Evening star., 1927-09-20
LION IS D|SGUSTED
WITH AIR TRAVELS.
Leo, Caught in Crash, GrowIs
for Freedom-Pi|ot Finds
Food, Seeks Rescue.

by the Associated Press.
PHOENIX, Ariz, September 20
Martin Jensen, ocean flyer, whose at
tempt to make a nonstop fight from
San Diego to New York with full
grown lion as a passenger ended in
/ a forced landing on an Arizona noun
tain side, rested today at Apache
Lodge, 125 miles north of here, while
plans were being made to extract
the lions cage from the wrecked
plane.
Jensen, who had been missing since
late last Friday. appeared yesterday
at a ranch near Apache Lodge after
a three day hike from the scene Of
his smashed plane. He left the lion
unframed by the abrupt landing. but
somewhat thirsty and with growing
hunger.
The lion, veteran of the circus
and long Injured to motion picture
work, but a novice at flying, appeared
highly disgusted with his pilot, ac-
cording to Jensen's story telephoned
here. The lions steel cage came
safely through the crash. The prin-
cipal damage to the plane was in
broken wings and propeller. The
engine of the monoplane, similar in
design TO that Col. Charles A. Lind
seemed unharmed.
Damage to Be Investigated.
Mrs. Jensen left the plane which
had been searching for her husband
at Yuma and hurried to join him. The
plane later may fly to the site of
Jensens fall to determine what dam
age was done. A motor truck carry
ing a cage has been ordered from
Los Angeles TO rescue Leo.
Jensen's flight started from San
Diego Friday morning. That after
noon. while flying low up a canyon,
he suddenly was confronted by the
wall in which it ended. A tree top
stopped the plane in time to prevent
his striking the wall of the canyon,
but it rolled over twice after landing.
II didn't have time to think of what
might happen while the plane was
rolling over on the tree. not even if
the cage should have split open and
dumped the lion. But he seems to
have taken care of himself in the
cage while we were tumbling and if
he didn't like it, he didn't make any
roar about it.
when / asked him how he felt
he licked his chops and settled him.
self as best he could in the cage of
the wrecked plane. l stripped piece
of aluminium off the plane and made
trough that / filled with water for
him from the creek in the canyon.
Then / fixed him up with what milk
we had left, divided my sandwiches
with him and started down the can
yon for help, not knowing where I
was going, but figuring that If fol-
lowed the creek down I'd come out
somewhere. After circling clear
around the mountain and several
others, had to crawl up the canyon
wall.
THE first day I walked till dark.
After a sleep in the brush got up at
daylight and went on. My shoes be-
gan to drop off Sunday.
Finds Ranch House.
"The first sign Of habitation found
was a ranch house came to Monday
forenoon. I told the rancher who /
was and where the lion was. He
promised to take some food to Leo
and directed me to the H-Bar ranch.
When / got there the foreman tele.
phoned out that I was alive"
Jensen added that the lion behaved
beautifully all the way, lying quietly
in his cage, with the exception of once
when he jumped to his feet as the
plane ran over a hump in the take-off
at Camp Kearny. Ranchers promised
to carry food to Leo pending the ar.
rival of keepers sent from here with a
truck bearing cage.