Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-16
MAIL PILOT LEAPS
!. AMID NIGHT STORM
Verne Treat Drops Near
Laurel After Losing Struggle
Against Ice and Snow.
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turn indicator. Then the air-speed indi-
Gator tube clogged with ice and also
failed"
All the while Treat was striving en-
ergetically to climb above the layer of
air in which the ice was forming. The
plane was so weighted down, however
that he could not get above 1000 feet
and still was in the danger zone.
Craft Goes Into Spin.
At 1000 feet the ship became so in
crusted with ice it refused to answer
the controls and went into a spin. He
spun down about 900 feet through the
binding, pitch-black storm before he
was able to regain control. There was
no sign of the earth visible; no lights,
no sky, he said.
After a struggle Treat leveled the
plane off by feel" alone, all his naviga-
ton instruments having failed. and
again attempted to climb. He was able
to get up only to $500 feet. he said, and
the plane fell off into another spin.
After fighting the spin for nearly
1900 feet, Treat calmly made prepara-
tons for going over the side. He opened
the throttle and shut off the gasoline
feed line, so that the motor would stop
after burning the fuel out of the
carburetor and so prevent a fire when
it crashed. He jammed his plane log
book between the dash and the control
stick to hold the nose up so that it
would have a better chance for good
uncontrolled landing.
Drops Into BIackness.
Treat then hoisted himsely up out of
his seat, sat on the rim of the cockpit
and fell outbackward into the storm.
In one hand he held an inflated rubber
cushion, carried as a life preserver in
case of landings in water, and in the
other a f1aShlight He had to get both
articles into one hand before he could
pull his parachute rip cord, which he
thinks opened at an altitude of 1000
feet or less.
Using his flashlight, he sighted the
ground in time to brace himself and
landed quite easily.
The lights in the Brown house were
burning and Treat freed himself from
his parachute and started toward the
house. He was met by Brown, who had
heard the crash of the plane
After seeing his mail safely on its
way and rescuing his log book and
other records from the plane, Treat
continued by rail to Richmond. He
expects TO take over another plane
there for his regular northbound night
run tonight if there is any improve
ment in weather conditions
Treats jump last night makes him
one of the few "two-time" members of
the Caterpillar Club, mythical organiza-
ton of airmen who have saved their
lives by the parachute route
His first jump was made on March
25 last year, when he and Henry T.
CDick) Merrill, fellow mail pilot, were
cut off by an unexpected and fast
rising fog. Treat jumped after exhaust
ing his fuel supply in vain search for
way down through the fog blanket
Merrill found tiny hole just as his
gas supply was nearing exhaustion and
landed in field at Appomattox Court
House, Va. On that occasion Treats
GOODNESS in preparing his plane also
prevented fire, and his mail was rescued
unchanged.
Several Narrow Escapes.
Treat has been flying the mail on the
line through the National Capital since
the service was inaugurated May |
1923. He has had several narrow es-
capss from death or injury in forced
landings at night, in one of which his
plane was demolished, though he es-
capped without scratch.
About two years ago a piston rod in
the motor of his plane broke after he
had taken of from Boiling Field for
Richmond. Three cylinders were
smashed to bits by the failing rod.
leaving him over the center of the
Potomac River without power. He
headed for the mud flats on the Mary
land shore. released two parachute
flares and turned on his landing lights
He selected level stretch of shore and,
just as he was setting the plane down,
saw an iron fence ali: adj
He pulled up into stall. crumpling
up the tail of his plane in back of his
seat, and then plowed through the fence,
tearing off landing gear and wings. He
unfastened his safety belt and climbed
unscathed out of an almost totally de-
molished plane.
Two years ago this month he was
caught in a fog with a balky motor,
found an opening near Glenburnie, Md,
and let go two flares The flares started
a grass fire in the field he had selected
for his landing. He coolly selected a
landing area between the fires and
dragged his mail out to safety.
Treat is native of New York. He
was trained as a military pilot during
the World War and has been flying
ever since.