Evening star., 1923-04-22
LAWSON BOMB EXPERT.

Brig. Gen. William Mitchell, assist
| ant chief of the Army Air Service,
who arrived here tonight from the
| scene of the airplane crash at Dayton,
was killed. was the greatest bomber
| officer in the service" He directed
| the bombs which sunk the battle
! ships Alabama and the former Ger
| man battleship Ostfriesland in the
| bombing tests off the coast, the ma
| chine was used and accompanied by
the same crew, three of whom were
killed.
| One victim OF the fatal accident at
layton Yesterday lived in this city;
physicist of the bureau of standards,
and expert on illumination in traffic;
| Capt. w. r. Lawson, also killed, had
\ served in 1919 as chief OF the civil
| operations section in the Office of the
| chief OF the Army Air Service here.
| Captain Lawson was born October
70. 1899. at Glenn Alter. Ga. Hi.
| nome address was Kissimmee. Fla.
| where he leaves a wife and two
| children. Prior to the war he served
| OFFICER in the Alabama Nationl Guard
! pom the outbreak of the war he
! sailed overseas with the Rainbow
| Division 42d).
He was n commissioned officer in
| the 167th Infantry under Col w. p.
| screws In February 1913. he was
! detailed in the air service and served
! as operations officer and aerial OBJ
| server to November. 1918.
! Awarded ID. ). G. For Heroixm.
| He was awarded the distinguished d
service cross for repeated acts of
heroism in action near ST. Mihiel,
! France, July 10 10 September l3. 1918.
lie showed rare courage on a recon
! naissance flight over the enemy line,
| When he continued on his mission
after s.; being seriously wounded by
ann ann aircraft FIRE ON September 13,
his wounds. he volunteered for a par
! tlcularly dangerous mission recurring
a seventy y-tive-kilometer flight over
! the enemy line. Because Of weather
, conditions he was forced to hy ar a
dangerously low altitude. and was
| repeatedly fired on by anti-aircraft
| and machine guns. He successfully
accomplished his mission and return
ed with important information.
Upon his return to the United States
after the signing of the armistice he
served as instructor at the School for
Aerial Observers. at Post Field. For,
Sill, Okla. from December. 1918, to
April. 1919. Since November. 1919. he
Hamnton fIan9a Gohtinuouf1y Va sly at Langley Field
from the. Field Officers School at that
! station. and at the time of his death
| was commanding the goth Bornba I'd
ment Squadron. Capt. Lawson was a
particularly qualified in flying planes
of the bombing type, such as the
Martin bomber and the Handley-Page
according to the War Department.
! Chl Manchester Smith. thirty years
, or age. who was so seriously injured
that he died at $3.50, shortly after the
! accident. at Miami Valley Hospital
had been at the bureau of standards
both as civilian and during the
war. as an expert assigned from the
| Engineer Corps of the Army for tech
! nical detail service.
! Michigan Graduate.
He was born at Howell, Mich, and
was graduated by the University OF
| Michigan in 1916. Following gradu-
/ alton he went to YOUNGSTOWN. Ohio
where he engaged in electrical engi-
neerfng. later enlisting in the service
He was detailed to the bureau OF
STANDARDS here and later to the
United States engineer depot at Sche-
| nectady, y. Y, where he was engaged
In searchlight work for the Army
! He returned to the bureau in a ci-
william capacity about a year and a
the illuminating engineering depart
ment. He had been collecting infor-
| nation as TO the use Of colors in
handling traffic. not only OF automo-
| biles, but OF airplanes and vessels. He
made the trip to Dayton in the in
terest of this work, officials Of the
bureaus of standards said, for the frst
practical effort to get frst-hand in
| formation as to the use of colors in
| connection with the handling Of air
plane traffic, He was said to have
left Washington Thursday 1t was
his first flight
Mr.. Smith had also been adviser for
the District traffic committee, fur
nishing the committee with headlight
| requirements as a part of the new
traffic rules now under consideration
His home is 1910 Georgia avenue.
Surviving are the widow, Mrs
Merle Smith of this city. his father
and mother. Mr.. and Mrs. w. d. Smith
a brother. Hazen Smith, and one sis
ter, Miss Eva Smith. all Of San Diego
Calf. and grandfather and grand
mother, Mr.. and Mrs. F. G. Beach OF
Howell, Mich.
Mr.. Smith was a member of New
Jerusalem Lodge of Masons, which
may participate in the funeral serv-
ices. Burial probably will be in Arl.
ington cemetery.
News Of his death was locally re.
Iceived through the Boiling Field radio
service. and from the Miami Valley
| Hospifal