New-York tribune., 1921-01-08
Clerk of Hudson's Bay
Co. Says That Aeronauts
Could Not Have Subsist-
ed Another p Hours
Indian Saved Them
Bv Merest Chance
Canadian Who Met Bal
loonists After Rescues
Gives a Vivid Narrative
Special Dispatch TO The rrsbure

4
MONTREAL, Canada, Jan. r.
One more day in the wilderness
would have finished the three United
States naval aviators who are now
mushing it back to civilization from
Moose Factory, the Hudson Bay
Company's outpost on James Bay,
where they were rescued after biz
zard had swung their balloon across
the eight hundred miles from Rock
away Point into the great waste Of
the Canadian north. This is the
opinion of S. A. Bradbury, COM
pany clerk, who arrived here to-day
from Moose Factory and gave out
the first detailed account of the
rescue.
The three lieutenants were in tat
ters. They were gaunt, half frozen
and starved, sleepless and utterly ex-
hausted. For four days, Bradbury
said, they had wandered through the
woods, subsisting almost wholly on
the sparse caribou moss which In
patches here and there showed above
the snow. Though they knew their
three carrier pigeons might be the
only links to connect them with man.
kind, they were forced to eat two of
them. They clung to the third, how
ever, and only released it after their
discovery by Tom Mark, the Crec
Indian, who guided them to the fac
tory. Then, with a hundred word
message tied about its leg, they sent
the bird winging south toward their
station at Rockaway Point.
Talked With Aeronauts
Mr.. Bradbury said he met the three.
balloonsts shortly after their arrivsi
within the territory of the post.
They had come upon one of our In
dian trappers, Thomas Mark by nam&
and Crse, in the woods" said Mr.
Bradbury. 'and after overcoming his
fright -- for the three balloonists in
their strange and tattered garb ap-
peared like wild and strange men to
this northern lndian-they managed to
convince him thai they were perfectly
friendly and required aid.
"They had tried first OF all to con-
verse with him in English, then In
French, and finally Lieutenant Kloor.
who was the spokesman Of the party,
and who had managed TO outrun tho
Indian, conveyed to his mind that it
was food, rest and Sleep that they
wanted, and return TO something sp-
preaching civilization.
The Indian, when convinced Of the
friendly intentions of the strange men.
decided that the only thing to do was
70 bring them to the Hudson's Bay
post at Moose Factory. He brought
them first of all, however, TO his own
home on the outskirts Of the post do
main. where their wild appearances al
most sent the squaw nto panic.
"She was dispatched by her part
ner to the post manager, J. r. Gaudet,
to acquaint him with the Indians queer
find. While she was off on this en-
bassy the Cree invited the three worn
out balloonists TO rest themselves in
his hut while he made them tea and
furnished them with what refreshments
he could prov'-e. These were CRATE
ully, albeit ravenously, eaten by tho
officers.
Given Comfortable Quarters
Without the loss of a moments
time" said Mr.. sadbury, "Mr. Ga.oet,
| accompanied by the district manager,
W. c. Rakham, and Messrs. Watson,
! Neil Beverdge and Findlay, al in the
Hudson's Bay Company employment.
! o.
veyed them to the central building,
where they were res.ed, reclothed and
given comfortable Sleeping accommo-
dasions.
when the three lieutenants, L. A.
Kloer, Waiter Hinton (who had nown
tae NC-4 with Commander Reid) and
S. A. Farrell, neared our quarters
saw them for the first time," Mr.. Brad
bury continued.
Il was not on duty at the time, hav-
ing obtained leave for my vacation IN
Montreal, but upon their arrival i &C.
cided to remain e day or so in o.der
to hear of their adventures. In ap-
pcarance they were about as for!crn IA
one could imagine.
Their uniforms were all tattered ard
gaping with holes. Only one Of them,
Lieutenant Farrell, still retained mis- 1ur
overcoat, and hey showed all the signs
OF physical exhaustion.
"lhey told US that they had been
roaming blindly over wild territory
for four days. having no idea of their
whereabouts and having practically
nothing to eat apart from what carl
bou moss they could gather. Loss Of
sleep had trorh,ed them even more
than insufficient food and they were.
N short done in. They had almost
despaired of their lives until coming
e .n>i n 10 him they ex-
pressed the utmost gratitude and also
to the officers and clerks OF the Com
pany for all they had done for them.
"There is no question:" Mr.. Brad
bury affirmed, that one more day suci,
as the three had gone through woulA
have ended their lives. Caribou moss
is not by any means highly nutritive.
especially when one is battling for life
IN w"~n ont with fatigue. II is par
ticuiarly lucky for the bsileonists ths.
ia. pen d to become stranded out
there at . time when the weather wse
unusually mild for that period Of tho