in jumping
from the ship only after he had bumped
on the windshield, which gashed the right
side of bis II Sc.
Miss Harris Throws Herself Out.
The position of the plane prevented
immediate access to the passengers
buried in the burning wreckage They
could not be reached from the rear OF
the machine on account of the shape OF
fusilage or framework of the plane; ac-
cess TO the cockpit was between the wings
through the heavily charged and twisted
wires. Hughes saw Miss Harris throw
herself out. and after managing to reach
her he pulled her away from the burning
wreckage and with his bare hands put
out tie flames which were burning hel
clothes. When he attempted to reach
Mr.. Trahan and his son. Norman, the
flames were SO intense that he was I'M
able to reach them. 49,
Pilot Hughes is Of the opinion, thai
Mr.. Trahan and his son were stunned
BY the sudden impact of the plane WITH
the EARTH Lieut.. Casey said this morn
ing that in every fatality connected Wltl
n burning plane. 1t Is always preceded
bv intense shrieking on the part OF thu
person succumbing to the flames. In thu
tragedy Yesterday not q sound eman
ated from the persons In the Wreckage
which seems to eorroborate the behe
that Mr.. Trahan and his son Wef'
stunned perhaps into unconSclouSneSS
and probably never knew that they were
being burned The pole fell across Mr.
Traban and his boy. The latter was SIT
ting In his fathers lap.
The work of rescue was hampered FUR
Their by one OF the poleS, carrying. III
electric wires falling over the fuSllag
directly on 10 the cockpit where tn
passengers were imprisoned The pole
which also caught fire, was removed
with ropes that were secured from
truck driven by Frank Holland, who wa
one of the first persons to reach the spot
George Il. Stanley. Carl Herrick ant
man named Weasel who were watch
ING the meet from q motorboat on tn
West river, saw the plane rs it went t.
its doom and they immediatelv hurrie'
to the spot but were too late to reseu
Mir Traban and his son. Their bodie
at that time had been burned beyont
recognition Miss Harris already ha
been rescued. They secured a rope iron
Mr.. Hollands truck and succeeded 4
pulling the burning pole from its posi-
ton