AVIATION TRAGEDY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15375, 9 August 1913, Page 7

AVIATION TRAGEDY.

MR. S. F. CODY KILLED.

BY FALL FROM HYDROPLANE.

ATHLETE SHARES HIS 'FATE.

" MAKING POCKET MONEY."

CAUSE OF THE DISASTER.

TOO' HEAVY FOR THE WINGS.

TRIBUTE BY COLONEL SEELY.

By Telegraph— Association—Copyright. (Received August 8, 9.50 p.m.) v-'_ ■•

S London, August 7 t . S. F. ; Cody, the noted airman, and a passenger named W. ;H. B. Evans, were killed by a fall during a flight near Farnborough, the military aviation ground, to-day. i ■ V Cody's two sons, Leon and Frank, witnessed the accident. < ' ■* Leon l\ad intended to accompany his father, but gave way at toe last minute to Evans, who was learning aviation. ', -.- .' : The machine used was a new hydroplane, in which Cody. had flown earlier in the morning. ;It weighed ; a ton and was driven by a 100 horse-power engine. The wings spanned 60ft, and their length was 44ft. : When the accident occurred, the machine waa travelling /at the rate of 50 miles an hour. ''+■. ■;'..-Wings'..-Double TJp. ; ; . % The wings of the hydroplane appeared to , double ■: up while an evolution was being performed, Sand the whole machine collapsed; at; a height of 250 ft, apparently owing to the body being too heavy for the wings. ..- ; '■;■' /;'>\ : ■'■. ' ""' -

Cody ■• flung himself > from the machine before it reached the I ground, where Dr. Barnardo's boys ! were camping. ■; : > The hydroplane was smashed to atoms, and the horrified spectators on running up found that Cody's neck was broken. They extricated Evans, badly . mangled* from j the debris. /;'' ;.V/ V - '■'• /;-/ /.•//';*• ■"///./'/ Five Guineas a 'night. The hydroplane was built for the Daily Mail £5000; race, and had undergone constant trials for a month. The first flight to-day was one of 70 miles. ' Cody was carrying passengers "at five guineas a flight. v He was heard to /remark in jocular vein this morning : "I may well make a little pocket money." . , Evans was the Oxford cricket captain of 1904/' /Later he joined the Egyptian Civil Service and'yfent to the. Soudan.' . ~ i-<, ■' \ ■ : Colonel Seely'.;■ (Minister for War), in l ■» J message ■of • sympathy to Mrs. 1 ' Cody, /eulogises her late ; husband's valuable services to the War Office.

"AS STEADY AS A ROOK.*' NOT TOO OLD TO FLY. -Sydney Sun Cable.Copyright. "_•',. ..■'■;'•■' .' , (Received Augu5t'..8,;,6.55 p.m.) ■;■;_> .' v / /'.;■• '•;•■ London, August 8. , Before starting, -Cody|; shouted: "This machine is a beauty, as

steady as a r^ock." Recently Cody, criticising a statement ,at the inquest on another aviator, Hewetson, to the effect that a man was too old to i fly at 40 years of age, said: "I made my first flight when I was 47, and I "hope to be flying at 80." . , •r - -