SNAKE IN PLANE

Hokitika Guardian, 19 March 1940, Page 8

SNAKE IN PLANE

DISCOVERED 2000 FT. ABOVE GROUND. <-

DARAVIN'' ’-March 3. Flying at 2000 .feet- /-During the week-eiid, Flying Doctc«v*.(Jlyde Fenton found a brown snake among tho rudder controls of his private plane. Crouched on the pilot’S ;l ' J sfe'iit, Fenton made a forced landing using only the joystick.- .

.He was taking Sister' jane Smith back to Katherine . tiospital from Hodgson Downs -.Station,’ where his Fox,,,.ambulance , plane crashed last week. , The snalte/%whicl\ was about long, ‘evidently entered .the /plane’s coch|pit and • Sifter Smith lunching; at‘Roper Valley Station.. They had:':travelled ,100 miles when tlie snake/v appeared almost in front of Fenton’s face. “Its head was. reared; about a foot from the floor of the cockpit,”; said Fenton. “I made a frantic kick, and sent the snake along tire rudder pedals, whore I : couldn’t see it. .VI wasn’t game to keep my feet on the pedals. I almost stood on the seat. I. flew the machine,, by using the and giving the rudder an.'occasional kick.. v ' “We ' landed in Kong grass at a railway siding near .Maranboy, 210 miles south of Darwin. We found the . snake coiled in the- controls case. AYe pinned it with a spare joystock. and crushed its head with a‘ hammer.*’ To enable? the plane to : take off , again, ifeiitcn and SisteV’ 1 Smith;,had to cut a( tup 200 yards of • tali.igrass. ’ i

. When the club bore bletf "iiito i! the; smoke-room the other night, “b'orr-ow-ed” a fill, lit up, and drifted.out again, the chap who’d “obliged” said “that’s the meanest cuss I’ve struck yet. Lotsof oof blit always on the cadge for tobacco. Why doeski’t he? buy some?”; “You should do os T’do, old man,”' said somebody els|f?i‘keep two pouches,one specially for .etfilgers. When they, sample my ‘cadgers mixture’ they cease, from troubling. chokes ’em off!” Everybody laughed? 0 “And what about the other pouch?” asked,fahother member. “Qli, I keep tliat* for my. Navy, Gut No. 3 (Bulldog), my, favourite; blend. It’s something to write home about, that is, really choice.” “Toast-, ed, isn’t it?” “Right nly boy! .Thirsted it is. That’s why it’s so good—ajidiso safe! No nicotihe it it, or hardly any/ Toasting does it! Brands? Oh, there’s, five-Navy Cut No. 3 (Unlldog) / Cut Plug No,-10 (Bullshead) <;? Cavendish, Riverhead Gold and /Desert Gold.” Several V. (members - said they smoked “toasted” and foimd it’good, It is.-—’ Advt., , : ■ v. V■ ■ '/v . ■