The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-04-08

| Inc city was plunged IN sorrow
Monday morning at about eight O'Clock
when news was received that thu
| Stitson-Detroit plane owned by the
Scenic Anyways company had beer
forced down in a binding snowstorn
about twenty-five miles out of Duluth
near the Miller Trunk road and ha6
caused the instant death of the foul
prominent young men who had taker
of that morning bound for Detroit
Michigan, to attend the National Air
craft exposition.
| The news spread like wildfire ano
everywhere groups of people were to be
seen discussing the fatal accident which
had deprived the city of four of its
outstanding business men and boosters
Many close friends Of the crash victims
at once left for the scene of the cataS-
| trophe to be of assistance. However
before their arrival the remains hao
been removed to the Crawford Mortu-
airy in Duluth where they were pre-
pared for shipment and burial.
The plane, with Dutch" Fuller at
the controls, took off from the ice on
the lake near the Scenic Always
hangar at about six o'clock having on
board Herbert E. Kurvinen and Toivo
j. Somero, owners of the plane and
Matt w. Somero, brother of Toby
Somero. Matt w. Somero was famil-
iarly known as Bill" Besides the
%I1ora o1cn ri oh ~
so pounds of printed matter adver-
Using the Ely resorts, the Scenic Air
ways company and the Ely Airport
which had been prepared for distribu-
| ton at the Detroit show, also grips
with the personal effects of the four.
The take-off was an suspicious event
and had been looked forward to by
those who were to participate in the
trip. Many were at the lake to wish
the boys a happy journey and a
pleasant time at Detroit. The machine
reared over the city, the motor purring
good bye to many waving farewells in
the streets. A short hour afterwards
the distressing news of the crash was
received
The superstition is that the ship ran
into binding snow storm about twenty
miles out of Duluth and that Pilot
Fuller was flying low to find landing
place. 1t is also presumed that the
snowstorm raging at the time had OBJ
scured the vision of the pilot and that
he was nearer the ground than he
thought.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Watkins, in whose
farmyard the plane crashed, said they
first heard it at ITO A. NJ, flying in
southerly direction when it passed
over their house.
At tbs the plane was heard from a
northwesterly direction. Three or four
minutes later it had circled back and
was flying toward the farmyard from
a southwesterly direction-with tho
wind
At an altitude of not more than
motor roaring apparently at near full
speed, passed over the Watkins house
Mrs Watkins said she instinctively
stopped, so low was the plane.
Mr. Watkins was going into the house
for black cloth to wave directions to
the plane when it crashed. The pilot
had cut off the motor few seconds
before and the plane landed with a
dull plop in a five-foot snowdrift-less
than fifty feet from the pavement.
The noise of the motor was terrific, %
Mr.. Watkins said. Then the motor
shut off and the plane dived into the
ground. There was hardly any noise
when it crashed"
The plane jack-knifed, the motor
crashing through the fuselage and into
the cabin. The wings were folded
lengthwise against the fuselage. Three
of the bodies were jammed into the rear
of the cabin and the fourth dropped
underneath the wreck.
Considerable difficulty was ex-
perienced in extricating the bodies.
Sheriff Sam Owens, Chief Deputy Ed.
ward Hanson, Deputies Richard Smith
and Frank Doubt made a preliminary
investigation Dr. c. F. McComb,
county coroner, who went to the scene
said an inquest would not be necessary.
A few feet from the wreck snow
fence had been broken down and some
were of the opinion that the plane had
hit it. Another theory expressed is
that a wing had touched telephone
pole near the scene and this had
caused it to hit the ground earlier
than expected. Theories are all that
could be worked on as none of those
in the Inflated ship were left to tell
what happened. However, it is thought
that the pilot was making for the field
when the crash took place about twenty
feet from the edge of large field
which would have provided an ideal