Evening star., 1937-02-07

private planes, but Lieut.. Near got
tough on that score-he grounded
them for the stage Of the extreme
emergency, and took their precious gas
for relief ships. They soon stopped
coming.
Until the middle of the week there
was no post office We kept big mail
sack in the station hall and people
put their letters in that. 1t wasn't
long until we ran out OF stamps and
then we took money for postage. Some
o. the senders could pay and others
couldn't. 1t finally got SO that when
we couldn't make change for some one
who had cash that we just let them
leave the balance to take care Of the
ones who didn't. We were just 2 cents
short when the post Office took over
again. Some of the emergency letters
out were even written on brown wrap
ping paper, but We sent them any
way-the planes carried them to In
dianapolis and Chicago and turned
them over to postal authorities there.
Newspaper men had no way at first
to wire stories, so we took those out,
too, and delivered them at the nearest
telegraph Office that we reached. A
few of the larger papers sent in their
own chartered planes, and every one
of them brought supplies and where
they had space in going out took ref
ugees. Each day We had reports from
tie Mayors Committee of what was
most needed, and those were the things
coming through.
THE morale Of the city has been
tremendously helped by the work here
at the airport, and nothing too fine
can be said for tn, spirit Of cooper
alton. To both American and to us
came kilograms from anxious rela-
tiveS asking us to find members of
their families and evacuate them on
our ships, passage prepaid. Where it
was humanity possible to find them We
did and sent them out. One Red Cross
nurse was brought down from Chi
cago with instructions to locate an
80-year-old husband and wife. We
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couldn't get results. Finally she dis
appeared for two days. She turned
up then. looking pretty bedraggled,
bit triumphantly bringing the old peo-
pie with her. They were dispatched
on the next trip. Frankly, I never
knew an airline could be such a versa
tile organization-our men all worked
night and day. towards the last Of the
week practically out on their feet,
and We did everything from acting as
legal headquarters to being postmen." !"
WHEN Mr.. Mcconnell of American
came into the restaurant for his
sandwich and his interview, Pop"
ing sandwiches in my sleep-I could
really get along pretty well If I never
saw another one for the rest Of my
life" But he grinned as he said it.
I'VE are pretty proud of the fact"
said Mcconnell, that We had the first
relief ship init brought serum and
food from Nashville. Our Washing
ton-Louisville run was Cancelled and
the ships serving 1t turned over to
Louisville needs. Others were taken
of other runs, and in addition to our
l4-seat Douglas We even had some
Of our small Stinson mail planes and
two or three of our 21-place fagships
Our regular schedules were for a day,
but we have averaged 20 through the
emergency. We landed at night in
spite Of the wet field until the lights
and the radio range went, and as soon
as they were working again we re-
started night flying. We never COM
promised with safety. Our steward
esses, all trained nurses, worked hours
overtime, but our pilots stayed within
the legal requirements of the Depart
ment of Commerce-that was vital.
1t was interesting to us to find that
at least so per cent of our passengers
were what we call first ride'-that Is,
had never flown before.
"Our Chicago Office tells us now that
up to today, Tuesday. our line alone
has carried over 100000 pounds of
emergency supplies into the airport
here. We have evacuated over 1000
people. two-thirds Of them women and
children. We brought in police and
firemen from Toledo, Akron, Phila-
delphia and Boston, and c. r. Smith,
our president. has stated that all sup
plies and workers were to be carried
without charge as the companys con-
tribution to the emergency"
The emergency is not over yet, even
though the waters are receding at this
city. Down in Memphis, where went
yesterday, planes are standing by to
help in every possible contingency,
with the Coast Guard on the job there
also. The Red Cross reports that 1t
has only had to ask once ior help and
the help was forthcoming, while in
some cases outside the flood area it
self commercial companies which had
no immediate contact with the situa.
ton offered their services to supple
ment those that had. United Airlines
was one Of these, its president, w. A.
Patterson, wiring Cary Grayson in
Washington that it would stand by for
anything needed. It did one special
piece of flying in addition to its trips
into Louisville with supplies later.
carrying q national broadcasting out.
fit and q plane full Of newspaper and
cameramen on q. 9-hour nonstop
flight over the food area so that q
completely adequate description could
be sent out to the country at large.
II the disasters Of nature are ever
to be conquered, man has found in
his fedgling wings . powerful new
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