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Show Grahame-White and Drexel Comment on Death of Johnstone Philadelphia, Nov. IS Ralph John-ftone's John-ftone's tragic death at Denver yesterday yes-terday gn-aily shocked Claude Graham-White and J Armstrong Drexel, vno are in this city giving exhibition flights at Point Breeze park. "1 knew Johnstone lntlmutely and I Lelleve he wns the finest aviator I have, met in America.'' sniJ the English Eng-lish air man. "The accide nts are Just the things that affect aviators and mke them more careful, but even then accidents are toon foroeten. Too nany men are trying i-. outdo the ethers, and it !s this that often results re-sults disastrously." "Mr. Johnstone was as brave- and caring an aviator as I have ever met Mid I admired him greatlj," eaid Mr. Diexel Doth White and Drexel talked of Jehnstone's disposition and the fact that in every cyinip be hail immediately immediate-ly becom tho favorite. Both declared de-clared the world had lost the man who would most likely have set a wonderful altitude record. They sent messages to Johnstone's manager In Denver. Ralph Johnstone was an altitude flyer, pure and simpie. He had only been live months In the game, and never tried for cross-country events, speed dashes or distance, but Ms full-blooded, full-blooded, stoutly-knit frame stood him In good stead at resisting the cold of the upper air, and the instinctive poise of the trick bicycle rider helped help-ed h!m In his high winds. He was full of real and pride, and his dally rivalries with his team-mate. Arch Hoxsey, in their duels for altitude alti-tude were one of the delights of the recent International aviation meet at Belmont park. "How high do you think jou went?" tho crowd asked him one night when he settled on the field after sunset, numbed and 6htverlng. "I don't know," be answered, "but If I did net go higher than Hoxsey I'll never trust a barograph again," It happened that Johnstone was defeated de-feated on that occasion, but bv daily striving he got a litllo higher each ; time until on the last day of tho meet he brought back the world's record D.714 Teet, which he carried with him In death. He had already taken the American record from Walter Brook ins and when J. Armstrong Drexel went him a llttl better he came back again with still another American record. rec-ord. Nothing remained for him then but the world's record, and In the end he got that, too. The feat brought him .."..OOO in cish and more fame than anything else he ever did, but it was not really his roost remarkable piece of airmanship. In ono flight at Belmont park the I day he defeated Drexel he and Hoxsey Hox-sey went tip In a gale so stlfT that I for a tlmo they hung above the AHd lmniobllo In latitude, though they wore 6teadily gaining In altitude and then began to drift backward. They wore blown off the course, out of sight, and Johnetone landed fifty miles down Long Island, but It was characteristic of his pluck that he kept on climbing until his last drop of gasoline was exausted. "I iiess." said Wilbur Wright at the time, "that's the first cross-country flight ever made tail-end foremost." fore-most." Major Samuel Reber. of the United ftates Signal Corps, added that nothing noth-ing In aviation had gone so far to prove the worth of the aeroplane In BUff weather. He estimated the trength of tho wind Johnstone then fought at 45 miles an hour and upwards. up-wards. Johnstone liked applause, but he seldom tried tricks to gain it. When It came to beam-end turns and plrou-ettoK. plrou-ettoK. Hoxsey and Brool ln.s could always al-ways have their own way. Johnstone had only one thriller. Beclnnlng with a gradual deflection, he would dip more and more steeply until his de cent beoame the swoop of a hawk. "He'a falling," the crowd would cry. Ju&l before he straightened. And yesterday yes-terday ho dlcL Johnstons too Daring. Denver, Nov, 18 "Ralph Johnstone's John-stone's style of oporatlng his aero-plone aero-plone was contrary to the advice and repeated warnings of the Wright brothois." said Roy Knabenshue. general gen-eral inanagr of the exhibition department de-partment of the Wright company. "The death of Johnstone Is a terrible ter-rible blow to all connected with the Wright company," he said, "he wo too daring. It was Brooklns who created the spiral dip which Johnstone John-stone wa attempting when he met his death. Johnstone copied it. onlv go.ng th limit In tilting his machine When Orvlllo Wright rim saw it performed, per-formed, ho said 'cut it out.' The brothers then figured out to the pound Just hat the planes would Btand and thy told the nova never to tilt their planes rnor0 than 15 degrees." de-grees." But a ?hort time before ho received the news of Johnstone's death Mr. Knub.triKhue received telerram from llrooUlns telling of Wednesday's exhi- bltlons In Denver. This telegram contained con-tained tho words which are now significant: sig-nificant: "Johnston flies as he pleaees." |