Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-02

tary guard double timed from Fort
| Hayes. Picket lines were established
and fire hose laid down All afternoon
gushing streams OF water played over
the wreck. Firemen fought three hours
to extinguish the blaze and make the
charred ruins safe TO approach
Where the Devil Did You Go?
From far and near people came in
auto caravans until all the adjacent
roads were choked. Several were
trampled in the mad stampede.
BY late afternoon salvagers were able
to near the plane and bring forth
Yeagers body.
Sergt. Taylor was assigned to guard
the wreck.
Lieut.. Bridget was ambulanced to
Grant Hospital, treated for his injured
leg and discharged the following day.
Maj. Brereton and Sergt. Miller sent
reports to the chief of the Air Corps
-Four caterpillars came into the order
that day.
Reviewing his performance. Mai.
Brereton remarked, That was my first
jump, and it will be my last if I can
help it. I left within 10 seconds after
the propeller cut loose. Immediately
after the chute opened and pulled me
upright, I saw the ship behind me-"
When Taylor and Miller found each
other alive, the ensuing conversation
broke out;
Where the devil did you go? I yelled
when I went over the side, and again
as jumped" Taylor said.
Il didn't hear your voice. You see,
1 still wore my radio helmet OF course,
/ heard the noise and felt the plane
SILVER. l saw you look out of the win
dow first. I started to go. but my he'll
met held me back. 1 knew something
was wrong when you disappeared over
the side I followed" Miller answered
When the chute caught wind, took
my bearings and saw Lieut.. Bridget
headed for a church steeple. His chute
hit the spire, and he bumped the roof,
sliding down the caves. When / lit
heard him yelling 1 found him in the
church yard, fat on his back"
And Yeager?" inquired Miller.
II stood up on the edge just before
jumping and looked into the front
cockpit, but couldn't see Yeager, and
thought that he, too, had left"
The special board of officers APP
pointed to investigate the accident re-
ported:
'Yeager's death was due to crush
ing injury of the head and body when
the bomber struck ground.
THAT failure of the propeller was
probably due to repeated stresses,
which caused 1t TO Dreak at Ine paSe
of the blade, where there is rapid
change of cross section.
That both propellers had been modi-
fed by the Materiel Division in order
to reduce the rapid change of cross
section. This change had been made
as the bomber passed through Dayton
on its way to the Kelly Field maneu-
vers. Both blades had been inspected
under a magnifying glass to determine
whether cracks had developed. None
was found.
Failure was due to faulty material
in the propeller's design"
AS evidence Of the puisSance behind
the bits of flying metal, several OF them
were found more than mile from
where the battleship sank.
Aside from the loss of Yeager, the
admission of four members to the Cat
erpillar Club inspired fresh panegyrlcs
for the Army's life-saving pack.
Never before in the history OF AVA
ton had so many men been saved by
the parachute during a single mlshap.
Copyright, 1901
next story: Caterpillar Hunter, the
taciturn hero of two jumps)