OCR Text |
Show TilleTKr Former Mayor of New York City Falls 60.0 Feet to Death. ON GERSTNER FIELD Cause of Accident Not Ex-j plained by Commanding I Officer, Major Kirby. LAKE CHARLES, La., July 6. Major Ma-jor John Purroy Mitchell, former mayor may-or of New York City and an officer the aviation section of j.he signal corps, was instantly kllledvat Gerstner Field today when he fell from a single-seater scout plane at a. height of about 600 feet. Major Kirby, commanding officer at the field, offered no explanation as to how the accident might have occurred. It Is a rule that all flyers be fastened I in the planes by a safety belt and J whether examination of tho wrecked 1 machine indicated that Major Mitchell 1 had failed to do thisjor that the belt 1 became broken was riot stated. Major Mitchell had been In 'the air about half an hour, when he fell'. ' Major Mitchell, accompanied by Mrs. , Mitchell, came to Lake" Charles, from , San Diego, Cal., about three weeks ago and Mrs. Mitchell was at Gerstner field I this morning, but did not witness the accident. Mrs. Mitchell, with the body will leave tonight for New York. NEW YORK, July G. John Purroy Mitchell, killed in an aviation accident today, became a flyer for the army after having been defeated last fall, for re-election as mayor of New York. He had served one terhn the youngest mayor ever elected lojthat office. On July 19, he would have been thirty-nine thirty-nine years old. Major Mitchell tool: the course at Plattsburg while he was mayor. Upon joining the aviation corps he was transferred to San Diego, Cal., where after successfully covering the cadet training he,becaOQ iJU JsdgU'ejA Ho" was frequently ni6ntidne? as having hav-ing shown unusual daring. |