Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-12
CRACKED FITTING DISCOVERED
AS NOTED PLANE IS UNPACKED

splinters from the case, which Ad.
nniral Burrage said Coli Lindbergh
had promised him for a bungalow.
They ripped into the sides and on the
corners and attacked the box with
vengeance. Finally one or two blue.
jackets. visuaIizirg nothing to con-
vey over to the air station as long as
the hacking continued put stop to
the souvenir hunters.
Task Takes Hour.
Altogether it was a little more
than an hour from the time the crane
began work on the fist box until it
had towed the wing box through the
air few feet and placed 1t aboard
the yard explosive Then it went
back after the bigger box, lifted 1t
above the ground a few feet, Daniel
put the crane into reverse and 1t
towed this cargo to the explosive"
Among the interested spectators
aboard the Memphis was Capt,
Lackey. skipper of the ship. He
felt his responsibility in delivering the
plane TO Col. Lindbergh in good
order. and when the wing box sailed
over the side he sent up a cheer and
shouted his congratulations to Boat.
Il
him. The Memphis thereupOn had
done her duty and all aboard turned
to thoughts of other things.
Aboard the vessel with such an un'
romantic name, the two cases moved
slowly down to the Naval Air tation
dock 1t slid alongside after turning
down stream and here Lieut.. Comdr
A. C. Miles and Lieut.. Henderson
coats and caps discarded, directed the
operations, while Boatswain Fitzpat
rick from the bridge superintended the
hooking up of the package.
Bolts Are Unscrewed.
Impatient to get at their task, the
mechanics had opened the wing box
while floating down the river and were
ready to put it ashore. The fuselage
box had to go first. however. and all
eyes centered on the boom Of the
"YE' as lips muttered hope that il
wouldn't break in midair. This boom
likewise, has lifted far in excess OF
$500 pounds, but never has it beer
given such a priced cargo to handle
Hence the anticipation.
The big. box was lowered on the
dock with no difficulty and six bolts
at one end were unscrewed. The enc
was showed aside and within, neatly
and securely packed. was the Spirit OF
ST. Louis in an indisposed condition
as far as beauty was concerned. A
blast of hot air rushed out as the side
was removed despite the fact that the
British packers had placed a large
ventilator on the case.
This much Of the plane was intact
Propeller. engine, fuselage, landing
gear and wheels and rudder fins
Wrapped in burlap and strapped tc
the sides of the roomy case were
four struts which run from the lower
part of the fuselage to under the
wing and the elevators, rudder and
various pieces of strip metal cowl-
wing was taken off.
Task With Wing.
Blocks nailed around the wheels
and tail skid, held the fuselage in
place. These were knocked away
and the ship was rolled out in 1C
minutes after the case end was
| opened, and, through a lane of about
100 spectators who had remained for
the sight. was pushed around to the
hangar.
The task of getting the wing ashore
! from the high deck of the "YE'
| involved the employment of nearly
| 80 bluejackets, who were hustled t.
the dock from all parts of the sta
ton. Groaning and putting under
their load, one group lifted one enc
of the wing down to the dock while
another crew pushed UP on the Other
| end.
| Augmented by many more, thu
wing was placed on the shoulders o.
the sailors and. resembling a cent?
pede, was conveyed around to the
hangar, which had been roped Off t.
permit work without interference. A.
far as could be determined, no souve
mir hunter attempted to get slic,
from the plane.
Donald A! Hall, chief engineer O