AMERICA MOURNS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 189, 19 August 1935, Page 2

AMERICA MOURNS

Will Rogers and Wiley Post BOTH KILLED IN PLANE SMASH TRAGEDY ON HOLIDAY TEIP By Telegraph—Copyright -Press .wn. NEW YORK, August 17. Mr Wiley Post, 'round-the-world flier and stratosphere adventurer, tind Mr Will Rogers, film actor and commentator on world affairs, were killed near Point Barrow, northern Alaska, when their plane crashed in a fog. The crash wins witnessed by an Eskimo, who ran with the news to Barrow. (Sergeant Stanley Morgan, U.S. Army Signal Corps operator there, recovered the bodies that evening.

Rogers and Post took off from Fairbanks for Barrow on Thursday in face of poor flying conditions. They alighted at Harding Lake, 50 mile out of Fairbanks, until the fog lifted. Once again the fog settled down. They found Little; River, on the peninsula south of Point Barrow. On taking off again the plane reached a height of 60 feet, when the motor misfired, the plane heeling over and striking first on the Tight wing, then nosing into the bank headon. Both men were instantly killed.

A terrified Eskimo ran. 15 miles to Point Barrow, around the lakes and across streams, in three, hours, notifying Sergeant Morgan, who dashed to the scene, recovered the bodies and sent word of the tragedy to the world. Wiley Post’s watch stopped at 8.20 p.m. Both men’s limbs were broken and they had head wounds. The wreckage had t,o be pulled apart to free Post. Both wings had broken loose and the motor wtas driven into the fuselage. The bodies are resting at .the Presbyterian Mission warehouse and will be flown to Fairbanks, probably on Saturday, by Mr .Toe Crosson, who is coming to Fairbanks.

Meanwhile, it became known in Los Angeles that the plane was made of second-hand parts and was operating under a restricted license.

The two men were on a vacation flip and had already flown over a large part, of Alaska, the Canadian Yukon and north-west territories. There is uncertainty as to what their future plans were, but it is believed that they possibly intended a leisurely flight round the world. Rogers is believed to have been financing the trip. A wave of sincerest sympathy swept the country at the loss of the nation’s foremost flier and best-belov-ed humorist. The Senate went into recess and flags were flown half-mast throughout Oklahoma, which is the home State of both men. Hundreds of

memorial services are planned throughout, the country. Motor boats brought the bodies of Post and Rogers to Point Barrow. Colonel C. A. Lindbergh, who is an intimate friend of hoth men. offered their wives any assistance desired. He has asked Pan American Airways, to which he is technical director, to have its subsidiary, Pacific Alaska Airways, bring the bodies by plane to Fairbanks, where they will be transferred to a coastguard vessel.

Both the Senate and the House have authorised the expenditure of 25,000 dollars to purchase the Winnie Mae, the aeroplane in which Wiley Post and Harold Gatty flew round the world. Tt will Be placed in the Smithsonian Institute, where Colonel Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, and other famous aircraft, are now housed for posterity. HAD NERVES OF STEEL HAROLD GATTY INTERVIEWED By Telegraph—Copyright—Press As. MELBOURNE, August 18.

Mr Harold Gatty, partner of Post in the world flight, when interviewed at Melbourne said he was deeply grieved at the death of his friend. Post was an extraordinary man with no nerves at all. He had only one eye, but started to learn to fly before he lost an. eye, which enabled him to gauge relative sizes of things and obtain judgment of distance, which stood him in good stead afterwards. He would fly in any kind of weather. “The only reason we have not remained together was the fact that our interests lay along different lines.” said Mr Gatty. Will Rogers’s death will be a terrific blow to Americans. Ho was the best friend aviation had.”