Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-05-14

Lieutenant Eversole's testimony,
which has extended over several days,
made statement Of over 1OO.OOO
words, which he signed and swore to
Friday. He was discharged from the
air mail service Tuesday, the day after
his first testimony was given before
the committee. Members of the com
nittee said Friday they had appealed
to Washington for his reinstatement.
Affidavits Submitted.
Included in the evidence were affi-
davits from several pilots and mechan-
les now in the service, all of which
confirmed Lieutenant Eversoles
charges, and the mute evidence of q
statement written by Pilot J. P. Chris
tenson previous to his death in a fall
at Cleveland few weeks ago. Chris
tenson is one of the men whose death
Lieutenant Eversole LAYS to negligence
by air mail officials.
The transcript of Eversoles testi-
mony referred only briefly to the
charges made known Thursday that
air mail field officials here were drunk
while on duty and staged wild parties |
which incapacitated them for duty.
1t dealt chiefly with the deaths and |
accidents alleged to have been due to |
by the men in charge and
with remedial recommendations.
i3 Specific Deaths.
The 13 men killed and the reasons |
by Eversoles letters follow:
Carl Smith, pilot, killed in
fall at Elizabethtown, n. j.
said to have been sent into air mail
service with inefficient training
and to have been flying an obso-
lete type of Wright plane in civil
ian life and was assigned by mail
officials to De Haviland ",
type Of ship of which he knew
nothing. Given no instructions as /
to how to handle De Haviland,
according to evidence presented by !!
Eversole and confirmed by affi-
davits from acquaintances of
Smiths.
2.-Pilot Stoner, said to have
been forced to fly in a dense fog
against his judgment and that of
other pilots. Hit tree at Goshen,
Ind. when visibility was so bad he
could not see the ground
3.-Pilot Bryan Mcmillan. kill
ed in fall at Batavia ILL., Hal
fallen three days previously anl
was ordered by physicians not to
fly until completely well. Was
forced to resume duty by lor"l
officials, according to the testi-
mony, despite OBJECTIONS from
doctors and pilots. Sent up in
bad flying weather. it is alleged
Landing Field Too Small.
4.-Pilot Sherlock, killed when
plane hit smokestack near land
ing field at Newark. n. ]. Ever
sole's affidavits alleged fell wing
too small for safe landing for the
type of ship Sherlock was COM
PEELED to fly, that approaches were
allowed to remain obstructed de-
spite numerous protests by pilots. !!
and that finally it became neces
sary to use low speed ships in
order to make safe landing.
s. and 6.-Pilot Max Miller and
Mechanician Pierson killed in a fall
at Morristown. N. J. Were flying
Junker type of German built all
metal monoplane which contained $
numerous gas leaks and which had '
been ordered to New York for re- t
pairs. Miller and Pierson were i
alleged to have been compelled r
to take the machine up despite
the fact that it then was enroure t
to repair shops. a
z. and S.-Pilots Stevens and
Thomas were forced to fly plane
which had the same defects as
that in which Miller and Pierson
fell and no attempt was made to
remedy these defects despite the
deaths of Miller and Picrson. it
was charged. They were killed
in fall in Ohio.
Junker Plane Trap, Claim.
o.. 10. and 11-Pilots Row"
Carol and Mechanician Hill killed
in .Junker planes ut LaCrosse, q,
Wis. Evidence presented by Ever " =,
sole, including affdavits from wit q :,
nesses Of fall, alleged that false s q.
reports as to the cause of the -
fall were made to Washington. It =
was charged that crew of me- :,
chanics, all of whom were intoxi-
Gated, overhauled the ship at the !! :,
Chicago field and mad" "ertain I "
changes which were ~
never tested before the dl
put into duty; alleged that there m
were five gas leaks in gas feeu in
pipe arrangement alleged to have h1
been made never were made;
charged defective parts of fallen th
planes were ordered thrown into cd
river by officials to prevent know by
edge Of their negligence ri
12.-Pilot Stewart, killed in q re
all near Minneapolis. official, nc
said Stewart was subject to faint al