Evening star., 1935-08-17
BLAST FOLLOWED
CRASH OF PLANE
Army Sergeant Radios De-
tails of How Rogers and
Post Met Death.
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
A graphic description of how Will
Rogers and Wiley Post met their
death was wirelessed to the War De-
partment today by Staff Sergt. STAN
ley Morgan, in charge of the Army's
radio station at that outpost of civ
ilization.
The story, obtained from ave-
struck Eskimos who saw the accident,
follows:
"At 10 pm. last night Thursday
attracted by group of excited natives
on beach. Walking down, discovered
one native all out of breath gasping
out in pidgin English strange tale
of 'airplane, she blew up
After repeated questioning learned
this native witnessed crash of an air.
plane at his sealing camp some IS
miles south of Barrow and had run
the entire distance to summon aid.
One Man Had Rag on Eye"
''Native claimed plane, flying very
low, suddenly appeared from the
south, apparently sighting tents.
Plane then circled several times and
finally settled down on small river
near camp. two men climbed out,
one wearing rag on sore eye and
other big man with boots
THE big man then called native
to waters edge and asked direction
and distance to Point Barrow. Direc-
ton given, men then climbed back
into plane and TAXED off to far side
OF river for take-off into wind.
After short run plane slowly lifted
from water to height about so feet
banking slightly to right, when evil
dently motor stalled. plane slipped
off on right wing and nosed down
into water, turning completely over
Native claimed dull explosion oc-
Cured and most of right wing dropped
of and film Of gasoline and oil soon
covered the water.
Native, frightened by explosion,
turned and ran. but soon controlled
fright and returned calling loudly
to men in plane. Receiving no an
swer, native then made decision to
come to Barrow for help.
with completion of story We knew
plane to be that of Post and Rogers
and quickly assembled a crew of IA
Eskimos and departed in open whale
boat powered with small gas motor.
Hampered by recent ice foes and
strong adverse current took nearly
three hours to reach destination.
Dense fog with semi-darkness
gave upturned plane most ghostly
appearance, and our hearts chilled
at thought of what We might find
there.
LAS We approached nearer plane we
soon realized no human could possibly
survive the terrific crash. The plane
was but a huge mass of twisted and
broken wood and metal.
Natives Took Out Rogers Body.
"The natives by this time had man
aged to cut into the cabin and extri-
Gated the body of Rogers who had ap-
parently been we'll back in the cabin
when the plane struck and more or
less protected by the baggage carried
therein.
I'VE soon learned we would have a
ul1A(NlG JOU 44CCA-5 OcO ~AOAAA bAAS
wreckage as the plane had struck with
such terrific speed it had forced the
engine well back into the cabin, pin
ming the body of Post securely.
With some little difficulty we man
aged to tear the plane apart and
eventually released the body of Post.
Both bodies we're then carefully laid
and wrapped with eiderdown sleeping
bags found in the wreckage, and then
carefully placed in the boat.
ut is believed the natives felt the
loss of these two great men as keenly
as we and as We started our slow
trip back to Barrow one of the Eskimo
boys began to sign hymn in Eskimo
and soon all the voices whined in
this singing and continued until our
arrival at Barrow, when We silently
bore the bodies from the beach to
the hospital, where they were turned
over to DR.. Greist, who with the
kindly help of Mr.. Brewer prepared
and dressed the bodies.
TT is doubtful if person in this
little village slept that night, all sat
around the hospital with bowed heads
with little or no talking"