PLANE CRASHED FROM 60 FT.

Northern Advocate, 19 August 1935, Page 5

PLANE CRASHED FROM 60 FT.

Rogers-Post Air Tragedy BOTH KILLED INSTANTLY BODIES RECOVERED [United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright .3 PT. BARROW (Alaska), August 16. Will Rogers, the American humorist and actor, and Wiley Post, famous airman, took off from Fairbanks for Point Barrow on Thursday. # In the face of poor .flying conditions they alighted at Harding Lake, 50 miles out of Fairbanks, until the fog lifted. Once again the fog settled down, and they found a little river on a peninsula south of here, and landed at an Eskimo camja 15 miles south of Point Barrow. They were taking - off again, but when GOft. in the air the motor mis* fired and the 'plane heeled over, striking first on its right wing and then nosing into a bank head-on. Both were instantly killed. Eskimo Ran 15 Miles. A terrified Eskimo ran 15 miles to Point Barrow, around lakes and across streams, in \hree hours, and notified Sergeant Stanley Morgan, United States Army Signal Corps operator, who dashed to the scene, recovered the bodies and sent word of the tragedy to the world. Wiley Post’s watch had stopped at 8.20 p.m. Both men’s limbs were bro- , ken and they had head wounds. The wreckage had to be pulled apart to free Post. Both wings had broken loose and the motor had driven into the fuselage. The bodies are resting at a Presbyterian Mission warehouse and will be flown to Fairbanks, probably on, Saturday, by Joe Crosson, who is coming from Fairbanks. a Second-hand Parts. Meanwhile it became known in Los Angeles that the ’plane was made of second-hand parts and was operating under a restricted Government license. The two men were on a vacation, trip and had already flown over a large part of Alaska, the Canadian Yukon and the north-west territories. It is uncertain what their future plans were, but the possibility of their making a leisurely flight around the world had been mentioned. It is believed that Rogers was fini ancing the trip. Widespread' Grief. A wave of sincerest bereavement has 1 swept the United States at the loss of 1 the nation’s foremost flier and bestbeloved humorist. The Senate was adjourned. Flags were flown at halfmast throughout Oklohoma, the home State of Mr Post. Hundreds of mem- ■ orial services are planned throughout the country. Motor boats conveyed the bodies of the two victims of the crash to Point Barrow. Colonel Charles Lindbergh, who was an intimate friend of both men, has offered their wives any assistance desired. He has asked PanAmerican Airways, of which he is technical director, to arrange for its subsidiary, Pacific-Alaska Airways, to fly the bodies to Fairbanks, where they will be transferred to a .coaster vessel. “The Senate and the House of Representatives have authorised an expenditure of 25,000 dollars to purchase the Winnie Mae, the aeroplane in which Messrs Post and Gatty flew around the world. It will be placed in the -Smithsonian Institute, where f Colonel Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” and other famous aircraft, are housed for posterity. “Extraordinary Man.” A Melbourne message states that Mr Harold Gatty, who flew round the world with the late Mr Wiley Post, in an interview, said he was deeply grieved to hear of the death of his friend. “Mr Pr«t was an extraordinary man,” said Mr Gatty. “He had no nerves at all. Fe had only one eye, but he had started to learn to fly before he lost the eye, which enabled him to gauge the relative sizes of things, and obtain a judgment of distance, which stood him in good stead afterwards. “He would fly in any kind of weather. The only reason why we did not remain together was the fact that our interests were along different lines. .... , , , “Mr Rogers’ death will be a blow to Americans!. He was the best friend aviation had.”