The Early Birds: CHARLES F. WALSH, Pioneer Aviator, Photos, Letters, News & More

Description

The Early Birds: CHARLES F. WALSH, Pioneer Aviator
Charles F. Walsh, bird man at the Inter-State Fair, was dashed to his death in full view of thousands of people in the grand stand and about the grounds, late this afternoon. Walsh fell about 2,000 feet while attempting to make a spiral descent after a perfect climb of a height of at least 4,000 feet.
The biplane was about three quarters of a mile from the crowded grand stand and far above the earth, when Walsh began his spiral descent. He made three perfect turns and was about to swing around on the fourth, when suddenly the car seemed to turn on one end, pointing downward. Then it was seen from the ground that one of the immense planes was broken.
For a moment or two those on the ground could see the aviator struggling desperately to regain his balance by trying to climb up over the unbroken parts of his car. Then the whole apparatus took a sudden shift, crashing and tangled to the ground.
The sight was one such as is seldom seen. The vast crowd, some 60,000 people, was hushed into silence as man and air struggled for the supremacy. Then as the monster bird-like machine tore asunder the crowd gasped in horror, to see the flier dashed to his doom. Women almost fainted at the awful sight, and men turned away.
Young Walsh, 35, was a native of San Diego, California, where he lived with his wife and two small children. His wife and children are now visiting at Hammondsport, N.Y., having intended to remain there while the husband and father was flying in the East.
Walsh learned flying with Lincoln Beachy
, his only real rival in the business. Mrs. Beachy was at the fair here today and rode around the track with Walsh previous to his fatal flight. She was almost prostrated by the accident. Walsh had been flying all the week, making spectacular flights daily. The spiral descent in which he met his death is the descent which has cost the lives of practically all the many recent victims of the air.
-- The above biographical data was supplied by earlyaviatiors.com
Note:
This
Charles F. Walsh Early Bird File
is nearly 2 inches thick and includes numerous items. Since ebay only allows me to display 12 photos, I have grouped together several photos in the first five images. However, there are many more photos of the flying career of Charles Walsh which are not included in this ebay display BUT are included in this sale.
This Early Bird File for sale includes:
Photo No. 1 through Photo No. 5 on ebay:
* This is just a
sampling of the 50+ photos
included in the sale.
Several photos are not included in our ebay display but will be included in the sale.
In Photo No. 5 you see the Charles Walsh family including wife, Alice, and children.
Most photos are 5x7. There are a few 8x10.
Photo No. 6 on ebay:
* Original 5-page typewritten biography of Charles Walsh, as jointly written by his wife, Mrs. Alice Walsh-Martin and Paul Matt (Aviation Historian & Aviation Book Publisher) in circa early 1960s. Also included is an early duplicate copy of the same biography. As such, there are 2 copies of this 5-page biography.
Photo No. 7 on ebay:
* The purpose for the gathering of the above (circa 1960s) was to publish two extended articles on Charles Walsh in the Historical Aviation Album series, an 18-volume set of books, highly acclaimed by the worldwide aviation press in the 1960s-1970s.
All 18 volumes have long been out of print (for decades). This ebay seller has one of each of all 18 volumes (the personal collection of the publisher).
The two specific Charles Walsh articles will be taken from these books and will be sent to the buyer as part of this ebay sale. As such, the buyer will receive the original printings of the articles directly from the publisher’s personal collection of the original books (these are not Xeroxed copies). Also, included in this sale are the items that went into the production of these two articles as identified in this listing.
The two Charles Walsh articles included in this sale are from:
* Vol. 9, Historical Aviation Album: Charles F. Walsh Biography, Part 1, 8 pages, Published 1971.
* Vol. 10, Historical Aviation Album: Charles F. Walsh Biography, Part 2, 6 pages, Published 1971.
These two articles combined include the complete and detailed life of Charles Walsh to include 14 pages of very detailed historical text with a combined total of 26 photos in the articles.
Note: Included also is the complete original typewritten manuscript for the two articles in the Historical Aviation Album.
Photo No. 8 on ebay:
* Also included in this Early Bird File is all the typewritten and handwritten correspondence between Charles Walsh’s wife, Alice, and Paul Matt (Aviation Historian & Aviation Book Publisher).
Included are 30 Letters, a few Post Cards, and a 1960s Christmas Card.
Several letters are several pages long. These letters were mainly written during the early 1960s.
Photo No. 9 on ebay:
* Copy of July 1912 Lease from The Curtiss Exhibition Co. to Charles F. Walsh for the leasing of “a Curtiss Aeroplane”.
Photo No. 10 on ebay:
* Copy of Curtiss letter regarding ordered parts for Walsh Aeroplane, 1912.
and
* Copy of reconciliation of the Account for C.F. Walsh with The Curtiss Exhibition Co.
Photo No. 11 on ebay:
* Early reproduction copy of an article written by Charles F. Walsh: “My First Flights”.
3-page article from the May 1911 issue of
Aviation.
Photo No. 12 on ebay:
* 30+ black & white negatives of the photos above and with some additional negatives of photos which were not printed. Some negative are double negatives (2 images on the same negative).
Not photographed on ebay:
* Included are additional misc. notes, scribblings, and handwritten Charles Walsh history, interesting tid-bits.
ebay seller’s note/disclosure:
The photos offered (or to be offered) by this ebay store
(Aviation Photos)
are photographs that have been housed in the archives of two aviation book publishing houses over the last 75 years. The photo(s) may or may not be original. In many instances, we do not know. However, you can rest assured that all our photos being sold have been in the possession of an Aviation Photo Collector for
well more than 50 years
. Not any of our photos are recent reproduction reprints.