The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-12-04

pilots to- "get the mail through at any
OSt," written particularly around tn
tendent of the New York Chicago division
on the transcOntinental route and al
mail fier since 1919. Today Major Smitl
tells of fighting flames In a mail plane n
ore than u mile high.
By NEA Service
EIRE is the most treacherouS anc
IL the most feared foe Of the air.
mail pilots.
Before the days of modern planes
largely of metal, the menace wa.
ever present and many of the air.
mail pilots have gone blazing tc
their deaths on aerial pyres.
One of the narrowest escapes
which Major Wesley L. Smith, one
of the original airmail pilots ano
now superintendent of the New
York Chicago division of the Ma
tional Air Transport Company, air.
mail contractors, ever had was
when he fought q blazing gasoline
fire 5000 feet in the air.
That was when he was plotting
one of the fomaus Junkers metal
planes between Chicago and New
York. The planes were hailed by
the pilots as the first planes in
which they felt safe from fire. Soon
they looked upon them as flaming
coffinS.
Smith left Chicago August 81,
1920, and his co-pilot, E. M. Haight,
now an inspector with the depart
ment OF commerce, riding as relief
in the cabin.
Afire at 5000 Feet Up
1--WE were breezing along, with a
good tail wind at 5000 feet, when
suddenly the motor quit" Smith
says. Those motors had caused
plenty of trouble. The burned ben
zol, and as that fuel ate rubber
hose connections, metal connec-
nections were necessary. These re-
peatedly had broken under the
strain of the motors vibration.
when the motor quit I assumed
one of the connections had burnt.
shut off the fuel supply.
"As did SO a binding flash of
flames shot up through the floor
board of the cockpit, beneath which
the motor was housed. 1t was the
first burst of burning oil and ben
zol in the chamber about the en-
CINE"
When the flames burst through
the flooring Smith had to do some
quick thinking. Two tanks lay be-
tween him and the flames, one Of
water, the other of oil. He knew if
the flames reached the Oil supply
it meant the end for him and
Haight. too.
Dives at Terrific Speed
The plane had dual controls, with
two pilots seats in the cockpit.
Smith was in the left seat. His
salvation lay in throwing the flames
away from the fuel tank, and letting
them burn out.
II threw the plane into a side
Slip to the right" he continued.
THAT forced the flames away from
the fuel tank and against the water
tank in front of me. They swept
over my hands, my face and my
body, but I hung to the controls. I
had to, or it was curtains for both
of U.S."
The air speed indicator circled
higher and higher, passed $50 miles
an hour and then broke. The flam-
ing plane must have hit 200 miles
an hour in that fierce downward
drive.
Then after what seemed an
eternity, the flames died down.
Smith glanced at the altimeter, saw
he had fallen to 400 feet and was
still diving straight toward earth.
Lands in Cornfield
II tried the controls to bring the
plane out of the dive, but 20 no
avail" he went on. "They tapped
helpleSsly in the vacuum created
by The planes fall. Then I tried
the aileronS. They responded and
as the plane turned into spin
the other controls took hold. I then
Strengthened the plane into a steep
glide.
CLOSE below me lay cornfelds,
some standing, some shocked. !
chose to land in the standing corn;
it was softer"
Shouting back to Haight to pile
the mail back in the tail of the
ship, Smith swept down for land
ing. The plane grounded in the
corn and plowed through it to a
stop.
NEXT: Playing "bIind mans
bluff" with death in the clouds.