The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-12
PANTHER CHASES
STRANDED AVIATOR

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,panther and compelled to spend the
greater part Of the night III the
ibranchessof q large cypress tree in
'the wilds Of the Big Cypress country;
BADLY bitten, by, mosquitoes; his
clothes torn tostatters by the cruel
teeth ofN~the giant saw grass of the
south Florida swamps; without food
for nearly 40 hours-these.. were
among the experiences of Cadet Ray
mond White, Carlstrom Field aviator,
whose plane crashed in the wilds of
southeastern Lee county last Thurs
day about noon, and who returned to
the flying field this afternoon in one
of the planes that had searched for
him since last Thursday.
Cadet White, whose home is at
Pritehett, Texas, was making a prac-
tice flight from Carlstrom field to
Okeechobee City and return Thurs
day. The Fl, t part of the flight was
completed without incident and Cadet
White, flying alone, started to return
but lost his bearing and sense of di-
rection completely almost as soon as
he started.
Instead of flying enthusiastically
White headed his plane almost due
south.
When at point about 40 miles
southwest of Immokalee, Lee county,
his fuel tank ran dry and his plane
crashed. The plane fas completely
wrecked, but White escaped injury.
He stayed with the wrecked plane
until the sun had sunk far enough to
give him his direction. Then White
started to walk toward the northwest,
looking for signs of human habitation
but finding none.
With his clothing torn to tatters
and bitten almost beyond endurance
by the swarms of mosquitoes in the
swampy saw grass, night overlook the
aviator in the edge of the big cypress
swamp and he prepared to spend the
night under a tree.
During the night one of the PAN
theirs that infest the section chased
White into the branches of a. tree,
and there he remained until daylight.
Continuing his tramp, foodless and
with only the swamp water to quench
his thirst, young White was picked up
Friday evening about o'clock by a
Seminole Indian and was taken to the
scanap &C assnali band. Of the Southerp
Seminoles. There he spent the NIGHT,
proceeding Saturday to another camp
several miles distant. On the way two
of the searching planes from Carl
strom field were sighted, but signals
from the young aviator and his Semi
nole guide were not seen and the
planes passed on.
Saturday afternoon the aviator anC
his guide reached Kennedy Carson's
ranch, where the night was passed arC
White had the first meal he had eater
since Thursday. Early this mornina
Carson started with White in a buck
board for Immokalee. On the way
anotho, of the searching planes wa.
sigh Il and Carson and White, signal
ing with a sheet, attracted the atten
ton of the flyers and the plane made
landing.
White was taken aboard AMI The
plane made the return flight to Carl
strom field, reaching there shortly b.
fore dark tonight. White suffered T.,
i'll effects of his experience beyond tn,
mosquito bites, fright caused by th'
panther and the exhaustion Of hi
walk, in which he covered at least ;,
miles in the worst country in soutl
Florida.
Four big de Haviland planes, r2
quested by Commandant Royse O
Carlstrom field from Montgomery
Ala, arrived at the field about
o'clock this evening. The planes lef
Montgomery at daylight this morning
and made the trip of approximate
GOO without difficulty.