The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-01-16
BODIES ROBBED
BEFORE GUARD
ARRIVED
Pockets Enptied and
Plane Parts aiken
From Scene

AN'osJ - 4Ou AhO" 80 "uSA 80
we do"
This was the cryptic answer OF
aeronautical experts today as
they vainly sought the cause OF
the greatest airplane disaster in
the history of American aviation
the tragic crash of the luxurious
Transcontinental airliner in a
swamp near here Tuesday night
which took the lives of IA pasSeng'
erS and three crew members
Eugene Vidal, head of the air
bureau of the Department OF
Commerce, arrived here last night
and took charge of the investiga'
ton today.
Salient Facts Developed
While relatives of the victims
visited Memphis morgues to iden.
tify the mangled bodies, these
salient facts developed:
The air-Speed indicator Of the
American Airlines giant twin
motored plane had damned i'm.
movably at 100 miles per hour,
the planes cruising speed.
Wreckage strewn through the
cypress woods bordering the bog
indicated the plane had not lost
wing, motor or propeller be-
fore it crashed into the trees.
A faulty altimeter might have
miSled Pilot Jerry Marshall, who
was at the controls, and he
roared into the timber before he
realized his danger.
The controls might have
jammed or the ailerons failed,
noSing the ship downward.
Both motor switches were
on and the landing light
switches we're at "on"-indi-
eating Pilot Marshall was not
attempting an emergency land
ing as at first reported.
Natives Blame Fog
Natives of the region expressed
the opinion low-lying fog banks,
frequently formed in the evening
over the swamp areas, might
have contributed to the disaster.
Investigators were tight-lipped,
refusing to offer any theory what
Soever until all the facts have
been gathered-a task which may
take weeks as bits of the plane,
torn off as it smashed through
the timber, were strewn over q
wide area.
It was almost definitely es-
tablished, however, tn at the
motor of the giant craft had not
failed, a contention borne out by
farmers who testified to hearing
their thunderous roar until they
were Silenced by the crash, and
by the finding of the air speed
indicator which was dug from the
mud.
1t was also pointed out the
plane would not have cut a 100
yard swath through the dense
timber, earring trees and
branches like paper, without
power.
Last Report "All Okey"
Time of the crash was set at
7:2O p. m. The plane had left
Memphis at 1908 p. m. The last
radio communication was received
from Pilot Marshall at 7:18 p. m,
when he closed his routine report
with the words: -
Cali Okey."
Two minutes later the great air
liner crashed. None of its human
cargo of II persons lived to tell
why.
c. R. Smith, president of Ameri-
can Airlines, here to direct his
organization's investigation, today
scoffed at the theory the plane
might have exploded in midair.
He said:
There was no fire. And
planes don't explode in the air.
1--WE will investigate this acct
dent as fully as possible and
make public our findings. Only
by seeking the cause of acct
dents can they be prevented.
"But it is too early to venture
any conclusion as to the cause.
BY piecing bits of evidence to-
gether we may find that an.
SWer."
GhOuls Rob Bodies
GhouIs rob b e d the mangled
bodies of some of the victims
shortly after the crash and be-
fore sufficient officers had ar
rived on the scene to patrol the
tragic site, it was revealed today.
v. l.. Frye, a Federal ~evenue
officer from Forrest City, one of
the first to reach the scene, said
he saw an unidentified man sieze
what appeared to be roll of Hills
from a pocket of one of the vic
tins and then flee into the marsh
bogs and disappear in the dark
ness. He declared:
81 would have shot at him,
but was afraid of hitting some
one else in the darkness"
Other officers reported finding
pockets of some of the victims
empty, apparently rifled.
Souvenir Hunters Busy
Souvenir hunters carried off
parts of the demolished plane oe-
fore a sufficient guard could be
established to keep them at a dis
lance. Letters from the II sacks
of mail carried by the plane we're
scattered like leaves and were at
a premium as souvenirs. Little
Rock postal officials gathered up
what they could of the mail.
Although rescuers reached the
scene of the crash shortly before