The Nome nugget., 1930-03-08

anu Mechanician Earl BoEland, last Thursday, a large number of people gathered on the landing field in bitter cold weather, to pay their respects to the dead aviators who lost their lives in Siberia, Novem- Der 9th, 1929. Following is given the address of Thomas D. Jensen who by the way, comes from Eiel- sons home state, to the assembled crowd:
 This is a most fitting place out here on our snow clad aviation field, with the airplanes and flyers Of three nations circling above us, solemnly and in the sight of God, to pay our last tributes of res pect to all that is mortal of Colon el Carl Ben Eielson and Earl Borland.
 "Carl Ben Eielson was reared in the state of North Dakota, and was born about thirty-two years ago. His sturdy father, Ole Eiel- son, still lives there where he was one of the pioneer settlers on the unbroken prairies of the Territory of Dakota. He has come all the way to Alaska to take the remains of his son, Ben, back to their old home in Hatton, North Dakota, vrrhn + Lo 1ail hy the side of his mother who pass ed to her reward a number of years ago. In addition to his father, there are three sisters and two brothers to mourn his death.
 Earl Borland was also a young man; he leaves in the town of Fairbanks a wife and. two small children, and in Seattle. his father and mother, and I believe, sisters and brothers, to sorrow over his death. His un le, Dr. Borland is a well known physician and sur geon, living at Juneau. Earl Bor- land was a genuine Alaskan. He was learning to fly, just sprout- ing his wings. He was mech anician and was about to become a pilot He expected to get a plane of his own and engage in the aviation business for himself.
 When the United States enter ed the World War, Ben Eielson enlisted in the aviation service and it. was there he learned the art of flying. The war being ov- CT he could not settle down in Dakota, the pioneering spirit which he had inherited from his ances- tors leading him to Alaska. He became an instructor in the high school at Fairbanks. While there he saw the possibilities and nee essities for airplane service in the Territory, and he secured con tract to carry the winter mail from Fairbanks to McGrath. distance of about three hundred miles. The government did not permit him to carry passengers but on one of his trips he found sick prospector who would surely die if medical assistance were not given him. Melson cut the government red tape and brought the sick man to the hospital at Fairba nks where he was restored to health. Eieson made the six or seven round trips required by his contract, and dem onstrated that it was possible to operate airplanes in the short cold, Arctic winter days. Those flights of Eielson's were the be- ginning of aviation in Alaska.
 "The spring of 1926 brought George H. Wilkins to Alaska bent on Arctic exploration by airplane- Wilkins, flyer himself. chose Ben Eielson as one of his pilots for the expedition because Of his experiences in flying in Alaska. That winter they made many flights across the forbidding Endicott or Brooks Range to Point Barrow with supplies for the hop across the top of the world. The foggv season came earlier than usual and they were forced to abandon the undertaking for that year. The next spring found them again al Fairbanks to make another try al it. This time, after making II safely to Barrow. they made flight out over the Arctic Ocean