The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1922-04-21
AMERICANS Die IN
FRENCH AIR CRASH
Christopher Bruce Yule and Wife
Killed in Collision on London
Paris AirpIane Route.
WERE ON THEIR HONEYMOON
French and British Planes in Collision
In Foa-Six Persons Are
Dead and One Fatally
Injured.

Paris.-The Goliath airplane belong
ing to the French Compagnie des
Grands Express Aeriens, which left the
Paris airdrome at LIE Bourget for Lon
don, carrying three passengers, a pilot
and a mechanic, collided with an Eng
lish airplane coming from London
carrying mails, but no passengers. All
but one person on board both machines
were killed.
The catastrophe took place in a fog
near Grandvilliers in the Disc Depart,
ment. The machines burst into flames
in the air.
Two of the passengers killed were
Americans, Mr.. and Mrs. Christopher
Bruce Yule of New York.
Paris was shocked by the accident,
which occurred in the Paris-London
air line, of which only a short version
reached the boulevards, too late to
appear in the evening papers, SO that
it was chiefly by word Of mouth that
the news spread during the dinner
hour in the restaurants and cafes.
That two airplanes flying in opposite
directions on the regular route be-
tween two cities should by series of
tragic condolences collide in the air
seemed hardly credible to most peo-
pie. 1t is the first accident of the kind
which has happened, and, despite the
profound impression created by 1t, the
chances of its recurrence seem so in
finitely small that it is not likely to
affect civilian flying on a route which
daily safely transports many passen-
gers and mails.
The point at which the French and
English machines collided was Thleul-
loy-St. Antoine, near Grandvilliers,
twenty seven kilometers north of Beau
vais.
According to the statement Of the
French Compagnie des Grands Express
Aeriens, the French machine was of
the Goliath type, built to carry twelve
passengers besides the pilot and me-
chanic. Only three passengers were
aboard, of whom one was French, the
two others being Americans-Mr. and
Mrs. Christopher Bruce Yule of New
York.
The English airplane belonged to the
Daimler Company, which opened new
service between Paris and London only
four days ago.
The French pilot. who knew the
route thoroughly, was flying the cor
rect course, Keeping we'll to the right,
but it is supposed that the English
pilot, less familiar with the course, got
lost in the fog and flew too far to his
left, Eyewitnesses give the following
version of the catastrophe:
1t was about LIS p. m, when the
drone of the big machine was heard by
the villagers, who daily see many air.
planes flying toward London. A thick
fog covered the whole landscape, ac-
companied by steady drizzle of rain.
Suddenly huge machine appeared
as if coming out from behind curtain
at height of about $50 meters, pro-
ceeding in the direction of London.
1t was the Goliath. Hardly had 1t ap-
pedreO Wneu SilidlleT udCHluc Stiot
forth from behind the fog screen, fly
ing toward Paris. Those watching had
not time to think before sinister
crash resounded through the air, and
the next thing they saw were masses
of debris-broken wood and bent metal
-hurtling to the ground. The two
airplanes had telescoped each other,
and after staggering blindly for few
short seconds crashed burning to the
earth.
One wing of the Goliath, completely
torn off, was hurled to the roof of a
nearby building, smashing the top COM
pletely, while the rest Of the machine
fell in a field. The smaller machine
fell near it, making hole meter and
a half deep.
Mr.. and Mrs. Yule had been traxeI-
ing in France and intended to return
home via London, proceeding thither
by rail and. boat. They had already
bought their tickets, but decided at the
last moment to fly to London Instead.