Evening star., 1932-01-26
EDDIE ST|NSON DIES |
IN CRASH Of PLANE |
Three Companions of Dean
of U. S. AviatorS Injured
in Chicago Wreck.
By the Asss2isted Press.

By the Asss2isted Press.
CHICAGO, January 26.-America' 4
dean of aviatorS--Eddie Stinson-is
dead
His long and sometimes pcrilous ca
reer as a flyer came TO an end early
this morning in the Illinois Central
Hospital from injuries suffered when a
huge Stinson-D Detroiter plane fell to
earth in public links golf course in
Jackson Park. not far from the shore
line OF Lake Michigan.
The accident occurred last night
while the noted flyer and three COM
panions were attempting to return to
the Wayne, Mich, plant Of the Detroit
Stinson Corporation, Of which he was
president.
While over the lake motor trouble de-
veloped and Stinson maneuvered to
make a safe but forced landing. The
plane, however, struck f1agpole and
crashed. Stinson, pinned beneath the
wreckage, suffered a crushed chest and
internal injuries, which caused his
death at l am.
His three companions-Cla Field Of
Kalamazoo, Mich; John Tompkins of
East Chicago, Ind, and Frederick Gil
lies of Chicago, were all injured.
Gillies suffered broken left leg and
spinal injuries. He is 80 years old, an
assistant general superintendent of the
Inland Steel Co.. and was star at foot
ball at Cornell University 13 years ago
He was making the trip with Stinson
for pleasure.
Field, go is a Chicago representative
Of the Stinson Aircraft Corporation. His
shoulder was fractured and he was in
JlTed internally. Tompkins, aged 36
was bruised but was SO dazed he was
unable to give much aid in determining
the exact cause of the tragedy.
Held Many Records.
1t was the first time Stinson had
been injured in 20 years of flying, which
had brought to him numerous endur-
ance records and the distinction of hav-
ing been in the air more than any other
man in the history of aviation-niore
than $4,000 hours, for distance of
nearly 100000 miles, equivalent to so
times around the globe.
Stinson, who was only 38, pioneered
in aviation and never during the whole
OF his long career used a parachute.
He earned his wings at the old Kin
loch Field in ST. Louis, having been
taught to fly by his eldest sister, Kath-
crime, and later obtaining position as
test pilot for Jenny" planes, which he
described as crates"
His was a family Of the air, his sis
ters katherine and Marjorie, and his
brother Jack, also having won fame in
the field of flying. Stinson started
when he was 20 and engaged in the
business continuously, either as test
pilot, an instructor or designer.
Built Atlantic Planes.
He built the transatlantic planes Of
Ruth Elder and George Haldemann, the
around-the-wor machines of William
Brock and Eddie Schlee, as we'll as nu-
merous others.
Strangely enough, he was opposed to
transatlantic flights. He called them
stunts" and went so far as to forbid
the sale Of his ships" to any one con-
templating such a project. This de-
cision was reached by him after the
Georgian, Paul Redeem, was killed In
an attempt to fly from Atlanta to
Buenos Aires in Stinson nonoplane. .
He held that land planes had not yet
reached the stage Of perfection TO
Justify transatlantic flights.
"Of course" he was quoted as saying
"it was such an exploit that gave us
Lindbergh, but they are stunts and' as
SuCT, are W
Stinson himself was Southerner,
having been born at Fort Payne, Ala,
in 1894. He was the founder OF the
Detroit-Stinson Aircraft Corporation,
later acquired by the Cord Corporation.
Saved BY Spill.
Perhaps his most spectacular expert
ence occurred a few months after ne
began his career. That was when ne
was testing planes in New York. Whlle
several thousand feet in the air, his
plane lost an aileron and part OF the
landing gear He was nearly out OF
gasoline, but he saved himself by nos
ing the plane down to an embankment
near railroad right-of-way, making
an angular landing that prevented the
damaged sides from dragging. In this
manner he escaped death.
Stinsons father, E. A. Stinson, sr, Is
enroute to Chicago from Aberdeen,
Miss. He left when word that the noted
airman was injured reached him.