Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-30
RELATE EXPERIENCES.
Passengers Tell Of Finding Vacant
Cabin and Food.

BY the Associated Press.
ALBUQUERQUE, N. Mex, Octo-
Der 30.-A chilling description Of the
snoWStorm which forced down the
Western Air Express passenger trans
port No. 1l3 in the mountainous Sec
ton of Southeastern Arizona and Of
cold and hunger suffered by the planes
crew of three and two passengers. was
related here today by James e. DoleS.
chief pilot Of the plane. Doles brought
the tri-motored ship to land here last
night nearly 80 hours after it dropped
from sight.
I'VE were forced down by a snow
storm Monday morning at 1913" Doles
said, land 1t was not until yesterday
afternoon that We could get back TO
civilization.
II had left Holbrook, flying East,
and was about l hour out when I had
to Dodge a storm, and turned toward
St Johns, Ariz. Suddenly the storm
seemed to break over us all at once
and landing became a necessity.
II could see, down below, not very
/ large place, but it looked safe. And
got down there. and got down quick.
We thought then that the storm would
| clear and so We waited at the ship
with the idea of taking of later in the
afternoon.
begins 10 SNOW k1dTucKs
There wasn't a house in sight. but
during the afternoon some woman
called upon us and said she lived 5
miles from where we were. She had
seen us land and wanted to know If
there was anything she could do to
help. All this time we were expecting
the weather to clear SO that We would
be able to continue the fight. but DUR
! ing the late afternoon it began to snow
harder, and we just had to dig in.
Il found an old vacant house not
| far from where we were. and we all
moved over there. BY this time the
snow was more than a foot deep on
| the ground. built up a big fire in the
! house and we tried to be comfortable,
| but we almost froze to death. And
there was nothing to eat or drink. The
| light lunches that had been put in the
plane when we left Los Angeles all had
been consumed and the water bottle
had been emptied.
we stuck there until / 80 yesterday
afternoon. when the weather cleared and
I saw a chance to take off with the
ship. 1t was just starting to snow
again when we took of. But there had
been so much snow on the ground dur
ing the morning that had been afraid
to try 1t. We made our trick and al
though We were on what nearly every
one would call rotten landing field
We got of nicely and landed at AL
buauerque at $50 yesterday afternoon.
"Of course was worried part Of the
time. but / want to say this, that every
Imember of my party behaved splendidly
All of them were tickled to death to
get into Albuquerque, but never once
during the night did any one of them
complain, and I can bet million dol
lars that every one of them was mighty
cold a good part of the time. Their
whole attitude, however, really wa:
wonderful
I'VE had no motor trouble at all. The
landing 1 made was precautionary. The
weather appeared impossible, SO 1 sal
the ship down at the very first place
could find"
Two of the five passengers were lost
more than three hours in the snow.
storm, it was revealed by DR.. A. w
Ward one of the passengers, in ar
interview given the Albuquerque Journal