Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-08-25
AIRPLANE MEET
HAS TRAGIC END
Three Passengers Lose Lives
When Curtiss Oriole Burns
Were Miss Evelyn Harris and Joseph
Trahan and Son Crowd of About
1900 Secs Disastcr--Inmest Held.


Trahan and Son Crowd of About
5000 Sees Disastcr--Inquest Held.
An appalling tragedy of q magnitude
unknown in Brattleboro for many years
and which resulted in the cessation of
aerial activities at what had been up to
that time one of the most successful
aviation meets in New England, occurred
Friday afternoon at APO, when one of
the huge Curtiss Orioles driven by Pilot
G. III. c'Jerr") Hughes of Garden City,
j.. l., and carrying as passengers Miss
Evelyn Harris, sister of Fred II. Harris.
president of the Outing club, Joseph
Trahan. proprietor Of the Brooks House
| barber shop, and his son, Norman. aged
D. crashed to the ground after striking
n tree and the high tension electric wires
running along the bank of the West
| River railroad md instantly burst into
| fame burning Mr.. 1'rahan and his son
| to crisp and burning Miss Harris so
severely that she died at Memorial hos
pital about 10 Saturday morning.
The magnitude of the calamity threw
n heavy pail of grief and sorrow over the
community and over the county and state.
| The Suddcnness of the disaster, occurring
as il did in the midst of n successful avia-
| ton event, was for moment hardly com
pretended by the nearly 1900 persons
who had gathered on the Retreat mead
ows. At first n great lull fell over the
| throng that had witnessed the sudden
fall of the plane, and then the crowd,
! panic-strcken surged over the wide field
toward the scene of the disaster, only to
be stopped by West river, which inter-
vcncd.
The tragedy happened shortly after it
| was announced that acrobatic stunts
would be performed. Three of the planes
were in the air at the time, two were at
rest on the field, the Inflated Oriole hay
AL a..1 AlA In
plane. the big army De Haviland having
| already left at 1926 with Major e. 3.
Lyon as pilot for it's return flight to
birmingham. Mass.
Starts on Fatal Flight.
All during the afternoon, the various
planes, after finishing their part in the
various events, had been giving passen-
ger flights, some of the planes carrying
passengers while taking part in the con-
tests. The fatal plane under the direc-
ton of Pilot Hughes left the field on
its last trip at exactly 4.19 with its
three passengers. Five minutes later, the
| great ship was q mass of twisted iron
/ and ashes.
All eyes were turned toward the Oriole
e as it left the field and it was noted by
D many of the spectators that this was the
ri first and only plane that attempted to
f take off at the northern end of the field.
L,
4 see the meet completed was heard to re-
o mark, THAT isn't good direction to
/ 60"
The plane was seen to be laborng with
e difficulty M it attempted to attain its
altitude under its load, but a gradual rise
I was effected although not sufficient to
\ quiet the doubts in the minds of the spec
tators as to whether the plane would
\ clear the trees north of the field
n When the great yellow ship had risen to
a u height of about so feet, its right wing
came in contact with a tall elm tree and
n the suddenness of the impact caused re-
Y tardatiOn in its speed and also served to
t turn the course of the plane at a right
4 angle to the course that it bad pursued in
( leaving the field.
n 1t was evident that Pilot Hughes en-
deayored to right his plane and affect a
r West River railroad, but the high ten
< sion wires were in his way and big
n fash of light informed the great crowd
n | of spectators that his plane had caused a
short circuit in the wires which ig-
r nited his plane as it crashed down
were seen bursting from the wreckage
O caused by the gasoline which had ex-
e ploded
n Pilot Hughes Jumps Clear.
# Pilot Hughes jumped clear of the
: machine but sustained a severe accident
: to his nose which later required the TAX
a ing of several stitches at the Memorial
# hospital. Unmindful of his own injuries
If he rushed to the passenger cockpit and
,f endeavored to remove the passengers
h. who received the full blast of the flames
n lie succeeded in assisting Miss Harris
ri from her perilous position, but only after
~ size had been fearfuly burned about the
= face, hands and body, and after he him
I self had nearly been shocked to death
- by the electric current. Further attempts
. to assist the other two passengers were
IL impossible because of the rapidity of the
4 spread of the flames and their intensity
: A frantic attempt to render assistance
~ 10 the doomed passengers was made by
IN Lieut.. Casey jones' pilot of sister
AZ Oriole who swan West river with the
o. hope of attaining the northern bank in
W time TO be of assistance. The occurrence
IL of the accident in the isolated section
70 along the railroad made immediate succol
rs practically impossible, especially because
Of the intervening river. 1t took seyera
Is minutes for aid to reach the spot by way
r. of Linden street down to the common ant
10 up North Main street to the three bridge
80 and then over the rough road across thu
10 field bordering the tracks In a shor
nd space of time a large number of auto
ri mobiles were on the spot. among then
ne Icing the limousine driven by Gov. james
10 Hardness, who had been an interested
at spectator all day at the meet. Governor
ne Ilartness, was greatly shocked and dis
e. turbcd and felt the enormity of the trag
a edy very keenly.
ID Shortly after the Oriole crashed to tn,
ic ground Lieut.. John j, Wood, pilot o
It The Buffalo" the seventh and las
e. plane to arrive on the field at 3.15 Fri
day afternoon, circlcd over the fiel'
&, and shouted that everything was al
ID right" Charles F. Mann, who was an
$. nouncing the events on the field to thu
I'd assembled crowd, passed on the message
Id to the throng of spectators. who settle,
W back in their places relieved in the belle
e. that nothing serious had happened
C. When news of the disaster filtcre,
ne through the crowd, everyone felt the blow
X all the more severely.
&c A distressing incident connected witt
u the catastrophe was that the burning o
n the plane was witnessed by Fred ii. Har
e. ris, who was a passenger in one of tn
three planes in the air at the time, an'
from his heighth of $500 feet thought i
was bonfire. When he alighted on tn,
h, field and realized what had happened h,