New Britain herald., 1929-09-18
Henry H. lallman, g, Ridgewood, N. J., On Hartford-New York Route, Meets Tragic Fate While Defying Night Storm.
Laughs at Warning Not to Risk Life-Believed Try ing to Get Back to Brain ard Field When Ship Smashes Into Stone Gov cred Upland Not Far From Turnpike.

Within a few hours after Pilot Henry II. Tallman, 32, of RidgeWood, N. J., had laughing ly assured friends at Brainard field, Hartford, that he could get through with the night air mail, his body was being pre- pared here for forwarding to his home. He was instantly killed last night when his ship crashed into the side of Mount Lamentation in Berlin and burned. Death was caused by a fractured skull. Today the body will be sent from !he B. C. Porter Sons funeral home to the little home in Ridgewood where a sorroWing widow and little girl wait in silent grief for the remains of the intGe- | pid pilot who was known as the tallest man in the eastern fly ing mail service.
 Flames Destroy Mail
 Heard even as far as Berlin, so gallons of gasoline had exploded when the ship crashed into the mountain at about 9;l5 last night, sending the pilot, who cheerfully told his friends at Brainard field but q few minutes before not 10 worry 10 death. Forced to turn back be- fore he reached Ncriden by the thick fog closing in on the plane. ! Tallman. flying low, cut a swath 400 feet long in the scrubby forest pe- fore his plane came 10 rest. Flames from the exploding gasoline licked at the mail cargo and completely destroyed if.
 Stcrnest and most tense Of the ! little cirCl" of faces which watched ] inc mail burn and the fire around 1 the gasoline tank slowly become i smaller and smaller, was that of 1 Lieutenant William Stryller, flying companion 10 Talman. who rushed from Brainard field when he heard that his buddy had met disaster.
 I've were paIs-fyns compan- ions" he sad. He was one of the best pilots-one Of the best"
 Nothing vas left this morning of ! the Colonial Air Transport plane in which Tallman met his death but a few splintcrs of wood and twisted steel framework. All else had burned.
 May Have Tried to Sump
 The position of his body on the ground. as we'll as the fiicr's raised hands after the crash indicated that Tallman had tried to leap clear of his machine in the last moment of it's plunge into the mountainside. The position of the pile of wreck age. as we'll as the look of horror on the dead pilots face, and the nature of the 4uO foot sNath cut in the trees before the ship came to rest. Vas mute evidence 10 officials that Tallman had realized his dan ger and had tried desperately to pull his machine away from the moun- tainSidc. His parachute was still in position when the body was taken to the F. C. Porter funeral home at midnight.
 Fighting his way through thick fog and mists. it was S:45 o'clock last night before Tallman arrived at 3rainard field. Hartford from Bos- ton, flying the mail to New York. Now flying low and then high so I, Mail Wing through safely. he was half hour behind his regular schedule.
 Warned to Stay In Hartford
 Though warned at Brainard field by the weather man and his fellow pilots that it would he almost sui cidal to take off for New York on such thick night, with extremely low ceilings reported all the way to New York, Tallman laughed gaily at his friends as he climbed into the cockpit of the ship. He had flown ships on thicker nights than this on the Pittsburgh-C Cleveland air mail lne. he told his friends. They should not worry on account of him. He could bring it through.
 At 9:05 he slowly taXicd his plane out onto the field and took off. The takeoff was rather difficult, for the pilot. six feet and three inches tall, - weighed 204 pounds, aside from the : 50 gallons of gasoline and the 293 pounds of mail put in the ship when he stopped at the Hartford airport. r After the takeoff he headed dowa ! the valley.
 3 The exact time of the crash at 9 Lamcntation mountain cannot be determined. but the first intimation = of the impending disaster came