The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-12-07
FEARED HALT
At RICHMOND
Filler REVEALS
Maxwell Tells The Times of
Plans He Made for
Landing Plane.
SHIP CAUGHT FIRE IN AIR
Doubtful Of Coming Down
Safely at Night,
He DiSCI0SeS.
BY DICK MILLER
Times stan Writer 3

As long as TWO weeks before the
sirplane crash which killed two
prominent Indianapolis physicians
and the daughter of one of them,
Lieut.. Howard H. Maxwell, $500
Westfield-rd. their pilot, had feared
the possibility of trouble in trying
TO land at night on the unlighted
Richmond qnd) City Airport.
This and a statement that the
plane had caught fire in the air
the moment it hit the tree which
caused its crash, this afternoon
marked an exclusive story of the
crash told by Lieut.. Maxwell to The
indianapolis Times from his bed in
the Reid Memorial Hospital, Rich
mond, as funeral services we're be-
ing conducted
My number just wasn't up"
Lieut.. Maxwell said of his own mi
raculous escape from death.
Lieut.. Maxwell told in detail of
his prepare tons for the night land
ing and of his confidence that he
had the field in his pocket" and
recalled that his first cross-country
flight with DR.. Arthur M. Menden-
hall. one of Wednesday nights VIC
Tins. had resulted in a forced land
ing in a graveyard a mile and half
from the Pittsburg airport.
Forced Down by Weather
At that time DR.. Mendenhal. DR..
Dudley A. Pfaff, who served as
pallbearer at the formers funeral
today. and third Indianapolis
physician we're en- route to Pitts
burgh and were forced down be-
cause of ice formed on the wings of
Lieut.. Maxwells ship. None was
injured. Lieut.. Maxwell eventually
got his ship to the Pittsburgh field
and all few back together
"A month ago." he continued, DIR.
Mendenhall called me up again and
told me he had a meeting in De-
troit Dec. 4 and wanted to fly up.
Two weeks ago, he called up again
and asked about stopping at Rich
mond for his daughter"
The daughter, Miss Evelyn Men
denhall. 24-year-old columnist on
The Richmond Palladium. was
among the victims of the crash as
was DR.. John w. Carmack, noted
Indianapolis eye, ear, nose and
throat specialist. DR.. Mendenhall
was a distinguished obStetrician.
Not Sure About Night
Il was unable to .ell him about
the Richmond stop" Lieut.. Max
well declared. because 1 knew there
was some Federal Emergency Relief
Administration work going on there.
I told him that we could pick her
up all right, but that wasn't sure
we could let her out there at night.
we started from the Municipal
Airport, indianapolis. at about 9:05
I had met DR.. Carmack for the first
time just before the flight began
The physicians were enthusiastic
about it being beautiful day, about
the SmoothneSs of the air and about
the case with which the plane rode.
AT Richmond. we picked up the
girl If she was uneasy, she didn't
show it,"
Earlier stories that Miss Menden-
hall had been uneasy were verified
by others in Richmond, however.
Mrs. Howard Hammer. close
friend of the girl and the wife of
an advertising solicitor for The Pal
ladium, said that Miss Mem Nnhall
had been so worried the night be-
fore that she had advised her to
phone her father here and cancel
her participation in the flight.
Girl Interested in Radio
Lieut.. Maxwell said the girl, who
sat in the front of the Waco cabin
biplane with him while the phySi-
clans rode in the rear seat, told him
of other flights she had made TO De-
troit and TO Troy. o.
She was interested in the radio. "
Lieut.. Maxwell commented. and
listened in to the weather reports
continuously as We flew along. on
compass, over the clouds, until We
came TO the Cleveland beam"
He referred to the directional
radio beacon operated by the Gov
eminent on trans-continental
beam.
We came down through the
clouds a. Toledo" the injured pilot
explained, and Miss Mendenhall
asked me where We we're. told her
and. when the two men asked the
same question. she told them. They
said they were glad TO be making
such rapid trip"
The party landed without incident
at Detroit and the physicians said
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