Show T lor EN DIEAS DIE DIEAS I AS N Y PARS PARIS PLANE BREAKS DOWN A FIRE Fonck and American Lea Leap to Safety Companions Perish HAPPENS AT START Victims W Were Pinned Pinne In Cabin of Sky Crl Cruiser iser WESTBURY N Y Sept Sept Sept 21 21 By Ej Tin Th Associated PreOT Pre Fret Two Tw I men lost their lives Jives this morning when the tho transatlantic airplane of oC Captain Reno Fonck crashed In In an attempt to take oft orr ofton on a mIte stop non flight tl t to I Paris They were Charles rles Clavier ler French radio operator and Jacob mechanic They were trapped In the closed abin or of o the tho hug huge three motored pl plane ne Captain Fonck the French tench ace In command com man of ot the flight an and Lieutenant Lawrence Lawrenc W Curtin U S N American alternate pi- pi pi lot lot pilot leaped to lately before th the plane lane iane bur burst t Into loto flames Igor Russian design design- designer er and builder of ot the th plane could coul not bo be located Immediately after acter the tragedy He K was reported report d t to have begged In tears team last night that the flight be postponed be because be- be because cause of oC a 0 cross wind that was endangering the take tako oft off An attempt was waa made mado to take takeoff oft off last latt Thursday but bu had bad to be postponed because e of a gasoline leakage discovered at at the last las minute Afterward Parisian friends o of Captain Fonck urged him to make mako th the flight for th the honor of ot France oven even at a the ot of death Tho The crash was by the th buckling buckling- of ot a 0 a wheel on an extra landing gear that thit was 1 to have hav beer been dropped into th ocean as a Soon oon as the tile plane plan got under way I fl i knew the wheel li had bad i crashed crash e 8 said Aid ld Fonck but coul could neither stop top nor list TIlEy TUEN COMES COIL Lieutenant Curtin said aid The plane pIano was driven full tull power ower ac- ac accelerated accelerated slow alow reaching a 0 ground of ot 65 CS miles Three tera o the tho length of oC the runway It teemed seemed that the tho outboard aux aux- aux aux- Illary auxiliary wheel collapsed carrying away the he left lower loner rudder Th The plane pIano steered to the left but It woe was impossible to head 11 It R again Kain aln on a straight course and the plane went over tho the brink at al atthe atthe alof the end ot of the tho runway at a speed of ot GO CO ml cs es an hour When pass pass- ing passing over tho the brink Captain Fonck pulled back tho the controls to effect a normal landing at the same time throttling down his motors motor It seemed to me that the tho right wheel collapsed when hen the th plane wheeled wheeled cart on the tho th right wing The gas tanks banks were apparently ruptured In view of the fact tact that t live gas tas as poured down over the heated exhaust pipe IN is FLAMES I The Tho plane burst Into flames an Instant after atter the tho two pilots leaped from It Heavy clouds of ot black smoke rolled roiled upward An airplane circling overhead sounded a fire siren and telephone calls brought the tho fire re department within 10 minutes They used small fire tire extinguishers on flames but these were futile There was vies no water available Inthe In inho Iho ho middle o or of th the field fleM and fire fire- firemen firemen firemen men said it would have hav been use use- use use-le ess 3 In fighting a 1 ga gasoline fire There chero were wore 2300 gallons of gaso gaso- gasoline goso- goso gasoline line In the th tanks tank The rho plane plan weighed more than pounds loaded at the take off take take- takeoff off There was a II low hanging mist and a light north wind but no rain The piano plane was vas as taking oft off toward the tho west An hour earlier Carl F Sch ory chairman ot of the contest committee of ot the National Aeronautical association bad sealed coaled the gasoline tank and Ih tha barograph a as a II check at the tho end of the flight whether the llano had hll taken on mor more fuel tuel or landed during the NIJ W Approximate y 1000 persons had gathered to watch the t of what was sas as to ha have ve been b en an voyage When the tir plane Crashed the tho th crowd rushed for tor- for forward yard ward but could not get within 50 yar 3 of the piano The grass vas burned black tor for 50 SO feet teet around it it Women screamed creamed and fainted and one ono said ald to have been shell went Into hysterics Tile The lira fire raged for mOre than an hour afterward aud and It was WS Ini- Ini l ini-l possible o to rescue this the th bodies of the trapped airmen Clavier hada had hada a 0 wife and three children wait wait- waiting waitIng ing to welcome him In Paris Officers of ot th the tho plan Air Air- Airplane plane corporation builders of oC tho exonerated al participants particIpant from blame and indicated an- an another an another other attempt would be b made at ata ata a 01 non non- stop non top flight W A Barry vie vice president and general manager and L L A secretary and treas- treas treasurer signed a statement that said aid STATEMENT TE ISSUED The company lJJ hi most extremely sorry torry for tor what has haa happened yet wo are w feel reel that no ons Is to blame We 0 W put forth all our efforts to build a J plane lane which would be bo able to carry the load necessary for tor the flight ant and Captain Fond Fonck and the cr crow crew did everything overy thing possible to prepare tho the plaue plane for tor this flight Wo We e deplore the loss lo o of our ote do associate and valuable able assistant Jacob and are aro deeply sorry orry because of Continued on em Page Iau lo T I TWO MEN DIE IN AIR CRAS CRASH Continued From Page One the death of or the radio operator Charles Clavier ler Wo Vo can not at this moment formulate our plan in regard to another attempt to fly from Now NewYork York to Paris but we wish Ish to say Bay that we are not discouraged and will continue continuo our work using the tho the experience we got in the of the ho plane the fi 5 and its el very ery wonderful per per- performances per performances on Its t test st flights lights Michael chief engi engI- engIneer engi- engi engineer neer fleer agreed with Fonck and Curtin that the crash was caused by buckling of the wheel on the extra landing gear I Lieutenant Nielsen U S N I advised ad Rear Admiral W A Moffatt of the bureau ot of o aero aero- aero aeronautics In Washington by wire that Fonck and Curtain were Un- Un Uninjured un uninjured injured Fonck was slightly scratched about the face After Arter the flames died out the bodies were loft leet in It pending the arrival of a coroner The plane which was valued at without the motors was a total loss Robert H Jackson a dIrector ot of the Argonaut company finan- finan finan financial cial backers of the flight denied reports that Mr had opposed the flight today Mr Jackson declared that was In accord with the plans MOTHER WEEPS III IlL Sept Ii- Ii 21 By The Associated Press Tears fearl came into the eyes of Mrs Molla Curtin mother of Lieu Lieu- Lieutenant Lieutenant Lieutenant tenant La Lawrence renco W V Curtin U US S N 14 alternate pilot of the iii- iii Ill fated I fated Fonck New York Paris York stop stop nonstop airplane when Informed at her home hero early today that her hor son Bon was uninjured in the ho cra It seems as though these tears Just hs have vo to come conic she saId I am happy to know V that La rence Is safe sate but it i Is ter- ter ter terrible to think that two of hi his companions were killed When hen announcement was made that Lieutenant Curtin would attempt the trip with Captain Fonck Mrs Curtin Curlin with calm assurance said Oh hell he'll come through all aU right never ne fear She remarked this morning that her prediction came true News of her sons son's safety was gien ghen to Mrs Curtin by the Lieutenants Lieutenant's brother John curtin who was Informed of the crash by byTho byThe byThe The Tho Associated 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