The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-12
EXPERTS DOUBT
AIR CRASH DUE
To EXPLOSION
By RAYMOND C. BAKER
LIVINGSTON MANOR, N. Y

LIVINGSTON MANOR, N. Y,
June IL U.N.SO.-Department Of
commerce experts today investi-
gated the cause of the accident
to the 16-passenger American Air
Liner, which claimed seven lives,
while distraught relatives identi-
fled the charred bodies of the
four passengers.
Although the Department OF
Commerce men did not seem i'm
pressed by a statement by Victor
G. Bourke, coroner of Sullivan
county, that the plane may have
exploded before it crashed, while
aviation experts said twisted and
torn wreckage showed no evidence
of an explosion, they pressed on
to fl xthe cause.
All Died Instantly
The giant Condor was found
late yesterday by aviatorS and
State troopers on Dunmead Noun
tain. The pilot, copilot, StewardeSs
and four passengers had been
killed instantly by the terrific
crash into the thick woodland on
the side of the mountain and
the bodies badly burned by fire
which followed.
Coroner Bourke said he had
found three walls of chemicals in
the luggage of William B. Bader,
a Buffalo chemist, labeled &C. B.
P. R." One of the bottles, Mr..
Bourke said, contained picrate,
anexplosive. There was also con-
siderable literature on high eX-
plosives, and a secret pamphlet
entitled Nays Specifications OF
Explosive D."
Flying Too Low
Hundreds of curious natives
lined the steep slope of Dunmead
Mountain, called Last Chance"
by residents in this vicinity,
throughout the night while State
troops toiled through the tan
gled underbrush and fought their
way perilously around large trees
to bring the bodies down from
the 2.500-foot perch.
demonstrating the tragedy, H.
L. Devlin, close personal friend
Of and former copilot with Pilot
Holbrook, whose logged deter
mination to locate his pal" was
largely responsible for finding
the plane so soon, said he be-
heved Holbrook was flying low to
avoid the heavy fog which blan.
keted Sullivan county Saturday
night. He said:
"Clyde reported to Newark,
N. j., at 5:35 p. m. that he
was over Newburgh and every
thing is Okay.' That was the
last time he was heard from.
KILLED INSTANTLY
Speaking as a pilot, be.
Iieve that Clyde ran into heavy
weather and decided to turn
northwest, instead of following
the usual course up the Hud-
son to Albany and then over
land to Syracuse, his first
scheduled stop. He probably hit
the soup over Ulster county
and SwoOped down low to fly
under it rather than fly blind.
HE must have thought he
had altitude enough to pass
over Dunmead safely, for his
plane was almost on the very
summit.
mot a person in that plane
ever knew what happened.
They must have been killed
instantly. 1t was q mercifuI
way to de-
The Condor, one of the largest
commercial planes in the United
States, was found by Devlin and
Sergeants Mangan and Hopkins,
a short time after it had been
located from the air by Ted Hal
lock and Lee Lord, two local filters.
Then 1t Crashed
The plane passed over the home
OF Miss Esther Karst, between
Mongauph Pond and De Bruce
Mountain, the last signs of civili-
zation for nearly Is miles at a
low altitude, according to James
Allison. deputy sheriff of Living
Ston Manor, and crashed into the
mountain not more than three
minutes later. Mr.. Allison said:
81 heard the plane pass over
IN the fog and not three minutes
after I had remarked that plane
Is in trouble, heard a loud re-
port. 1t sounded like an explO-
sion. I knew then that the
plane had either crashed in De
Bruce or Dunmead Mountain"
The plane apparently was fly
ing at a high speed, as it moved
large trees down like toothpicks
and Sheered off branches in its
path for 100 feet, before she stood
on her nose and buried the two
engines in the deep mud caused
by a cloudburst in this section
just a short time before the acct
dent.