Evening star., 1936-07-28
Folk
and What
They Do
Capt. William Winca-
paw Flying Santa on
New England Coast.
BY ROBERT STRUNSKY.

NEW YORK, July 2a.-Along tbs
Northern New England Coast, Capt.
William H. Wincapaw is known as the
flying Santa Claus. The solitary light
house keepers and commandments OF
Coast Guard stations peer up into the
sky each Christmas day for a glimpse
OF Wincapaw and his twin motored
reindeer. Roaring through sub-zero
weather, the airman circles the light
house or the Coast Guard station. as
the case may be, and drops a bomb"
OF Christmas cheer-cigaretteS, candy,
gum, ceffee, magazines and news
papers.
This has been going On for seven
years. The first few years WincaPaW's
bomber" was George Mason, head OF
the Massachusetts sbranch of the Ma
tional Aeronautical Association. In
recent years, however, Mason was
supplanted by young Bill Wincapaw,
the flyers son, at II, the youngest
licensed pilot in Massachusetts,, The
boys aim accounts for four hits out
of five with his Christmas packages.
It's not nearly as easy as 1t looks,
landing a tiny bundle on . small
rocky ledge in the ocean.
In no occupation does a man have
to take the rough with the smooth as
continually as in flying. 1t was
Wincapaw's bad luck to pilot the
seaplane that crashed into the ocean
while eircling the Queen Mary, One
of the eight passengers was fatally
injured. The veteran flyer. who got
his training in the Army, is consid-
cred one of the best Seaplane pilots in
the country. Compared to most of his
colleagues, he's had the minimum of
disasters. Like most of them his life
has been rich in adventure.
One dark night in 1927 he landed
his plane on Lake Champlain and dis
charged sick passenger. A black
Government speedboat. part Of the
Lake Champlain liquor control, raced
up to the plane and seized it. Those
were the days when the Government
was ever watchful Of liquor smuggling
across the border. There had been
reports of commercial planes making
frequent trips to Canada. Winca-
paws plane was the first to be seized
on suspicion of smuggling. But moth
ing ever mace of it. The pilot and his
passengers were cleared and Winca-
paw resumed the flight.
For some time the flyer lived at
Princess Bay, Staten Island. Now he
makes his home in Boston.
The Government has been giving it
the hard way to Judge Robert Emmett
Healy for the past decade. The rangy
Vermont lawyer, measuring feet 4
inches, has been chasing the big
corporations of the country since 1928.
when he was appointed counsel to the
Federal Trade Commission. Now
President Roosevelt has started him
in pursuit of the investment trust
companies. In between he has under
taken a monumental investigation of
the utilities and has been a member
Of the Security and Exchange Com
mission.
In each case it meant plenty of
headache. 1t meant fighting every
inch of the way. But Judge Healy.
in his soft, mild way, has drawn out
the unruliest witness and pacified the
most irate executive. In the end he
has always managed to get what he
wanted. Throughout the years he
has been a stanch advocate of wide
publicity for all types of investments
He has felt the urgent need of public
education along these lines. When
the regulatory commission for securi-
ties was set up by Congress his ap-
pointment to it became logically in
evitable
A Republican by training and en-
vironment he has worked now for
two Republican administrations and
one Democratic Leaders Of both
parties have fully realized his value
and ability.
Back in Bennington, VT. where he
was born SO years ago. he was at one
time on the opposite side of the fence.
acting as counsel for New England
banks and utilities. But he has al
ways been an easy prey for public
service. tCopyrlght. IS3o.I