Evening star., 1937-06-07
GUARDS ENC|RCLE
PLANE WRECKACE
Crews Scrape GIaciated
Utah Snow for Bodies of 7
Lost Last December,

BACKGROUND
Western Air Express transport,
north bound from Los Angeles
NTH seper aboard, disappeared last
December II betWeen Las Vegas,
Neu, and Salt Lake City. Utah.
Extensive search BY air and land
for plane conducted for many
tOeeks, proved futile.
BY the Associated Press.
ALPINE, Utah, June 7.-Encircled
by guards with orders to shoot on
sight" crews scraped together today
pitifully strewn wreckage Of 4 huge
sky liner and then dug into glaciated
snow for the bodies Of its seven occu-
pants
Four men who attempted to carry
away souvenirs" said they were shot
at three times.
"A large shipment Of jewelry lay
exposed to the gaze of the first search
ers." M. G. Wenger, postal inspector,
told = reporter, adding, Il could give
you real story about that shipment
but I won't"
Wenger said the half-mile area
over which the wreckage is scattered
WAS closed to "unapproved visitors. "
He said guards have orders to shoot
on sight for souvenir hunters.
Wreckake Near Salt Lake.
Four men almost simulta neously
| came upon the shattered airplane
Sunday as they scrambled over a
ridge on bleak, cliff -cluttered Lone
Peak-only 25 miles from Salt Lake
City, goal OF the transport when it
| crashed December IS.
No trace of bodies was visible, said
| the plane finders, who hope TO claim
81 900 reward offered by the airline,
Western Air Express
We four started to look for bodies
and more things" said Emery An
dreWs, young farmer. But we raw
two guys slip away with a piece of the
plane and we thought they were going
to beat us to the reward. So we
| hustled right in to camp
The discovery was made about 2
miles above camp set up five days
ago after two Alpine natives picked up
letters from the planes cargo.
One shoe lay near the crest of the
ridge where the ship crashed" An
drews continued. "Airmail lay scat
tered everywhere. with tiny broken bits
OF wood. metal and cloth"
Seven sacks were taken up to the
| camp two days ago There was no
way OF telling, however, when the
bodies could be recovered
Some sort Of a massive derrick,
| Western Air authorities said, NAV be
required to haul the bodies and fusel-
age up the sheer cliff, which is per-
pendicular for from so to 100 feet
and almost sheer for 200 feet more
Largest single segment Of debris
found yesterday was part of a pro-
pellor. One mail bag remained in one
piece, but it was ripped down It's side
and wind had whisked its contents
away.
Ihere was small hope enough Of the
planes instruments could be as
sembled to reconstruct the accident or
determine its cause. Department of
Commerce authorities and the Utah
Aeronautics Commission discussed an
Immediate investigation.
Most bitterly ironic note OF the
/ tragedy was the location of the wreck
age itself. only 20 feet from the ridge
top over which the plane would have
had clear sailing down to its goal
Lost in fog and rain, the transport
was IS miles east of the regular Lot
Angeles-Salt Lake course.
: SO close to the ridge top WAS the
wreckage that its tail was hurled over
the precipice, searchers said, while the
forepart skidded far back down the
slope.
Plunge Over Cliff.
Indications are, search leaders add.
ed, that the torn bodies were tossec
over the cliff with the planes tail.
The 10-passenger, twin-motorec
$4,000 Boeing transport when it lef,
Los Angeles carried:
Pilot S. J. Samson, Co-pilot William
Bogen and Stewardess Gladys Witt
all OF Glendale Calf: Mr.. and Mrs
John F. Wolfe, Chicago newlyweds
Henry w. Edwards, Minneapolis: Car
Christopher. Dwight, H.; Mrs. F
Johnson and B. G. Mitchell OF Lo.
Angeles.
An hour and half out OF Lo!
Angeles the plane. due in Salt LAX,
at 4:lo am. stopped at Las Vegas
New, to discharge Mrs. johnson ane
Mitchell. at 327 am, mountain
time, Pilot Samson, over Milford
Utah, $50 miles southwest of Salt LAX.
City. radioed everything o. K"
A struggle over the $1,000 reward
loomed as = sequel to the discovery Of
| thu