Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-10-19

a
- ~ eer." a marine captain who
II has experienced more
\ thrilling adventures than
Dumas D'Artagnan; an
athlete who has won many champion
ships and represented the United
State in the Olympic games: an Of
1iCer who has fought in a half-dozen
wars and revolutions: man who has
sailed the seas, rode the range. sought
wealth far underground in mines.
worked as a harvest hand, rode the
brake rods of tranScontinental trains
always foremost in the greatest of
LIES notwithstanding Capt. John
II Craige, aide-de- camp of Maj. Gen.
I.ejeune and official mouthpiece of the
famous United States Marine Corps.
1t is a record leap from Il fresh
mans seat at a theological school to
the ringside of an olympic games
wrestling match. but that is the jump
which Jack Craige made. His parents
selected the ministerial profession
for their son. but the boy Sidestepped
and ran away to Sed when IA years
old to begin career more adVentur-
Gus than those pictured in hctlons
best sellers
II YOU have read of that hardy
viking. Lief the Lucky, who sailed
unknown seas where no other ship
would go, who established new and
novel records in nautical daring, who
always was responding to the urge
of greater deeds to do. you Will be
,hetter able to appreciate the remark
able activities of Cralge. FOR the
popular marine officer responds to
the same lures of adventure as those
which piQued the daring Norsemen
of many centuries ago.
During the last score of years, the
of John
ways to be found wherever danger
was to be met and daring was an as
set over Uncle Sans big map.
Washingtonians will be interested
particularly in some of the later
accomplishments of Capt. Craige, for
this history was written in the latl-
tude close to the National Capital.
John Craige wins the newly made
rank of the worlds first flying war
correspondent. This comes in con-
sequence of the extraordinary meth
DDS he has used for four years IN
getting all the news of the United
states Marine Corps maneuvers into
TIE public press in post haste fash
ion, despite that these activities were
staged in remote localities which
were even inaccessible by telephone.
Beset by communication difficult
ties, Capt Craige went away up be-
Nond the clouds to solve the riddle
and worked out the novel aerial
press service system as a result.
Subsequent to the return of the
marines from overseas duty Maj Gen.
Iejeune decided to inaugurate some
thing different in the annual maneu-
vers which the devil dogs Gus
tomarily fostered AS a consequence
in 1921 Grants battle of the Wilder
ness was refought in a remarkable
pageant and Spectacular performance
on that historic battlefield Two
thousand marines were marched from
Quantico to the Wilderness war
grounds. Members of Congress and
former President Warren G. Harding
accepted invitations to view the
great spectacle.
X X +
THE wilderness was so miles by
airline from Washington. Tele-
phone facilities were not availa Bile
close to the field. 1t was a problem
how to get the information to Wash
jngton in expeditions manner, SO that
it might be served to the leading
newspapers and news agencies. IL
timately, Capt. Craige. who is in
charge of publicity for the United
States Marine Corps, decided to uti
lize an airplane as a messenger of
war news.
he arranged to leave Washington
at daybreak every morning during
the maneuverS. He few down to the
Wilderness, gathered up all the news.
and then speedily made the jump back
to Washington. By 10 o'clock in the
morning. he had all the available
war news" in the hands of the
Washington correspondents who fed
1T by telegraph wire to the important
American newspapers.
During the three weeks of the Will
derness maneuvers Capt. Craige flew
n total of $500 miles in his unusual
press agent vehicle. This is the first
attempt on record to harness the air
plane as an official publicity assistant.
The attempt was a great success.
capt. Craige wrote hundre DIS of thou
sands of words of copy, which were
circulated all over the country and
handled as swiftly as though the news
was made close to marine headquar-
tiers in Washington.
Naturally, where an unusual flying
assignment of this character is at
tempted the vagaries of wind and
weather play important roles. One
morning, when Capt Craige and an
Army pilot hoped off from Boiling
Field. OF Sol was smiling and the in
dications were propitious for fair
weather. Hardly had the plane as
ccnded to a satisfactory flying alti-
tude than a raging gale developed
d 60-mile north wind began to func-
lion and sweep the tail of the fragile
cloud cruiser.
Capt. Craige. huddled in the cock