Evening star., 1924-10-05
ARMY FLYER KILLED.
IN PULITZER RACE.
Capt. SkeeI's Plane Collapses
in Tremendous Dive to
Get Fast Start.
BY FREDERICK II. NEELN,

STAN Correspondent OF The star
WILBUR WRIGHT FIELD, Fair
field, Ohio October 4-Disaster closed
the three day air meet at this field
this afternoon. The Pulitzer trophy
race for high-speed planes. with four
Army entrants. will long be remem-
bered by the thousands who gathered
here. AS they recall a tiny object
emerging from the clouds, see It
plunge downward at a greater speed
than ever witnessed before-truly
almost at lightning speed-and as
they see this object take the form
OF plane as it neared earth, and
further, as they see something
broken away from each side of this
fish shaped object and futter away,
to be followed instantly by a plunge
into the ground and shower of
dirt and smoke, they will be remind
ed of the death of Capt. Burt E.
Skeel, the Army's most ambitious
flyer.
The day had been long and tire
some and the monotony was broken
for a few minutes by the John l.
Mitchell trophy race of new Curtis
pursuit planes and the subsequent ar
rival of the world flyers from McCook
Field, II miles away, by airplane, and
under escort of the Barling bomber,
worlds largest airplane; Sperry
messenger, Army's smallest commits
stoned plane, and a formation of five
De Havilands from Chanute Field,
Rantoul. Ill. The far-famed and
uch-heralded Pulitzer trophy race
was delayed half an hour until the
crowds could yell themselves hoarse
for the world cirClers.
Planes Finally Take Air.
Without warning from the an
nouncer. who spoke through a micro
phone into amplifiers stretched all
over this large area, a little silver
colored plane shot up from the
ground. followed n few seconds later
by another one of the exact type.
The numbers IS and 60 were plainly
visible under the wings and on the
sides of the fuselage as the little
ships climbed over the crowds, telling
the spectators they were flown by
Capt. Skeel of Selfridge Field, Mich,
and Lieut.. Wendell H. Brookley of
McCook Field. Dayton, Ohio.
They headed for the clouds and
soon disappeared, and by this time
the vervilleSperry monoplane had
taken the air in command of Lieut..
H H Mills of this field. had folded its
wheels under the fusiage and was
headed for a point far in. the rear of
the starting line in order to get
good dash across the line. Lieut.. Rex
Soner of Langley Field, the first man
to attach his plane to dTfigible
while both were in flight, was the
last off the ground, and he flew a
Curtiss pursuit ship-the same type
used by Lieut.. r. L. Maughan in his
dawn -to-dusk transcontinental flight,
with few improvements.
SkeeI and Brookley, who will be re-
membered as the sky-writer at the
air show in Washington last Sep
tember, had planned to get a good
altitude and dive across the line,
using the speed generated in the dive
to increase their flying time. All
eyes fastened to the west, where 1T
was thought they would emerge from
the clouds, and in the meantime the
verville-Sperry, from an altitude of
about a thousand feet, dived across
the line and, roaring along like
huge bug, soon disappeared around
the course.
A few seconds later came the little
dot from under the clouds, and within
the blink of an eye Capt. Skeel was
buried IL feet under ground in the
wreckage Of his plane. But nobody
knew at the time which plane it was.
Out of the clouds also came another
plane, and as it flashed across the
starting line only those close to the
Judges stand caught sight of the
number. 'rWho is 1T, Skeel or Brook
ley?" the crowd demanded. For
heavens sake who is it?" went up the
cry from all quarters. The announcer
at the microphone was silent. Shortly
after Rex Stoner passed out of sight
on the course the markers on the
large score boards all along the miles
of grandstand, who were to chalk up
the miles per hour for each lap simuls
taneously, wrote after the name
"Skeel" the word "Out." Immediately
after the crash rescue party and