The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-26
MARTIN And AIDE
WILDLY GREETED
RETURN HOME
Filters Reach American
Shores On Fishing Boat :
After Hard Experience

BELLINGHAM, Wash, May 25.-
Acclaimed wildly as heroic survivors Of
daring adventure, Major Frederick L.
Martin, commander of the American
round the world airplane flight, and
Sergeant Alva Harvey, his mechanician,
came back to the United States Sun
day after their perilous landing in
the dismal wastelands of Alaska.
Martin and Harvey arrived on a
fishing boat at 10 o'clock in the morn
ing. Thousands of spectators had gath
cred at the Pacific American fish
cries wharf here to greet them. The
crowd cheered madly, while the local
band blared a reception to the strains
of Hail, the Conquering Hero Comes"
Standing on the bridge with her arm
over the shoulder of her husband was
Mrs. Martin, while their little son,
Robert, stood between them. Too i'm
patient to wait until the fishing craft
reached the wharffi Mrs. Martin and
Robert had gone out in launch early
n the morning to meet the boat. Martin
and Harvey, the latter standing by the
rail of the ship, bowed and waved to
the crowd as the ship pulled against
the dock.
Happy Over Return
Both airmen appeared to be in ex-
cellent condition, their faces bronzed
and carrying expressions of joy over
their return.
e. B. Deming, president of the Paci-
fic American Fisheries, was the first
official welcomer.
when you flew over my home at
flight north, / made up mind to give
give it to you now," Deming told Maj
or Martin.
The airmen returned on the steamer
Catherine D, on which passage was
arranged soon after they had reached
ardous seven-day tramp through ice and
plane.
A spontaneous outburst of pleasure
came to Major Martins lips when he
was introduced to Archie w. Shells,
vice president of the Pacific American
Fisheries and director of its Alaskan
activities.
II should say I'm glad to meet you,"
Martin exclaimed. when we came
to your cannery, we received the finest
treatment anyone could get. And the
food-say, it saved our lives"
When theofficial greetings had ended,
Major and Mrs. Martin went to the
home of Mrs. Martins sister here. Git
liens of Bellingham We'd with each
other in their offers to entertain Ser
geant Harvey.
Welcomed By Mayor
1--WE are glad to welcome you back
to the states from your perilous adven-
ture," said Mayor John U. Kellogg of
Bellingham in officially greeting Major
Martin. But we do wish you had been
able to go on with your flight. 1t is
such spirit as yours, to try to the ut
most, that has made America great,
and yours, too" he emphasized in
turning to Sergeant Harvey.
Lieut.. P. j. Koenig, commander of
Sand Point flying field and represent
ing Major General Patrick, expressed
that the major and SER
geant had emerged safely from their
While citizens of this city and Seattle
were greeting the returned filters, cam
eramen crowded around to get snap
shots of the Major, Mrs. Martin and
their son, Robert, who chung close
to his father, When the greetings were
over Major Martin and Sergeant Har-
vey shook hands with all the members
of the boys band that had played for
their arrival.
There was divine power that
guided and controlled our destinies or
We would have perished," Major Martin
said
Martin told new details of the fight
he and Sergeant Harvey made to save
themselves from the relentless cruelties
If the arctic.
Never Lost Hope
mot once did we lose hope that in
he end we would reach safety" Major
Martin said, Notwithstanding the fact
hat for the last three days of our
Journey before reaching a trappers
,abin, we travelled on will power alone.
my greatest motive to struggle on
vas my desire to return to my wife
md son.
Harvey struggled to save himself for
lis mothers sake.
1--WE never once feared DEATH"
Martin attributes their escape from
injury when their plane crashed to the
TACT that it struck the mountainside
where the slope was gradual and
slipped for 100 feet over the snow in
stead of coming to an abrupt stop.
Harvey and l each looked up from
The wreckage and at the same moment
shouted:
Are you hurt?
HApd aaah iurDodiotaly oDsr,o,.l ,
No
Find Plane Wrecked
Then we jumped out of the cockpit
and examined the plane, finding it
wrecked"
They spent that night trying to rest,
without success, in the wreckage of
the place. The fog continued the next
lay and they made no attempt to
travel.
The following morning-May 2
they again tried to reach the Pacific
shore, which, they believed, was only
about two hours away.
Their clothes were damp and were
unsuited to such travel in the arctic
cold. Harvey, in addition, was snow
blind.
I'VE travelled about three hours"
Martin said, through deep snow. 1t
was desperate travel.
Finally we crossed a creek, and
came up a steep incline. but the fog
made it impossible for us to continue
in that direction, so we retraced our
steps to the creek.
I'VE followed the creek all day and
until 4 80 p. m, when we discovered
a marshy plain, which seemed to extend
30 or 40 miles
Make Bed OF Rocks
1T was hopeless, however, to go for
ward. so we returned to a bunch of