Evening star., 1927-11-17
Capt. Cray's Sacrifice of Life
In Flying Test Press Topic

Heroic to some, costly but unim
| portant to others, the achievement oi
| Capt. Hawthorne c. Gray, Army aero
| naut, who gave his life while making
an altitude record of $4,000 feet in a
| balloon, arOuseS much general inter
est. That 1t was sensational feat is
generally admitted. The romance In
his experience. preserved in his log
of the flight, Is referred to by some
observers.
"The indomtable quality all men
respect is in Capt. Gray's pursuit OF
the worlds altitude record" says the
Detroit News, with the added com
ment that 1T is not the story of an
adventurer, nor does commercialism
enter. He sought name for achieve.
ment-within the Army. The glory
| would be the Army's first, his second
He had already a great fame as an ex.
plorer, in balloons, of the rarefied
Businesses surrounding the earth.
The News concludes: 'Deplorable,
splendid. inspiring. it is one of those
soldier casualties in time of peace
worthy of d distinguished service
medal"
capt. Gray is another martyr to
science" in the opinion of the Water
.The mere rising to miles in the air
was no particular contribution. The
observations as to air pressure and
weather conditions at that height are
OF iuestimable value. capt. Gray was
exploring an unknown field This
opinion is shared by the Altoona Mir
rOr. which says: fortunately. the
world has always contained its due
proportion of adventurous spirits VINO
are impelled by the ambition within
them to adventure everything in the
hope of enlarging the worlds knowi-
edge. They are not reckless; they
know they are taking risks, but nope
leads them on. 1T is not an oi
life to live here on the solid earth. AT
the last, the real essence of life IS
found beyond the skies.
$50 brave man died" in the words
of the New Orleans Item, "a pioneer
in the uncharted upper regions. \
poet, and not an editor, should write
his epitaph. While that paper Is unable
to determine what the world gains
by his achievement. 1t Is impeleo
To believe that his lonely death in
those attitudes. in the silence and
the cold. between earth and heaven,
Is a subject for a painter, poet or n
dramatist."
.It is of such stuff" according to
the Springfield Illinois State Journal.
that the inquiring. pioneering milu
is made. lie must he accounted
hero who gave his life to uniose from
reluctant Nature some of her secrets.
We do not attempt To say that ms
exploration. even it successful, would
have added little of practical value
to our stores. 1t seems that way 70
us, but, perhaps. what he was trying
TO discover would lie valuable either
now or some. time later"
In the iudgmerk ch indianapolis
Star. mo no, a AAs ,.onfAa> sd a more
gripping tale than the brieS ~ # the
Inflated flight. Floating high above the
clouds. the pilot recurjod hAsAAa and
temperature, hint OF his own Se.
actions and an account Of tho fkoss
programs which were broadcast into
the ether to his little receiving set
drifting through the blue void. This
physical strain which he felt before
losing consciousness could be traced
by the entries in the log. first in
small. even hand and then growing
larger and irregular as the effort To-
move his fingers in that terrible cold
became more difficult"
Death at eight miles up" eyclaims
the Little Rock, Ark. Democrat. "A
gradual slipping into peaceful sleep
without pain almost without realiZa-
ton tl.@t ths c.::.. Is near: There is
the supreme i'm rOmanee-if there can
be romance in death. Beyond the
clouds. beyond the clatier of noisy
man ard his machaUss. beyond the