The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-22
Warming 10000 Hearts

Doubtless II IS this as much as
the general admiration for him and
Wiley as great popular information
al characters which caused that
crash at Point Barrow to fairly
shake this lonely land and to cause
those grizzled miners to shut their
eyes and curse in impotent rebellion
at the cruelty of fate. In seven
days VIII and Wiley warmed 10000
hearts. No wonder Fairbanks
today is a gloomy town.
Probably Joe CrOSson feels the
loss most keenly of all With deep
feeling he told me of that stunning
message that came of the air Fri
day morning. How Sergt. Morgan's
wife. in the first hours after that
Eskimo runner arrived at Point
Barrow. tried frantically to call the
southern stations of the United
States Signal Corps. and to broad
cast to any ships within the range
of her husbands station that red
plane with two men had crashed.
Her fingers failed. and it was not
until Sergt Morgan returned from
the scene of the accident that the
news got through.
The last take-off from here was
much like that from Juneau. The
ship was gaSsed up on the lake out
side of town whence it was easier
to lift a full load Will had every
body laughing as usual Among
those who set out to see him off
was a newspaper man who had
worked with him as a member of
the cast of "A Connecticut Yankee"
Wiley and Joe studied maps and
discussed weather reports, which
were not very encourage cling. The
ceiling here was 5000 feet, but at
Sieman it was reported low.
Thinks CarburetOrs FrOze
Crosson is we'll acquainted with
that sterile country between the
EnicattS and Point Barrow. and be-
ing a cautious pilot, he advised his
friends to await a further report
from the latter place, but the visit
orS were impatient and conditions
really meant little.
If they ran into fog they would
sit down. open some of that chilli
and throw a party in the snug in
terror of the ship. 1t was all lark,
ANYHOW.
Within a half hour after they
took off the report from Point Bar
row arrived. 1t was low ceiling
ana no visibility.
L doubt if they would have de-
layed anyhow" aloe Crosson said.
The weather up there was bad
when they arrived. and Point Bar
row is hard to find. and 1 told Wiley
had missed it once or twice my
self. When he saw those two ES-
kimo hutS he landed and asked his
way. Nobody can say precisely
what happened then. 1t may have
been an air lock in the gasoline
line. More likely, however, the car
buretOr had frozen up"
They must have flown through
considerable fog during the after
noon, and there is a difference of
30 or 40 degrees in temperature at
/ the CarburetOr intake. Wiley had
complained on his return from Ak
lavik that his super-heater worked
a bit slow
Whatever it was nobody was to
| blame. The Eskimo who saw the
tragedy asserts that the engine cut
out completely as the ship rose, and
in the silence says he could hear
the click of the controls as Wiley
strOve frantically to start it.
There is a silence over Alaska
today in which we hear the click
of those controls. The silence of
heartfelt grief for those two gay
and intrepid men who are no more.
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