Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1933-01-19
BIG AIRPLANE CRASHES
NEAR I'll. III. GILLILANUS

NEAR Ill. III. GIIIIIII1ANTS
There was no little excitement
Sunday evening about O'Clock
when large airplane carrying five
distinguished passengers crashed al
the Herman Gilliland place, about
two and half miles west of Rein
ersville. The five men in the plane
were Capt Bennett H. Griffen, noted
pilot; Major B. F. Graham; Lieut..
Col. Judge Mason; Capt. Price Lew
is, and Lieut.. Clarence E. Page. The
latter is owner of the pane, which
cost $4,000. The five men named
were from Oklahoma City, Okla,
and had been at New York, it is
stated, on a political mission.
They left New York City Sunday
afternoon at 2:30, expecting to ar
rive in Oklahoma City Monday
morning. On the first part of their
journey they made good time. but
when they crossed the Ohio river
near Moundsville, w. Va, soon after
dusk, motor trouble developed. 1t
was thought that the trouble was
not serious, and the pilot was trying
to make GAINESVILLE. The plane was
flying at height of about 1000
feet AS the journey continued, the
motor trouble became worse, and
when the plane passed over Rein
ersville the motor stopped complete
ly, and there was nothing to do but
to glide to a landing place. Two
parachute flares were dropped,
which partially Illuminated the
country side. When the plane
struck the ground it was within
about 80 feet of the Gilliland resi-
dence. The wheels sank in the soft
earth and it is stated that the plane
which is a Travelair six-place cabin
plane, rolled over three times.
Safety belts held the passengers and
protected them from serious injury
A heavy crash attended the land
ing, and soon quite number were
at the scene. None Of the occu-
pants, as stated, were seriously in
]ured. Mr. Gilliland and John Harp
er took the men by automobile. to
Marietta, where they remained over
night Monday evening they went
to GAINESVILLE, stopping here enroute.
Judge Mason, one of the men in
Ralph r. Baker Of this place, both
having been born and reared at
Woodsield, and later both moved to
GAINESVILLE About % years ago
Judge Mason moved to Oklahoma,
where he has served for ten years
as chief justice of the supreme
court of that state. When he
reached Marietta he telephOned here
to Mr.. Baker, and when here Mon
day evening. he called on Mr.. Bak-
er. Judge Mason was perhaps the
worst injured of any of the pas
sengers.
A telegram was sent the air corps
office at Washington, D. c., and
Secretary of War Patrick Hurley
advised the men he was sending an
army plane from the Wright field
to pick them up at Columbus. The
five men spent Monday night at
GAINESVILLE, and from there went to
Columbus, where they boarded the
army plane which took them to
their homes.
While at the Gilliland place, the
pilot Captain Griffen stated that it
was the second accident Of SIM
liar nature he had been in; the 9TH
er time was when flying plane
from Paris to a place in Russia.
Although the plane is badly dam
aged, it is believed that it is not be-
yond repair. Many from here went
out to see it. This crash took place
not far from, almost within sight of,
where the Shenandoah disaster oc-
Cured
Since writing the above, we learn
that Captain Bennett Griffen gain
ed international recognition when
he and Jimmy Mattern, another
we'll known flier, made the first
America to Berlin trans-A Atlantic
hop 1t is stated that Griffen at
one time started out to beat the
round the world record Of POST and
Gate, but was forced down in Rus
sia.
All the men who were on the
plane were commissioned officers in
the air reserve corps
Concerning Judge Mason, it is
said that when he ran for chief JUS
tice of Oklahoma he carried every
precinct in every county in that
state.
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