El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-07-31
MILLION IN
PLANES FOR
A BON FIRE
100 Machines Destroyed
Charge Investigated
By Committee
SOME USED ONLY
TWENTY MINUTES
10y Leased wire 70 New M~exIcan.l

lby Leased Wire to New Mexlcan.l
New York, July 30.-The sub-com.
mittee OF the house of representa-.
tives, headed by Royal c. Johnson
Of South Dakota, which has been
Investigating cruelties practiced upon
prisoners in American prison camps
abroad, turned its attention here to-
day to the destruction Of American
Amy property in France under di-
rection Of army officers. The first
incident taken up was the disposi.
ton Of 100 airplanes at Colombes-
Les-Belles.
The first witness, Paul l.. Lock.
wood Of Stamford, Conn, formerly a
lieutenant of aviation in the first
pursuit group, testified that upon re-
turning to America he met q num-
Der of his colleagues In Garden City
who told him the planes had been
damaged, then burned. The en-.
gines we're chopped out, the witness
said his informers told him, only
the gas tanks and radiators being
saved. The planes were then thrown
into a pile and burned. While. the
fire was In progress armed guards
patrolled the vicinity to prevent
photographs being taken, according
to the witness, who estimated that
the salvaged parts were worth about
10 cents each. "Some of the ma
chimes, he had been told. had flown
only 20 minutes. Alfred T. Rorer,
who was a first sergeant in the
FIRST pursuit group, told the commit
tee that while he was at Colombes-
Les-Belles in May, he received or
ders to detail from 50 to rs men
for this work of destruction. When
he left the camp to return home,
he said, the work Of destruction was
Of a number Of the planes.
Chairman johnson then ordered
two cablegrams read into the evil
dence. One was from General
March to General Pershing inquir-
ing about reports of the destruction
Of government property and the other
General Pershing's reply, denying
that the reported destruction had
taken place.
The only witness examined who
actually saw the fire was John O..
MGKague, an enlisted man in the
air service. He testified most cf
the machines destroyed belonged to
outfits leaving France for home.
They had been inspected and some
were marked for salvaging and
others we're not. But he said all
were burned.
McKague put the total number OF
planes destroyed at lis and said the
conflageration was commonly re-
ferred to by the soldiers as '.the
: 100000 fire" The witness said
certain soldiers took snap shots OF
the fire. He promised to get them
Tor the committee.
Lieutenant Lockwood recalled to
tell about air service conditions at
said they were very poor as re-
gards equipment, especially during
the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the
biggest drive of the American army.
one time, he said, 40 American
pilots were kept on the ground be-
cause of the lack of machines and
as a result the German airmen came
over the American lines in great
numbers. Conditions in the st. Mi
hiet sector were better, the witness
said, the Americans having superior
numbers in the air there.
Representative Bland then stated {
hat when he visited the front last {
August he was told that at one place |
Xix American aviators had lost their ]
ives in so days because or defec. 7
I've planes. r
The subcommittee viii sail for Eu- 1
'cpe next week to continue the inves- s
Of the alleged destruction of =
american var material in France. n