Seward daily gateway. [volume] (Seward, Alaska) 1923-1933, 1924-04-17
DESTROYER OFFICERS
TELL OF RESCUE OF
MISSING PLANE CREW
MAJOR MARTIN AND SERGEANT
HARVEY FOUND CALMLY
AWAITING RESCUE
Taken to Village Of Kanatak
SPEED OF TAlRTY-oNE KNOTS
MADE TO WHERE PLANE
WAS SEEN BY INDIAN

The L. S. destroyers Cory, Lieut.
Commander B. H. Bieri, and Hull,
Commanded by Lieut.. Commander J..
G. billiard, arrived in port this morn
ing on their way TO Seattle The
destroyers have been in the vicinity
OF Seward the past several days sur
vpying the ocean bottom with a sonic
depth finder for the Army Signal
Corps and cableship Dellwood, the
sOundings to be used in laying the
new government cable from Seattle
TO Seward.
The officers aboard the destroyers
tell the following graphic story OF
the rescue of Major F. L. Martin,
and Sergeant Harvey, forced down
Tuesday afternoon near Portage Bay:
About 400 p. m. Wednesday, April
1C, inst, af'fr passing over Kodiak
Island, Major Martins plane, No. l,
the flagship of the Z. S. Army Air
Service Around the World Flight de-
veloped engine trouble which caused
the loss of oil in his crankcase, and
forced him to land shortly afterward
on the west side of Shelikof Strait,
in Portage Bay, on the east coast of
the Aleutian Peninsula. Other planes
proceeded to Chignik Bay, one hun
dred miles southwest and broadcasted
the accident out to the Naval radio
stations of southwestern Alaska
The destroyers Hull and Cory of
the battle fleet were in the vicinity
of Barren islands, headed back to Sc
attle via Seward, having sounded the
ocean bottom from Seattle to Seward
with the Sonic depth finder, the sur
vey to be used by Army Signal Corps
and cableship Dellwood in laying the
new government cable from Seattle
to Seward
At about $40 p. m, Alaskan time,
the Cory, guarding the distress radio
wave, picked up messages via Cor
dova from Lieut. Smith at Chignill
Bay, announcing that Major Martin
was down near Cape Skagnik and last
seen headed west, making a forced
landing The Cory, commanded by
Lieutenant Commander B. H. Bieri
headed west at once, and relayed the
message to the U. S. 5. Hull, com
manded by Lieutenant Commander j.
G. Hilliard, U. S. Navy, commanding
the sounding detachment.
Makes Thirty One Knots
Both ships made all possible speed
at once on two boilers and promptly
lighted off the other two to give full
power. In ten minutes they were
making Is knots, and within an hour
they were making between 80 and
81 knots.
They started from a position 3l2
miles from the scene of Major Mar
tins landing, made top speed for over
ten hours throughout the hight and
arrived off Portage Bay at $3.50 a.
m the 18th
The Cory proceeded a few miles
farther on to search Kialigvak Bay,
just south Of Cape Igvak, and the
Hull proceeded into Portage Bay to
find out if the people of Kanatak
could give them information about
Major Martin.
The people had waited most of the
day to see the planes pass but gave
up shortly before plane number one
was forced down. Only an Indian,
with a couple of native companions,
had seen Major Martins plane go
skimming by and drop behind a
small promontory.
The searching party returned and
the Hull got under way to proceed
slowly OUT Of Portage Bay, skirting
within two miles of the rocky shore.
Meanwhile the Cory had sent boat
party of searchers into Kiallgvak Bay
behind the small islands to hunt for
the machine.
About three miles north of cape
Igvak, the plane was discovered by
the Hull. 1t was anchored inshore
and it's lines blended closely with the
rocky shoreline. The Hull promptly
anchored and sent a boat in charge
of an officer to the plane.
Martin Not Worried
Both Major Martin and Sergeant
Harvey were sitting calmly in the
plane. having spent a night of bitter