The Hope pioneer., 1922-09-14
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young officer was removed from the
Debris
Among other Ayers Of this country
who went through the war unharmed
and succumbed in peace-tims flights
are Hugh Gordon Campbell, Syracuse
university athlete and American ace,
who died when his airplane fell into
the ocean at Atlantic City; Capt.
Field E. Kindley, who was killed dur
Ing maneuvers at Kelly field. Texas
Kenneth Earle and Maxwell Blanch.
ard, killed at Palm Beach; Lieut.. Pat
Logan. who fell at Baltimore; Lieut..
James Murray Grier, formerly of the
famous Lafayette escadrille. and
Sergt. Joseph Peter SAKE. expert aerial
photographer with the A. E. f., both
Of whom were killed when their ma.
chine fell near Forest Hills during q
championship tennis match in 1920.
Then there was also George w. Pur-
year, who fought the Germans, was
captured by them, escaped, and fought
them again. He came back safe and
sound to America and died when his
airplane crashed down in q cotton ield
in California.
Aicock and Hawker Victims.
Several years ago the eyes Of the
whole world were directed at the bleak
eastern coast Of Newfoundland A
prize Of $4,000 had been offered to
the aviator who made the first non.
stop flight across the Atlantic ocean,
and dozen or so Britishers had gath.
cred there to make the attempt.
Among them was Captain Acock
later Sir John Acock. a famous ace
during the war, who piloted the first
English plane that bombed Constanti-
nople. Captain Alcock, with a navi-
gator, Arthur w. Brown, also knighted
later, hoped off in June, 1919, and
astonished the universe by flying from
Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland, in
16 hours and IL minutes.
1t was just six months later that
fate overlook this intrepid aviator.
While flying in France. merely taking
a seaplane to an exhibition at Rouen,
he miscalculated his distance from the
earth, in a fog, and was instantly
killed when his plane struck the
ground.
One Of Captain Alcock's rivals In
the transatlantic flights was an air
man who was equally we'll known
among aviators. This was Harry g.
Hawker. Hawker was the first to hop
of at Newfoundland, starting ON May
18 with Lieutenant Commander Mac
kenzie Grieve as navigator. In vain,
the next day, they waited for news of
him In England. Hawker and his com.
rade and their plane had disappeared.
People said that they had been
drowned In the ocean. But those who
knew the aviator said: "No; Harry
Hawker has got more lives than a cat.
II he hadn't, he would have been
killed long before this. He's the
luckiest airman that ever lived"
Sure enough, six days later q Danisl,
steamer the Mary, came rolling into
port with Hawker and Grieve on
board. She had picked them up $50
miles off the coast Of Ireland, floating
along hanging to their frail craft
Hawker's luck still held.
A year later, July Fl, Hawker went
aloft near the Hendon airdome, in Eng
land, to test plane for the aerial
derby. He was flying probably 1000
feet up in the air when those who wer.
watching saw the plane suddenly ca.
reen and come plunging to the earth
Hawker died in the arms Of the doctor
who had been hastily summoned. A
coroner's jury found the accident had
been due to q sudden stroke Of paral
ysis which the airman had suffered
His physician testified that Hawksl
had long been a victim of tubsrculosif
Of the spine, and had been warned
against flying.
Sir Ross Smiths Death.
During the year that Captain Alcock
and Hawker were busy with their Of
forts to fly across the Atlantic, another
British aviator sprang into promi
nence by plotting a plane from Eng
land to Australia. 1t was Ross Smith,
later Sir Ross Smith, who had a gal
liant record for daring during the war
A few months ago. Sir Ross and his
brother, Sir Keith Smith, were get
ting ready to fly around the world
They had completed their planes and
the feat seemed almost accomplished
Early one morning Sir Ross arrived al
Brooklands where his machine was
His brother was not at the field, and
he went up with Lieutenant Bennett,
a friend Of his. At height Of 5000
| feet above the ground the airman be
gan q series Of evolutions that he had
gone through hundred times in order
to test thoroughly every strut ana guy
in his plane. Those watching were In
terested, but not alarmed, and when
they saw the huge plane diving
straight for the earth they only con-
sidered it a special sort Of trial. Sir
Ross was killed instantly and Lieuten.
ant Bennett lived but few moments
after being put into an ambulance.
And 80 the list continues. There
was Capt. A. @. Resnati, the Italian