Evening star., 1934-12-30

report that two flares had been seen
go up from a heavily wooded section
20 miles west of Gloversvllle tonight
sent a searching party into the sparsely
settled area looking for four men lost
since last night, when an airlner was
forced down.
The report came from John Leek,
storekeeper in the Village of Lassels-
vile, who said he and four other men
saw the flares from hilltop, where
they had gone to stand watch.
The flares, he said, shot up in quick
succession shortly after 9 pm, the
time the occupants of the disabled
plane were instructed by radio to send
up their signals.
A party Of volunteers and State
troopers Immediately set out across
five miles Of broken country on foot
toward the spot from which the flares
came.
Flares Give Hope.
The report Of the flares gave new
hopes to the weary searchers who
had been combing the foothills Of the
Adirondacks for more than Il hours
for the missing men.
1t came only few minutes after a
sister ship Of the 15-passenger Curtis
Condor had returned from a daring
trip over the Adirondacks looking for
the disabled plane. After flying more
than an hour in a binding snow
storm, the searching ship reported it
had seen no signs of the men.
They were known to be safe, how
ever, for they established radio con-
tact long enough during the day to
say they were unhurt. Later their
radio failed.
The last heard from them was at
twilight.
1T is very cold up here and we
would like to have help soon" they
radioed. Then: Our battery is about
dead now"
d. C. Man Aboard,
Three of the four men in the plane
are pilots. Ernest Dryer of Cleve-
land was in command of the liner,
His brother, Dale Dryer, copilot; Jack
H. Brown Of Boston, also a copilot,
and R. w. Handbook of Washington,
| an attache of the Federal Bureau Of
| Education, were the others.
Until the report came from Lassels-
vile, the search had been concentrated
IN 20-mile area around Caroga Lake
in lower Hamilton County, a heavily
wooded section, mostly State forests.
LaSSelsville is about 40 or so miles
south of this section.
Meanwhile, the search continued in
the northern area where snow was
more than six feet deep. Observation
posts were established on all points
OF vantage in the hope that signals
from the missing men might be seen.
The American Airlines, owner of
the lost ship, sent out radio messages
at intervals Of Is minutes, informing
the men OF the Search's progress.
Earl Ward, vice president of the air.
lines. said he doubted the lights were
nares, but will investigate carefully.
| The American Airlines radioed them
TO burn flares. At the same time by
radio. telephone, courier and word of
mouth, residents and searchers of the
20 square miles between Gloversyille
and Spectator were requested to
watch for the flares.
Carl Day, the blind flying instruc-
tor, was pilot of the searching plane.
Shortly after nightfall a group Of
State troopers set out from Spectator
to the little hamlet of Hoffmeister to
search the area where a farmer said
he heard "a crash" last night.
A searching party also was working
around Kane Mountain, about Is
miles north of lockwood.
With the exception of the Amer
ican Air Lines plane, all other ships
were kept to the ground.
Fall Reported Seen.
Varying and contradictory reports
| said dozens Of persons saw the ship
streaking through the snow storm
last night. BY nightfall officials of
Airline, Department of Commerce
and airports agreed with the troop
ers that the liner was down northwest
Of the Sacandaga Reservoir, directly
north Of the twin glove-making cities
Of Johnstown and Gloversville. Mount
Hamilton. a stubby peak of 1900 feet
of that region was the latest of sew
eral mountains looked over today.
Darkness brought colder weather to
the mountains and increased the