Evening star., 1927-11-07
HOMES AND BARNS
FLOAT ON WATER
Crew of Photographic Plane
Graphically Describes
Flood Conditions.
BY c. Ii. ALLEN.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

airplane in which we made tour of
the New England flood area took off
from Curtess Field, Long Island, at
$40 am. Sunday after the pilot, Bill
Winslow, and two mechanics had
spent the better part of two hours
starting a motor that did not take
kindly to the idea of working so early
on Sunday. A bit of hot water in its
radiation finally made it cough into
action and few minutes saw it purr-
ing sweetly.
Winslow headed northeast. The
weather at Curtiss Field was clear,
although q gusty wind was Just be.
ginning to rise, and one of the ground
men had predicted ideal conditions all
the way. He was even more posi-
tive when told the New York Wealth
er Bureaus prophecy on Saturday
night had been for clouds over Yer
mont and eastern New York, with
probable rain squalls or snow flurries.
That clinches it," he said; "if they
said it would be bad it's bound to be
good"
Despite a northwest wind we passed
Bridgeport. Conn.,. at S:35, crossed the
Housatonic at Darby Junction and
saw New Haven or 10 miles at
our right Is minutes later. The
country became more rugged; Mount
Carmel slipped by on the east and a
little later we picked up Meriden by
TWO adjacent peaks, Cathole Noun.
tain and West Peak.
Discomforts forgotten.
Discomforts were forgotten as the
Connecticut, a strangely distorted and
far-spread river, hove into sight ahead.
Trees appeared to be growing in the
middle OF the stream with here and
there houses, barns and other outbuild-
ings. Here we dropped down to with.
in SO feet of the buildings.
AS the plane came closer we saw
that the houses were second-Storv deem
in the muddy gray water, sluggish
and seemingly with little direction or
current here because Of the wide area
1t had overrun. Our map and watch
informed us that this was Cromwell.
Conn.,, at 9:05.
A larger town down river claimed
our attention, and we surveyed it at
heights of so to 500 feet. 1t proved
to be Middletown, and on the way to
look it over we spied a wagon bridge
strangely awry on its piers as the
water Tapped its fioorings, and rising
IN grotesque isolation because the flood
hld for hundreds of yards on either
side the road it was wont to serve.
Summer cottages, outlying dwelling
houses and riverside factories in Mid.
dletown were cut off from dry land by
the flood. but appeared to stand solidly
on their foundations in the slow.mov.
ing water despite their half.submer.
sion. The bridges across the normal
ped OF the river between Middletown
ana Portland were intact, but the
mIIn6v.OrQv HnAd of
of the piers.
Northward along the winding course
OF the Connecticut, Summer cottages
marked the otherwies obliterated river
banks. their caves barely above the
surface in many places and their win.
dow-tops giving them the appearance
or hfppopotamuses in some vast pool
with only their nostrils and broad fore.
heads peeping out of the water. Great
tobacco barns, their contents ruined.
spotted the flooded fields in grim eco.
nomic tragedy. Farm houses every.
where seemed cut off from the rest Of
the world by great sheets of muddy
water. Thus we flew on to Hartford.
Water Covers Airport.
Here, at s:20. we located the Hart
FORD Airport. headquarters Of the Con.
necticut National Guard Air Service.
by a bravely fiuttering wind cone on
the hangar roof. A fine field it would
have made-for ducks! The runways
were covered with 10 to Is feet of the
stun that boats run on. Only the
roofs OF the hangers and the faithful
cone, indicating the wind direction for
any one who cared to land, were above
the greedy flood.
Hartford itself was an aquatic citv
wherever its buildings stood on land
only a little higher than the river
banks. but here, as at most other
cities along the Connecticut, factories.
warehouses and the poorer class of
residences seemed to have been the
cnief sufferers, the main part Of the
city being on high enough ground to
go 0nscatched. All through this
region the rivers breadth, because it
varied from to 5 miles.
AT each new spectacle Winslow
would send the plane down to within
so feet Of the surface.
AT S:35 we were over Windsor.
Conn, and found the river still fairly
we'll contained between its high banks
but rushing along at tremendous
speed. A railroad bridge which was
almost awash, seemed to be still firm.
iy on It's piers, but washouts further
up and down the river rendered this
OF no immediate consequence. A
wagon bridge was being used by au.
tomobiles. but the road leading from
IT ran for less than a mile before 1t
became sunken road, and the baff1e,1
motorists stopped at the edge of the
food.
Fly Over Springfield.
Thus we passed into Massachusetts
ana on to Springfield. where again we
lound the municipal airport a sight
70 please only ducks or flying boats.
In the door OF one half-submerged
hangar as Winslow dipped low and
pointed, we saw a plane with onlv
It's top wing above the surface. a me.
chanical bird that had not flown to
sateiy. Springfield itself was com.
lortabiy above water, but its factories
were flooded and many of its ware.
houses and outlying residences OF
poorer type surrounded and half filled
by water. The Eastern States expo.
sitlon grounds in west Springfield
were distinguishable only by the
grandstands and other buildings which
projected above the flood.
dere, as we circled low to elinnse
any refugees who might have been
caught on top of their houses. we
saw boat rowing toward dry ground
from a group of buildings, and led
by halter behind it and snorting
with Indignation but swimming well
gray cart horse which evidently had
peen rescued from his stable.
10 the west as we passed Winslow
pointed out the swollen WestfieId
ltlver, cause Of most of the damage to
Spfingneld when it was flooded by an
overfiowing reservoir.
we passed over Chicopee and Hol.
yoke. noting dam at the latter place
"hlch seemed to be holding it's own
against the river, though taking a lot
or punishment. We were still flying
at low altitude and missing nothing,
SO that when Winslow pointed the