Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-28
BODIES OF FLYERS
STARTED FOR HOME
Placed Aboard Vessel as Ar
! gentina MournS-0ther
| Airmen to Continue.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. Feb
ruary 2S.-Renewed evidences of sor
row on the part of the population OF
Buenos Aires over the tragic death OF
Capt. Clinton f. Woolsey and Lieut.
John E. Benton, L. S. Army good will
sviators, were shown today when the
bodies were removed to the steamer
Nauban for the 20-day voyage to New
York.
Several thousand persons gathered
near the Military Club, where the
bodies had lain overnight. and at st,
Johns Anglican Church, where serv-
ices were held. Other hundreds were
at the pier.
President Heads Cortege.
The funeral cortege was headed by
President De Alvear. the ministers OF
marine and war. the personnel OF
the American embassy and consulate
general and flyers companions.
High officials OF both branches of
the Argentine military establishment
and the air service also attended
Before the bodies were placed aboard
the steamer, funeral orationS were
delivered by representatives of the
Argentine army, navy and aviation
service.
The biers were covered with the
National Emblems of Argentinians.
the United States and with floral
tributes from scores of Argentinians.
A battery in the port of Buenos Aires
fired Salvo of guns as a mark of
respect for the dead airmen.
Resume Flight Tomorrow.
The flight will be resumed tomorrow
with a hop to Asuncion, Paraguay.
Maj. Herbert A. Dargue. in COM
mand of the squadron, and Lieut..
Ennis Whitehead, reserve pilot of the
New York, had a narrow escape frRm
death. Lieut.. Whitehead injured his
left ankle when he touched the
ground with his parachute and now
walks with some difficulty.
Maj. Dargue described how the
Detroit crashed into his plane and
how he escaped with his life.
I'VE We're nearing Palomar' Us
miles from Buenos Aires. he said.
THE wind was calm. We closed up
the distance between the planes, ac-
cordirg to custom, in a formation re-
sembling a diamond, the front and
rear planes higher than the machines
to the right and left. SO they could
go lower in case of danger.
Plane Begins to Fall.
When the crash occurred the De-
troit was to the left of my plane, the
New York. At the signal break for
nation the Detroit began to heave.
Seeing the formation opening / con-
fined my attention to my own plane,
but suddenly the Detroit. instead of
continuing to open the formation. con-
verged upon my machine. hitting it
slightly on the left wing, and in
stantly the tragedy had occurred.
MY machine failed to respond when
] worked the levers controlling di-
rection. 1t began to fall rapidly. The
first sensation was that my end had
arrived.
II quickly started to unloose the
straps which bound me i'm my seat
and moved to open the parachute. l
then saw myself lifted by the force
of the parachute and the rapid fall of
the New York. At first the parachute
opened, but with the greatest anxiety
I observed that a large part of the
parachute became entangled with the
plane. and l started for earth with
the machines, the New York and De-
eroit falling as one.
Death Seemed Certain.
"T tried to pun myself out some
now, Dut L tselleVe my weight neipeu
in getting the parachute freed. Sud
denly it was released from the falling
machines and was saved from what
seemed certain. death"
The remaining planes, the st. Louis
and San Francisco, will hop off to-
morrow morning for Asuncion, Para
quay. When they reach Montevideo.
Uruguay. they will await the San An
tonic, which has been tagging behind
the main squadron since it was held
up at Tumaco, Colombia. because Of
engine difficulties. The San An
tonic is now at Talcanuano, Chile, and
is expected to reach Buenos. Aires
"Wednesday 40