, 1935-08-18
NATIVES TELL
GRAPHIC AIR
CRASH STORY
Plane Great Mass Of
Wreckage Following
Her 50-Foot Plunge
Into River

into River
WASHINGTON, Aug. II. -tPt-
A graphic description Of how VIII
Rogers and Wiley Post met their
death in an airplace accident near
Point Barrow, Alaska, was wire
lessed to the War Department
Saturday by Staff Sergeant Stanley
Morgan, in charge Of the army's
radio station at that outpost Of
civilization.
The story, obtained from awe
struck Eskimos who saw the &C
cident, follows:
Native Saw Crash
"At 10 D. q. last night CThurs-
day., attracted by group Of excit-
ed natives on beach. Walking down,
discovered one native all out Of
breath gasping out in pidgin En-
glish a strange tale Of 'airplane
she blew up
After repeated questioning
learned this native witnessed crash
Of an airplane at his sealing camp
some Is miles south Of Barrow
and had run the entire distance to
summon aid.
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
1.-THE big man then called native
20 waters edge and asked direction
AMI distance To Point Barrow. d.
rection given, men then climbed
back into plane and TAXED off 70
far side Of river for takeoff into
wind.
AFTER short run plane slowly
lifted from water TO height OF about
80 feet. banking slightly TO right,
when evidently motor stalled. plane
slipped off on right wing and noSed
down into water, turning complete
" over and native claimed dull X
plosion occurred and most Of right
wing droppe off and a film OF
gasoline and oil soon covered the
water.
Native. frightened by explosion,
turned and ran, but soon controlled
fright and returned, calling loudly
20 men in plane. Receiving no
answer native then made decision
TO come 10 Barrow for help.
Knew Was Posts Plane
with competition 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 re-
cent 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.
"As 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
The natives by this time had
managed TO cut into the cabin
and extricated the body Of Rogers.
who had apparently been well
back in the cabin when the plane
struck and more or less protected
by the baggage carried therein.
Eve soon learned we would have
a difficult Job freeing Post from the
wreckage as the plane had struck
with such terrific speed 1t had
forced the engine well back into the
cabin pinning the body Of Post
securely.
Natives SOrrowfuI
with some little difficulty we
managed to tear the plane apart
and eventually released the body
OF Post. Both Goodies were then
carefully laid and wrapped in cid
erdown sleeping bags found In the
wreckage, and then carefully placed
I'm the boat. -.
us 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 sing a
hymn in Eskimo and 500 all the
voices whined In this singing and
continued until our arrival at Bar
row when we silently bore the
bodies from the beach TO the hos
uital where they were turned over
oDr. CREST, who with the kindly
help OF NJ. Brewer prepared and
dressed the bodies
1T is oubtfull II a person In this
little village slept that night, all
sat around the hospital with bowed