The Washington times., 1922-04-16

~F course, It has happened as every.
body knew it would. A Florida
sightseeing flying boat has dumped
its passengers into the ocean and drowned
them every one.
The sightseeing hydro-aeroplane offers
more different varieties of death and mis-
cry than any other form of amusement"
yet devised. Last year seventy-fve were
killed in the United States in aeroplane
smashes, and how many more were injured
nobody will ever know.
So far in the new year thirty-nine have
been killed already in air flights. There
will probably be more tourist aeroplanes in
service at the various resorts this Summer
than last Summer, and the outlook for 1922
is better than the record of seventy.fve
deaths last year.
II any one of hundred things breaks
on a railroad train, the chances that the
passengers will escape injury are very
good If the train becomes stalled, nobody
browns or starves to death.
If an ocean steamship gets into trouble,
the passengers have a substantial, sea-
worthy vessel under them, with means for
sending out calls for help, and there are
provisions enough to last until help arrives.
II fire breaks out in a train wreck, the
passengers have a chance to escape. And
a fire aboard ship can be fought, and II
the worst happens there are ifeboats in
which the passengers can be taken care OF
until rescued.
III 80
has all the opportunities for death in
train wreck and a steamship disaster com.
bined, and few more besides.
The aeroplane is a fragile affair, and II
the engine stalls or something breaks,
down comes the machine wherever 1t hap
pens to be. If the hydro-aeroplane happens
to be flying over a city when 1t must
descend, there is no place for 1t to land
except to crash into a building or the
street. If the flying boat gets into trouble
while flying over the ocean, 1t may succeed
In making a landing in the water, but mis-
ery and death may await the passengers
unless by good luck the wreck OF the aero
nlane is seen by some passing vessel be
fore all have expired.
Early In January a propeller broke on
sight-seeing flying boat owned by the Aero
marine Company, which takes passengers
from Florida to the nearest British island,
Bimini, and to Havana and other places.
For seventy-two hours the passengers on
the Aeromarine Company's flying boat
were marooned on a small coral key In the
South Atlantic, while scores Of other aero
planes, Government boats and private
yachts secured the ocean surface and
island beaches, and nobody discovered
them. The pilot and mechanician patched
up an old boat found on the island and
padded twenty-five miles to Bimini and
another Of the Aeromarine Companys fly.
ing machines was sent to rescue the rest
OF the marooned passengers on the coral
key.
Good luck prevented a disaster. The
wooden blade of the propeller is said to
have snapped and nobody could predict
what might follow. In this instance no
lives we're lost, but II was narrow escape.
But when another tourist flying boat set
out few weeks ago on the same trip and
the propeller blade split, the FIVE passen-
gers went to their death after hours of
torture What had been predicted and ex.
pected had happened.
A passenger on a sightseeing flying boat
is usually made to sign a release from all
responsibility of the flying boat company.
He gives the name and address where
news of his death shall be sent, and In
some cases It is said that a medal with
number is hung around the neck OF each
passenger to serve to identity the body.
After the adventurous passengers sign
their release from responsibility they have
open to them all the possibilities Of being
burned to death II the engine backhres and
sets the gasoline tank afiame.
II the engine stalls and the pilot misses