Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-07

He rose in his seat. On seeing wings
torn, he looked to his commander for
orders. Stuart craned his throat and
saw white gashes
The bomber began dragging the right
wing stumpS, She staggered in a dam
gerous list, like vessel about to careen
and sink. Stuart shifted full left rud-
der. That hoisted her starboard some
what and she rode a slightly beveled
keel.
The crew clinched these struggling
moments to meet the crisis and devise
an escape.
Even full left rudder did not keep
the LBS from sagging. To Offset this
the pilot throttled his left engine.
Stuart tried his controls. He twirled
his wheel. The right ailerons swung
free in the wind. He resolved to aban-
con the wreck.
"Jump!" he ordered Jewell as he cut
the motor switches.
"Huh?" the mechanic gasped That
command had never greeted him before.
"Jump-nowi" the officer cried
louder. Tell Miller Hurry!"
Emerging, Miller saw Stuart strug-
Cling with the controls. Sergt. Jewell
crawled half-heartedly, gingerly, onto
the left wing between the motor nacelle
and fuSelage.
A Water Landing.
Before deserving the cockpit Stuart
guided the bomber for the mouth of
Lafayette River. He climbed out after
Jewell. All three hung to edges and
fittings. Miller waited chivalrously for
his mates to leave first Lieut.. Stuart
tried TO grip the wing corrugations,
slipped, fell, and was swept into space.
Sergt. jewell, in a trance, fingered
his ring, releasing the umbrella. His
parachute trailed in white ribbon
alongside the fuselage. At length he
was dragged of.
Miller studied his plight deliberately.
He was a seasoned Caterpillar. He
poised himself on the entrance steps,
and on freeing his hands leaped. After
one fiip-flop he laid hold of the ring
and whipped the cord out Of its pack.
The chute filled with air and brought
his head up. The bomber splraled
clunnsily. plunged into the Lafayette
River and crumbled into a disheveled
heap.
Stuart was blown across the river and
carried to a safe landing between FILL
ing station and a grocery store, missing
Jared slightly worse Almost as If aimed,
unavoidably, they headed for the open
river. The water, within few degrees
of freezing, would brir any parachutist
| to his senses.
Jewell hit 100 yards from shore. He
was fully harnessed, and the water at
the point was over his head. Doggedly,
| he rose to the surface, churning his
arms like a windmill and beating the
water with his legs. The chute, harness
and heavy clothing dragged on his body.
/ afn1l lNi 70 ft1n CT al
Sponged up water and began TO sink
/ The sergeant meddled with his harness
/ buckles. He freed himself of the para
chute. Seeing rowboat coming from
shore, he managed to remain afioat
until rescuers fetched him out.
Safe by a Nose.
Sergt. Miller attempted to solve his
problem, too. He planned TO follow
Army instructions on how to effect q
water landing with a parachute. Just
as he released one buckle and was try
ing to disengage the other, he dipped
into the frigid stream and sank to his
nose. That was the depth of the water
One or two more inches might have
drowned him. He threw out his arms
and managed to paddle shoreward. Fol-
the most part the water level stood al
his mouth. Approaching land, naval
Oulcer WaQeQ out ana neIpeQ MIN ashore
The skif which had originally headed
for Miller swerved to rescue Sergt
Jewell
In unpiloted flight the bomber flew
over several houses dangerously. The
gas tank fell away and struck a home
inflicting slight damage, while the wreck
missed the dwelling by mere inches ano
dropped to the river shore.
The Navy plane submerged itself com
pletely. No sooner than its splash wa:
heard, a Negro butler. working in yarc
close by, pulled toward 1t in a rowboat
He arrived in time to rescue Nelson
from the sinking wreckage. Fifteer
minutes later launch arrived from thu
naval base and Communicated the body
and plane
The Curtiss buried herself in ar
aqueous grave, and when salvaged ap
peared so battered 1t was impossible Il
recondition her.
Nelson, whose home was in Brook
line, Mass, was 30 and a graduate o
the Naval Academy, class of 1921. HI
was once stationed on the u. S. S
Wright flagship Of the Aircraft Squad
ron of the Scouting Fleet. He had beer
on duty at Hampton Roads Naval All
Station for two years.