Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1919-02-08
ARMY PLANES CRASH AT PHOENIX GijLF TO pAClf,C SQUADRON iN AcciDEN1.

PHOENIX, Feb. 3.-The first air plane crash in the history of Phoenix occurred yesterday afternoon, when the first army air squadron which has visited this city arrived from Tucson en route from Ellington Field, Houston, Tex, to San Diego, and landed on the golf grounds of the Ingleside Country Club. Of the four machines, two smashed. None of the birdmen were injured. Blame for the accident was laid by the aviators on the soft condition of the soil of the landing field.
 Although only two of the big De- Havilands suffered accident, the oth- CT two, the first and last to land, narrowly escaped, their wheels blow ing deep into the sandy course. The less fortunate machines tipped for ward when their landing wheels were clogged in the earth, one turning completely over, forward. The other halted in mid air standing periously on it's nose.
 As result, the army airmen will not be able to continue their flight westward from Phoenix at once, as was planned, and may be delayed here several days. ~sIt will take some time to repair the plane which turned turtle, and Ellington Field will have to be sent to for spare parts.
 It was only at 2:3Q o'clock yes terday afternoon that it was defini- tely Announced from the chamber of commerce that the planes, which had been delayed in leaving Tuscon, would start their flight from that city at 4 o'clock, landing at the Ingle- side grounds. Before that time, it was not known whether the squadfon would land here at Hall Field, which had been accepted for, army use by the military aeronautics at Washing ton, or the other field offered.
 MADE FAST TIME
 The flight from Tucson, Lieutent- ant Louis Lewyn, official photograph CT of the party which is mapping aerial routes, said, was made with out incident and in record time, the distance of about hundred and ten miles by airline being made in prac- tically an hour of flying time.
 The squadron was sighted from the Ingleside grounds, where a small crowd of perhaps three hundred had lgathered--the few who knew definite ly when and where the planes would alight-at five minutes after five, flying in perfect squadron formation in the shape of large diamond. The planes drew rapidly nearer, and the hum of their motors being heard al- most as soon as they were seen.
 After the great army birds were sighted against the mountains to the south, they circled around to the west, passing between Scottsdale and Phoenix, then heading for the mark ed field.
 CONTINUES ITS FLIGHT
 The first landing of the squadron was made at 5:20 o'clock, when the first of the DeHavilands-the first of it's kind ever seen in this district, and one of the best two-seated models made in this country during the war-took the ground for per feet landing. Trouble was immedi- ately encountered in the shape of the wet sandy soil on the grounds, but the big plane came safely to a stop, its wheels buried up to the spokes.
 Lieutenant Searle, commander of the squadron, and his companion, Lieutenant Jones, aided by spectator volunteers wheeled the machine away quickly and prepared to signal their companions in the air as to the na- ture of the soil. Both officers were