Evening star., 1932-10-15
Mail Flyer Retires at 80
VETERAN OF 20 CRASHES UNsCATHED IN SERVICE.
Nations night airmaiI service

"HE Nations night airmail service
today lost one Of its greatest
figures. Verne E. Treat, dean
i of all the Eastern night mail
flyers, who has come unscathed
through 20 crashes and crack-ups and
two parachute jumps from doomed
planes while flying the mail through
the National Capital, made his last mail
flight today.
At the age of 80, Treat is. retiring
He believes he is too old to continue
the trying. often hazardous duty, OF
pushing the night airmail through the
storms Of an Atlantic coastal Winter
He is laying aside his helmet and
goggles and hopes to settle down to
the peace and quiet of life as part
owner of an automobile sales agency
at Freehold, N. j., his home.
Treat closed his airmau career this
morning He few the mail from New
York to Richmond last night, crouched
in the open cockpit of one of the little
planes he has flown nearly five years
between New York and Richmond After
an hour or two of rest at Richmond
he donned the trim blue uniform and
gold braided cap of the first pilot of
one of the giant 18-passenger airmail
and passenger planes of his line and
made his final run back to New York
Old Familiar Scenes.
Both flights were prosaic and un-
eVentful, except for the fact that Treat
was seeing the old, familiar scenes for
what he expects to be his last time at
the controls of plan carrying Uncle
Sans mail. There were regretful far,
wells at each of the fields along the
way and Treat was gone, to leave
behind him the traditions OF a great
flyer.
Through an early morning mist,
Treat brought the big plane up from
Richmond and set it down, light as
goSsamer, at Washington Hoover Air
port at 1852 o'clock this morning, three
minutes ahead of schedule The COM
bined efforts Of field dispatcher and
a newspaper man were required to get
him out of the plane to face a news
camera. His retiring disposition and
very real personal modesty are proverbial
among flying people. At sos he lifted
the big ship into the air and disap-
peared into the north for the last time.
Treat began his flying career before
the World War, when he appeared as
wing walker" at county and State
fairs and air meets. He used to stand
on the top wing of Ruth Laws plane
while she looped for the amazement of
an unairminded public
Treat began flying himself as a mill
tary pilot during the World War. After
the war he joined the Curtiss organiza-
tion and flew until 1921, when he went
into the garage business at Asbury Park,
N. j. He could not resist the call of
the air, however. and was soon back
in harneSs-a parachute harness.
Night Air Mail Flight.
When the night airmail service be-
tween New York and Washington was
inaugurated May l, 1923. Treat made
one OF the two simultaneous first
flights. His retirement today leaves
only one of the five original pilots on
the old line, which now has expanded
from New York to Miami. OF the five
only Gene Brown is left on the line. He
Is flying between Richmond and At
lanta. Amberse Banks left to fly a pas
senger plane. Sid Molloy and Johnny
Kyle died in harness, victims of the
treacherous coastal night weather which
Treat fought many. mary times.
Treat has flown some 5000 hours and
has pushed the mail through Washing
ton. distance of 100000 miles. There
have been many times when he would
not have given nickel for his life, yet