The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-21
CLIMB II HOURS
TO FIND BODIES
OF CITY FLIERS
Only Seven of go SearCherS
Reach Scene to Find
Herder on Guard.
Continued From Page One)

sheer mountain had been so diff
cult
We followed him a few moments.
and then we came upon the wreck
age. The bodies Of the men we're
IN the plane and burned. The body
Of Mrs. ATnett was thrown clear
They apparently had al died in
stantly.
There we're three big trees near
the wTeckage. and apparently the
plane had topped one OF them. 1t
fell IN a cleared space. and burned.
and the grass and growth around il
was burned in a circle from the
wreckage.
Flying at 5000 Feet
There is nothing but tatters OF
the plane left It is badly smashed
and charred: the propeller is
wrecked. and the fuselage broken
and smashed. It was faced toward
the mountain.
And rising abruptly above them
was the steep granite northeast face
Of WyOming's highest peak, which
Will forever be a cenotaph 10 those
It killed.
Walter Higley, Denver aviator and
member OF our party said that
Dick apparently had been flying
around 1000 feet, above the ceiling.
which was 1000 feet that Thursday
night when the plane crashed. He
said it appeared TO him that the
plane had crashed full speed. in
dicating that the party knew moth
ing of the presence Of the peak.
Return of Bodies Impossible
We had come 43 miles from this
town to the Civilian Conservation
Corps camp. two miles from there
on horse and three 10 four miles
after that on foot to reach this
wild place. I have lived within
sight of il for many years and
never before attempted to climb it.
Il was patiently impossible for US
to attempt to lower the bodies from
the peak yesterday, so we looked at
them, marked out the position and
turned back down the mountain side,
leaving them with Mac COrtez and
his sheep.
We scrambled bark over the huge
bOulderS. through the thick under
brush. around the heavy timbers.
And we realized that we were almost
two miles high. and that, we sup
posed. every airman would claim as
the domain of aviation.
Start Erroneous Report
Shortly before We found Mac
Cortez. so of our party, mostly CCC
workers. turned back. having lost
hope that we would find the wreck
age. and having become exhausted
in the fight with the mountain.
When we finally got down the
mountain peak at 10 last night. we
found they had said the search was
futile and the wreckage apparently
not there.
But we told DR. A. C.. Arnett,
father of Dick. of our findings.
and he and Maj Charles E. Cox
Jr., Indianapolis Municipal Airport
superintendent, who few him here.
Immediately planned for the long
trip up the mountain today to bring
back the bodies.
They Will have to fashion crude
stretchers out of tree limbs they Will
cut when they have reached the
scene of the wreck.
so to Go After Bodies
understand they have arranged
for a party of about 90 TO so up
and 1 know Mac Cortez will be
waiting for them to show them the
way. I assume that DR.. Arnett will
not make the climb but will wait in
the CCC camp for the party's re-
turn Mai Cox and E r. TibbettS.
a business associate and friend of
Mr.. Smith who flew down here with
Maj. Cox and DR.. Arnett, will make
the trip.
It can't take them less than three
or four hours TO ascend the peak
from the foot, even with the trail
We marked yesterday. 1t will take
them fully as long to recover and
bring down the bodies. There's not
much in the plane of salvage value.
And as they stand on the peak,
those friends and relatives of the
dead flisrs will imagine the cruel
paSSiveneSS of Laramie's Peak.