Arizona republican., 1917-01-22
COL. F'oHOP BROUGHT
TO WELL1-,y1z.v4' z.v4' CLAIMS
COMPASS WENT WRONG
[Republican A. p. Leased wirel

/ W
army aviators to be rescued from tht
Sonora desert. who was brought here
| To-Day in an army ambulance from the
! foot Of the Gila mountains, sixty miles
south of Wellton, will recover, unless
| complications set in, according t
| Surgeon Major OrVille G. Brown, com
mander of the governments relief eX-
pedition. Colonel Bishop was taken to
Yuma, Ariz.. and placed in a hospital
Major o. G.. Brown of the medical
corps in charge of a detachment OF
fourteen men who carried Bishop fif-
teen miles to a motor ambulance said
that Bishop stood the trip and the
subsequent drive of forty miles quite
well
Colonel Bishop and Lieutenant w
4. Robertson were lost following an
attempted airplane flight from San
Diego to Calexico, Cal, January 10
After nine day search by Mexican
troops, American army aviators and
hundreds of civilians in automobiles
which attracted nation wide attention,
Robertson found a party of searchers
and directed them to where Bishop
had fallen exhausted on January II.
Robertson was taken to Wellton and
later proceeded to his station at San
Diego. Owing 20 Bishops weakened
condition it was impossible to move
him dntil after an army ambulance
arrived two days later.
The compass went wrong on us,
Bishop said today. when we landed
at the Gulf Of California January 10
ut exactly 1890 O'Clock we thought
we were landing on the edge of the
Salton Sea.
we did not discover our mistake
until we noticed tie tide coming in
and obliterating our footprints. Then,
and not until then, did we realize we
were lost"
Bishops condition was such it was
impossible for him to continue with
his story. He said family he did not
know how far he had walked because
it was so far | took no notice of the
distance
With tears filling his eyes he said:
Please express my deep gratitude
to all who searched for Lieutenant
Robertson and myself especially the
gentlemen who found me in the desert.
Also 20 the fine professional service
rendered me by Major Brown, his as
sistants and 10 Colonel Wilson and
every man of his detail"
Winn Proebstel of Wellton, who
found Bishop about o'clock Thurs
day night, and with w f. Freeman of
AiO, Ariz., and Victor Gail and E. L..
Gamble of Wellton, remained with the
exhausted aviator until Major Brown
arrived Saturday night with detail of
fourteen men, a stretcner and ambu-
lance. II was necessary to carry
Bishop on u stretcher for fifteen miles
over the sand dunes and thick under
brush to the ambulance, Neither
Bishop nor Robertson hao eaten any
thing for four lays when found by the
senrchers. Bishop. when found by
Proebstel had provided himself with
water by making pan Of his coat and
catching the rain. Prior to that, lie
said. he had TO water for five days.
When Major Brown arrived and took
charge o. tie aviators, he said Bisnop
complained of gastritis and intestinal
trouble.
Winn Proebstel, who was the first
of the searchers to find Colonel
Biahop, gave detailed story here
today OF the finding of the officer
4 found Colonel Bishop about 7
O'Clock Thursday evening" he said
He was half sitting, half recliring
under a bush in an arroyo, wet to the
bone, and almost speechless. The first
thing he did was to ask me who /
was, and what | was doing out there.
Then he asked me to make him a eli
EdIetle.
Colonel Bishop had spread his coat
in depression 10 catch rainwater
He said that after Lieutenant
Robertson had left him last Wednes-
day morning to press on for help. he
had not moved 900 yards A fire he
had tuilt was eXtinguished by heavy
rain. He felt sure, he said, that
Robertson would find aid"
Proabstel said that he and his com
Uanious built fire on each side of the
rescued man. wrapped him in sweaters
ard gave him light nourishment. The
rescuers were supplied with condensed
milk and on this. a little coffee and
toast. and reef broth made from fresh
meat, he subsisted from the time he
was found until the arrival of Sur
geon Major Brown and his soldiers
Sunday morning.
Colonel Bishop tainted three times
from weakness but insisted that he
vas mo baby" and rebelled against
any tenderness.
Robertson Improves
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 2l.-The condition
of Lieutenant w. A. Robertson was i'm
proved today, according to Lieutena ~
w. Il. Ream, medical reserve corps, his
attending physician.
A detail of United States soldiers
guarded the door of Lieutenant Rob
ertson's quarters at a Coronado hotel
to prevent intrusion. 1t is now thought
improbable that the patient will be
removed to a hospital
Major William Burnside, of the field
officers aviation school, speaking for
Colonel w. A. Glassford, commandant
of the army aeronautical academy,
said the airplane abandoned by Rob
ertson and Bishop in the Sonora desert
probably will be left there, owing to
the difficulty of finding it and bringing
it to the border. The plane was valued
at $4,000 and was comparatively new
The air flotilla of three planes which
went to CaleXico, Cal, from here dur
ing the week to assist in the search for
the aviators, have been ordered to
return to North island tomorrow.
weather permitting