The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-06-01
SEVEN KILLED
IN AIR WRECK
Five Army Officers and Two
Civilians Lose Lives in Terrible
Crash
STORM STRUCK
AMBULANCE AIRPLANE
Cause Of Tragedy Not Known
But French Aviator Refused
to Ride in Machine

Eagle ambulance alpldile neAI III
dian, Head, Md, 40 miles southeast
of Washington yesterday evening in
a terrific wind and electrical storm.
The dead are:
, Lieut. Col Archie Miller, Z. S. A..
NJ H, Washington.
S Maurice Connolly of Dubuque, Ia,
former member Of the house of rep
Iresentatives.
A G.. Bachelor Of Washington,
chairman of the board of the Ameri-
can automobile association.
Lieut.. Stanley NJ. Anes. Of Boston,
pilot of the wrecked plane.
Lieut.. Cleveland W. McDermott,
| Langley Field, Va
Lieut.. John NJ. I,sennewill, Langley
! Field.
Sgt. Mechanic Richard Blunen-
kranz, Washington.
Army air service officers said the
accident was the worst in the history
of aviation in the United States,
either military or civil and that il
was one of the few in which all Of
he passengers in a falling plane had
| been killed almost Instantly The
l.hip struck the ground nose first and
the force of impact was SO great,
the big 400 horsepower Liberty motor
in the front end Of the craft was
] was torn from its chassis and thrown
back into the cockpit on top OF the
pilot. and the passengers. All OF the
bodies were badly mutila.e
Cause Not known.
Tie Curtis3-Eagle was returning
| from a trip to Langley Field near
Newport News, Va. and had just
crossed the Potomac river when il
ran into the storm which had passed
over Washington an hour before. The
exact cause of the accident proba-
bly, never will be known as those in
the machine were dead when wit
nesses from Morgantown. village
near Indian Head. reached the scene.
An official investigation of the ac-
cident will be ordered. At thai in
vestieation it is possible an inquiry
will be made into the general design
and practical use by the army OF such
machine the only one of its type
IN the army air service. Air service
officers said today that when thu
! plane left Langley Field it was ap-
parently in perfect running condl-
ton and had been functioning prop
erlv during several hours in the
morning and afternoon. Captain De
| La NerSne, air attacte Of the French
embassy. who made the trip in The
Eagle from Washington, said tonight
that in his opinion the Eagle was
unbalanced.
Returned by Boat
The machine was badly balanced +.
I Captain De La Nergne said. 1t hal
= small iaotor. of only 400 horsepow-
er. The weight was TOO much-tht'
pilot could not control it. declined
to return in it and came back by
boat
Representative Campbell of Kan
sas. chairman Of the house rules COM
mit:ee. AID Walsh of Massachu5e IS.
who went to Langley Field IN the
| Eagle. also returned to Washington
by boat. Mr. Campbell said tonight
the clement OF safety had no. entered
into their decision not TO return IN
the Eagl-: that both OF them were
seasick and the air in the closed
plane Was bad.
III the ship had been open we
would have returned it, said Mr.
Campbell Il suggested to Walsh
that we return by boat. He was
seasick and | didn't feel very steady
We had hten more than two hours
u, sea in a Martin bomber obsrlV-
ing bombing experiment.
..On the way down to Langley
Field the air was rough and Very
l,unpv. We had Il wonderfully good
pilot. He would run into an air BANK
like it was q hillside. and then the
machine would drop. sometimes more
than 100 tcrt.
yErisaI.-r General Mitchell. as
sstanr chief al The army ain service
who accompanied the t,ag!e 10 Lang
ley Fltll and nho had an cNcitinS
battle with The stu. during his Re-
tlra nisht. said Lieutenant A:nes
pilotiI,@ the Easle. WAS regarded as
one Of h, best lii";s IN tht' St'f'i''i'
and that his ship WAS apparently III
perfect condition.
'W. fel, II" concern for his safe
tv." sad th. general, and Wh''n me
t,a:.i.. cilrl,.d over the t,.id Il couple
OF times ici"lr strengthening out on
the nor,h,rly cnln:;t. for Washington
II WAS running perfectly. We waved
coed -bv, from th,. field expecting
that the his ship would be III Wash
ineton before We werr ready TO leave