The Nome nugget., 1927-04-16
MONDAY
PLANE WRECKED
 NEAR SELAWK


 Candle merchant, and one of the passengers who left here on the plane last Tuesday for Candle. wired us . graphic description of the flight and the concluding inci-- dents. The telegram is herewith quoted verbatum:
 Candle. April 10. Leaving Nome Tuesday we followed the Norton Bay coastline almost to the mouth of the Koyuk river. then set 6 course northerly toward Candle. The air was very bumpy across the country and the visibility was poor. We crossed the hydraulic pipe line and made a landing on the river to ascertain our whereabouts not being certain whether we crossed the Inmachuk or Bear creek pipe line. We took of again to locate Kotzebue Sound and within a few minutes We were over the ice flying along the shore line, but were un- able to identify any landmarks be- cause of the haze. Suddenly the weather thickened and everything became gray. We were about five hundred feet up and dropped to l"wer level hoping to be able to look through the haze. The alti- meter registered about three hund- red feet. We were looking for land marks when the plane struck the ice and turned over and came to sop, upside down. We crawled out discovering that we were in an old time blizzard, the kind I haven't seen for fifteen years. The plane was damaged badly and Ne were dazed and slightly bruised. and we made haste to save ourselves from the freezing weather using the body of the plane and some of the wings as wind break. Here we spent two nights and one day with cut bedding and very little fire, and keeping awake all the time. We used the skis and parts of the wings of the plane to heat water. On the second day the shore line came in eight and we made fer clump of willows thinking we were II, Buckland Bay, but not finding any cabins there, we were fn~cei to wait for clear weather until We could sight high land marks. A: two D. m. we caught sight of range of mountains which were recognized and located our vhere- abouts to be on Selawik Lake about five miles from the junction of the lake and Hotham Inlet and !rci- dentally exactly on the Arctic Cir cle. We started for Call"han's shelter cabin staying out in the open that night. We arrived at Callahan's shelter cabin at 8:30 a. m. next morning and shortly af- ter our arrival there. another storm came up. That evening two dog teams arrived from Noorvik which we engaged. We arrived at Candle a, 10:45 p. m. on the ninth. We travelled all day through the storm. AS to the hardships encountered, we leave that to the imagination of the old timers who have weathered real storms in the open. Outside of a broken nose and a few bruises we are all o. K., but rather fatigu- ed. The pilot. and Mir. Roadway are efficient, rapid thinkers and are very good companions in their first real Alaskan experience as Chee- ehaccos. Our present wish Is that we would like to make another flight with Mir. Merrill as our pilot. All Candle is delighted over our safety. but disappointed at being cheated out of the thrill they were expecting. Summing 1t up. outside of the bad weather encountered. my enthusiasm about hying Is not dam pened in the least and feel that the old way of distant travel by the dog team Is doomed"
 The plane landed in an untnhaOtt- ed, desolate section of the penin- sula. Had 1t not been for the in timate knowledge of the country possessed by MT. Robinson. the en- tire party might have perished from exposure and starvation.
 From other sources we have learned that the engine of the plane has suffered some damage, but to what extent is unknown at the hour of gong to press. It is expected that the Anchorage Corporation will dispatch another plane to the scene of the wreck for the purpose of making a survey of the wreck with a view to it's rehabilitation