Evening star., 1924-08-04
ONE PLANE WRECKED IN FLIGHT:
TWO OTHERS SAFE IN ICELAND

was belching great clouds of smoke
from her four stacks as she cut
through the ocean at 80 knots. In
the meantime the air was fairly burn
ing with messages between the Rich
mond and the Billingsley.
Hear Smith Is Safe.
One after another the destroyers
Reid and Raleigh told of Smith
passing them safely, and finally came
word of his safe arrival at Hornaf-
jord. To augment the search for the
missing Boston, Lieut.. Wade's ship.
observation planes carried on the
Richmond were brought on deck. and
one was placed in the ships catapult,
ready to be launched.
To add to the difficulty of the search
and increase the fears of all on board
the cruiser as she crashed through
the seat at top speed, cold rain be-
gan falling and the barometer drop
ped steadily, sure harbinger of an ap-
preaching storm. Finally Lieut.. Com
mander Bruce Leighton, formerly at
tached to the Bureau of Aeronautics.
in Washington, and radio operator,
were gotten over the ships side in a
light seaplane.
Their instructions were to fly a
zizzag course in search of Wade. But
their motor was missing continually
and the approaching arctic storm was
piling up great swells that threat
ened to swamp the small plane.
Tai uh ri ed
to take off in the face of noun
famous seas and finally the Rich
mond prepared to take him back on
board. At the same minute the Bill
Kingsley flashed word that Wade and
ogden had been rescued.
Picked Up by Trnwler.
The message stated that a British
trawler had picked up the two men
at 60 degrees 40 minutes north lati-
tude, degrees % minutes west
Harold Sallada to put off from the
Richmond in a second plane were
cancelled, Commander Leighton was
taken on board and the cruiser con-
tinued her journey at top speed to
the scene of the rescue The Billings
ley and the trawler were sighted sew
eral hours later.
Lines were passed between the
Richmond and Billingsley and the
latter turned the Boston over to the
cruiser. When 1t was brought along
side, Sergt. ogden began to dismantle
the engine to make 1T possible to
haul the ship on deck, but it was
later decided to let her ride out the
storm, which had broken in all it's
fury. Wade and Ogden had boarded
the Richmond bare few minutes
when the steel boom, weighing ton,
to which the Boston had been made
fast, snapped under the strain of the
tossing plane, and crashed through
it.
The propeller was splintered and
holes were punched on one pontoon
One of the wings was dented and
both wings were badly dented in
places. In addition, Lieut.. Wade ex-
planned that the entire ship had been
| badly sprung from being towed in
| the heavy seas and that 1t had been
otherwise damaged when he landed
| In the meantime 1t was being tossed
about by the sea like chip, render
| ing efforts at salvaging impossible.
Effort to Tow Plane Fails.
Confident that they could never
| again take their faithful plane into
| the air, Wade and Ogden stood watch
| ing it as it fought against over
| whelming Odds. In a desperate ef-
| fort to reach port with the wreck
Capt. Gotten ordered the Boston made
| fast to a long line and began towing g
| it.
His effort, however, was of no avail
| A short time later the Boston capsized
Sadly Lieut.. Wade advised the COM
mander of the Richmond to cut the
| ship adrift and the last seen of it was
! the olive drab fuselage, bottom side
up Turning about, the Richmond
| continued her journey to Reykjavik
Brifly Lieut.. Wade recounted the
| story of the disaster to your CORE
spondent aboard the Richmond. He
was bitterly disappointed. but he &C.