The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-12-02
Planes and
Radio Hunt
Mail Pilot
Nine L. S. Planes Circle Sier-
ras Where Clare Vance
Believed Lost-Radio
Stations Send Calls.
Amman Is Lost "a Hours
By international News service.

San Francisco, Dec. 1.-From the
air. by telephone and by, radio gi
gantic search was being conducted to-
night of the snow capped Sierra noun
tairis for trace of Clare X. Vance. not
ed air mail pilot. missing now more
than "a hours.
Nine government planes circled low
over the newly fallen snow fields in
the upper reaches of the mountains
which tower more than 10000 feet
in search Of some trace of Nance's
plane. The air pilot with cargo of
mail left San Francisco at 2 p. m.
yesterday and was last seen at z:20
p. m. yesterday five miles east OF the
summit of the mountains battling a
northerly gale in a snow storm
More Planes Join Hunt.
Every governmental agency was to-
night cooperating in the search for
the lost aviator. The army air service
furnished six Of the seven planes
which left here today to hunt for
Vance. Two air mail service planes
flew from Reno, which was Eance's
destination. and this evening addition
al air mail planes were en- route from
Elko. Nevada. and Salt Lake City.
Utah. TO join in the search.
The aviators already in the air
planned to fly this evening until dusk
forced them back to their temporary
base at Mather field. Sacramento. In
the morning a fleet of AT least dozen
and possibly more planes viii take the
air
Amateur and government radio sta
tions at frequent intervals are broad
casting the fact that Vances plane
has probably crashed at some lonely
point and asking that close watch be
kept and report made Of any wreck
The available telephones in the mour
tain country have all been pressed
into service and their owners asked
TO join In the search.
Searching Parties Out.
The forest rangers in the high
reaches of the Sierras tonight join
ed the search. From their head-
quarters at Placerville and Nevada
City searching parties were sent cut.
Word from the rangers headquarters
stated that one OF the rangers yester-
day afternoon about AS sighted A
plane in the American River canxcn-
This oorroborated an earlier report
from a railroad crew that a plane
believed TO have been Nenee's vas
sighted at Elders. a little railroad
station. high in the mountains. The
Elders reports said the plane VAS no.
IL -
ward in the face OF stiff gale that
was blowing. Snow was then falling.
the report said. Vance is one of the
most experienced pilots in the air
mail service. Ee has a record OF
over 400 round.trip flights over the
Sierfas and was one OF the flyers 10
inaugurste transoont.nentai air maii
flying.
salt Lake CITY, Utah, Dec. Two
airplones. one carrying Superinsen-
dent Claron Nelson. OF the western
division OF the United States air
mail service left here at rs p. M.
for Reno where Mr.. Nelson will take
charge of the search for Clare Vance,
pilot, missing since late yesterday in
the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Superintendent Nelson believes
Vance is down around Colfax, Cal.
and that he may have gained shelter
in some isolated ranch house.
Vance has a wide reputation as a
flyer. Last summer he built a plane
OF special design in which he con-
templated making a franscontinentai
flight He was deferred from this
experiment because OF motor Diff
fieGlties which he was not able ta
overcome before the season was too
far advanced for the undertaking.