Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-02
Air Battleship Plunges to
Earth as 4 of Grew of 5
Jump.
Fifth Member Never Left
Bomber When Broken
Propeller Wreaks Havoc.
BY DON GLASSMAN.

DOAN 0GAoShhN.
superdreadnaught of the goth
Night Bombing Squadron takes down
the runway as the sun heavies over
squat hangers and bathes the port in
amber light.
The Wilbur Wright ground crew
stand by and watch the bleating bomb
er dip wings and roll over the grassy
neld. Her motor roar Swells to a deaf
enlng crescendo. The tail group rises.
The landing gear brushes the surface
internationally Then the whole ship
mounts slowly.
This bomber is the Air Corps prize
battleship. Stem TO stern. she bristles
defiance her voice is a snarl, roar
and boom. Below cockpit matches
she can carry explosive death to a city
like London. Above matches. her arma-
ment repels pursuit and attack
1t was 8:45 as she zoomed over the
experimental station. Dragging wings,
the bomber flew circuit of the field
and picked bearings.
Lunch at Columbus.
She was embarking on an innocent
mission, OF no more Importance than
return to her home port, Langley Field,
Va. War Department orders had COM
manded the flight. For almost
month the crew had participated in an
nual war maneuvers at Kelly Field, Tex.
Nose buried in wind. the bomber
screwed her way north toward Column
bus filling the air with the raucous
drumming of propellers and motors.
About IL o'clock the crew sighted a
mauve and maroon patch, descriptive of
the city. The flight leader had no
thought of stopping. Boiling Field,
Washington, was his goal that day. But
minor trouble in the right motor had
caused it to lose synchronism with the
other. The helmsman reported that
the motors rpm. had dropped from
1850 to 1850. Before crossing the APP
palachians it might be expedient to
land at Norton Field and make repairs.
He turned her rudders, and banked,
driving the prov into ripping wind.
The ship dived into port. Mechanics
busted themselves over the right lung.
The crew lunched.
Removing the hood, technicians pried
into the bomber's anatomy and discov-
cred her ailment. Contact brushes had
disappeared and the rotors were
chewed. Repairs were quickly made,
and by the time the crew had eaten
all was in readiness for resuming
flight. After casing. they climbed on
board. Calling the ships roll, we name
Maj. Lewis H. Brereton, commandant;
Lieut.. Bernard M. Bridget, pilot and as
sistant commandant; Master Sergt
Clyde M. Taylor and staff Sergt Fred
p. Miller, technicians, and Pvt. Daniel
lie Roy Yeager, operations clerk.
Pvt. Yeager in the Nose.
The clerk was sapling in his nine
tenth year, proud to sail a dread
naught on cross-country voyage, and
exalted with membership in the bomb
er'S crew. The annual maneuVerS at
Kelly Field had impressed him, too. He
wanted a flying appointment, to pilot
10.000-pound battleships and flourish
the silver-wing insignia. Maj. Brere-
ton assigned him the observers cock
pit in the PROV From his station moth
ing passed that did not engross Yeager.
He would sight emergency ports and de-
liberate on the best method of mooring
to the earth. He studied Ohios roll
ing terrain the multitinted cities, sinu-
Gus rivers and patched fields. They
intrigued him And he was not so
green in the air; had flown a number
of times before, but never had taken
such long Journey and seen SO much
in the brief lapse of month.
1t was almost noon when the bomber
embarked from Norton Field and re-
sumed her interrupted flight. Steadily
she plowed a wave through. Lieh
Bridget climbed to 1000 feet. then
leveled out.
Heading for his first landmark,
Reynoldsburg, 10 miles east <of Column
bus, the ships operation continued
uneventfully. The crew fell into COM
Portable relaxation. The bomber cruised
beneath disk of Hammered brass.
Maj. Breretoh and Lieut.. Bridget sat
together IN. the control pit. Yeager. the
exultfng hoy, rode in the bomber's nose.
N the rear cockpit Sergt. Miller was
tuning the radio receiv TO the wave
length of Columbus station, and Sergt.
Taylor sat beside, somewhat elevated on
. platform.
Propeller Bursts.
How suddenly it came, no one has
been able TO tell. Only the time,
1910 pm, can be ascertained. Above
the hoarse baying of Libertys hardly
anything could be heard
While above the Reynoldsburg Gene
terry and slightly south of the towns
corporation line, a thunderous percuS-
sion aSsailed the eardrums An eruption
out of the blue could not have thrown
more fright and twitching fear into
men. The crew sprang out of lethargy
and fieXed its muscles. Yeager, at his
vantage point, swiveled his head in time
to see a l0-foot duralumin propeller