Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-03-03
SearChers Discover Parts of
StabiIizer and Rudder.
Seek Bodies.
NAVAL CRAFT MAY BEGIN
DRAGGING OPERATIONS
Discovery Follows Reports That
Craft Was Heard Over
Chesapeake Bay.

BY the Associated Press.
NORFOLK, Va. March 3.-The hori-
zontal stabilizer and horizontal rudder
Of an airplane found In Lower Chesa-
peake Bay by l.. E. Willis, four miles
south of Cape Charles City was def
nitely identified this morning by off,
GERS from the Naval Air Station as
parts of the plane which disappeared
early Monday with Comdr r. G.. Ely
son and two other Navy pilots.
The announcement was made by
Comdr. A. c. Read OF the air station
as soon as the two parts of the lost
plane were brought back to the sta
ton.
Wreckage Nearly Submerged.
The finding OF the two pieces Of the
Inflated plane was reported to the sta
ton by Willis. who lives below Cape
Charles.
He saw the objects in the water a
short distance from the beach and. in
vestigating found them to be frag-
ments of aircraft.
They were floating. almost entirely
submerged. only the edges being W
and partly above the water
1t was this position of the wreckage
which made 1t impossible for men ir
planes overhead to spot" It.
The finding OF these parts indicated
that the plane Of Comdr. Ellyson came
down on water, but where 1t fell Car
not be Appropriated at this time. Il
was said at the air station today.
AS soon as the report reached tn,
air station Comdr. Read dispatched
three planes, which made landings a
the scene of the discovery. talked with
Willis and viewed the stabilizer ane
rudder.
They identified them as parts of tn,
big amphibian which started last Mon
day morning for Annapolis, and which
had been missing since that time.
1t Is believed that the craft fell II
the lower part of the bay and that aftel
days of buffeting by winds and current;
those parts which came to the surfac'
south of Cape Charles were wrenchee
from the plane.
The spot where the plane fell MAJ
have been miles distant. 1t Is said.
So far there has been no trace o
any OF the clothing. personal effects o.
bodies Of Comdr. Eliyson and his COM
panions, Lieut.. Comdr. Hugo Schmid
and Lieut.. Rogers S. Ransehousen.
Search Is Continued.
Search for other parts of the plan,
and for the men was being continued
today under direction of Admiral r
e. CoontZ, commandant OF the fiftf
naval district.
Plans were made Immediately afte
arrival OF the parts ut the station toda,
to send Pm plane out TO Cape Charlie,
area TO comb its waters for other pos
sible parts or for the remainder OF thu
plane itself, In which the bodies Of the
lost airmen may be found.
Rewards Are Offered.
There Is an outstanding reward OF
$l,i00 for definite information leading
to the location OF the plane or the
missing bodies. Mrs Hugo Schmidt
wife of one OF the flyers offered 81, 00C
OF this amount and the Navy Depart
ment offered 500.
The search for the plane was started
at noon on Monday and has beer
vigorously pushed ever since. Hundred.
Of square miles OF land and water be-
tween fakehurst and Kitty Hawk. N. C.
have been searched by flyers and by
surface craft. 1t was perhaps the
largest aerial search ever made for a
missing plane.
The naval photographic ONCE ha.
been directed to compile information ~
TO the set OF the current In the vicinit,
OF the place where the plane parts
were found. so that the naval vessels
may determine definitely where to drae
for the missing plane. This informa
ton would indicate to the searching
parties the direction from which the
stabilizer and rudder fioated and how
much time II would take TO cover the
distance between the point 1t went down
and the place the parts we're found. Al
soon as this information IL compiled
II wiz be sent TO the commandment OF
the Fifth Naval District for the use OF
the searching vessels.