The Nome nugget., 1923-09-15
LOST AVIATOR I4AJOTTE WAS COMPELLED TO MAKE
 FORGED LANDING

plane hopped on from Nome on Sept. 7th at 12:30 P. N in a1 at tempt to connect Council with Nome by air line. A. about P. N the same day Laintte passed over the | mouth of Fish river apparently lost. Eric Johnson of Council saw Ldjotte come into view out of a cloud or fog hank at about 2000 feet al.itu.. Instead of going up the Niukiuk river Lajotte laid course up Fis: river.
 After learning of Lajotte's having passed over the mouth of Fish river. D. Compton who is partner of Laiotte's. and native. left Counc'l at , P. NJ. and arrived at the june ton of Fish river and the Niukluk at P. NJ. remaining over night at
 that location Compton and Peter | Couche Ga native) left the junction at 4:30 A. NJ. on the morning Of the 1 Sth in small boat with four days rations intending to go to the Silver 1 Mines a distance of 46 miles rom
 the mouth of Fish river.
 On Sept. Sth U. s. Commissioner Thornton here at Nome was appeal ed to by Captain Thomas A. Ross who was representing the Mayor. and was asked to do something in
 getting searching party started to ! locate the missing aviator. The Commissioner wanted to know if it
 was certain that the man was lost. 1 At 9:35 P. M. Captain Ross tele- phoned to Council at the request Of | the Mayor. to ascertain if relnr 1 party had been sent out by the U. $. Commissioner at Council. an answer came back to the effect that the Commissioner of Council who was engaged on dredge, was asleep. l and that there was no cause or alarm. Commissioner Thornton of Nome was then made acquainted | with the above information and
 then stated that he could do nothing
 as if was up to the Commissioner at
 Council.
 Captain Ross then took the mat ] ter up with Judge Lomen who upon 1 learning the facts called up the U. s. Commissioner Thornton of Nome
 and asked him what was being done
 n regards to locating the missing
 ,viator. whereupon Thornton re
 pied that he would call up the Com
 missioner at Council and quote him
 the law on the subject and then if
 the Council Commissioner did not
 act that he (Thornton) would.
 f On Sunday Sept 9th Captain Ross | called up Ed. Pfaffle at Chinik and asked him what he knew about the
 whereabouts of Lajotte. Pfaffle re-
 piled that he knew nothing about
 the affair. this took place at 1:15
 P. NJ. At 3:45 P. NJ. the same day
 Captain Ross called up Eric Johnson at White Mountain and in response
 to questions Johnson replied that he
 was working and could not very
 well get away, but stated that some
 thing should be done to find the
 missing man and plane.
 On Sept. 9th at 9 P. M. Captain Ross again called Eric Johnson at
 White Mountain and requested him
 on behalf of the American Legion to go in search of Lajotte. Johnson
 accepted the request and said that
 he would leave White Mountain
 with a searching party and take 3 days rations with him. boat was to meet him at the mouth of the |l Niukluk from Council at daylight
 the following day and their opera tions would start from there. On Tuesday Sept. 11th at 4:5o P. NJ. MT, Kenny the telephone op- orator at Council called Captain
 Ross on the telephone and told him
 that Lajotte was safe and had ar
 rived at Chinik with a native, both
 walking from where the plane had landed, no date was given as to when Lajotte had arrived but it is surmised that he arrived on the 11th. At 6 P. M. Ross called La jotte at Chinik and had to have Kenny at Council relay the mes sage, Captain Ross told Lajotte that the Legion was behind him in any expense incurred. Lajotte stated 1, that there was nothing that couit ha Ja,o r1ono until fh,