DEAD AVIATOR WAS FEARLESS.
Bernard Well Acquainted With Fer-
nandez, Killed While Flying.
M. Fernandez, the French aviator who met a tragic death at Nice, France, Monday, when a motor on his aeroplane exploded at a height of 1,650 feet, had contracted with K. L. Bernard to participate in a number of aero contests to be held in this country next year, one of which is to be held in Kansas City.
"I was well acquainted with Fernandez," said Mr. Bernard at the Hotel Baltimore last evening. "He was a fearless aviator and told me several times that he would show some of the other aviators something when he got his machine going just right. He evidently was making good his word, for, according to the press reports, he attainted a record-breaking height when the accident occurred.
"I am at a loss to understand the reason for the accident. The motor itself could not explode, or, if it did, this explosion would simply mean the fracture of a cylinder. This would stop the engine, but would hardly cause the machine to collapse. It is probable that there was some defect due to bad wiring, or the gsoline tank sprang a leak and the gases caught fire from the flame from the exhaust, which could lead back to the gasoline tank."
