The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-09-09
TWO Die in NAVY PLANE
CRASH AT BLOOMING ROSE
Killed Instantly When Ship
Cracks Up in Broken Field; Con-
sumed by Fire Half Hour Later
BLAME FOG, BAD WEATHER

Fog and bad weather are believed
to have brought death to two f1iers
Sunday evening when their United
States Navy plane crashed and later
burned in broken field, in the noun
tains, near Blooming Rose, three miles
west of Friendsville.
The men were identified as Lieu
tenant Commander Henry C. Clayton,
of Roslyn, N. Y, and Lieutenant Her.
bert R. Schaeffer, of the United States
naval reserve. Schaeffer, from India
napolis, Ind, was advertising director
for the American Legion national
magazine. Both were killed instantly.
Wreckage Ignited
Witnesses of the crash injected a
mystery note into the accident when
they reported that the plane did not
catch fire until at least half an hour
after it hit the ground.
Three eyewitnesses said that after
they had reached the scene of the
crash and had located the bodies,
covering them with tarpaulins, they
left the scene to find help. When they
returned approximately twenty min
utes later, they said, the ship was a
roaring mass of flames. 1t previously
had shown no indication of catching
fire.
Police Guard Ship
A Navy salvage crew late Monday
began taking what was left of the
plane back to Philadelphia, relieving
State police who had stood guard over
the ship since it fell Sunday evening.
The bodies of the two airmen were
taken to the Friendsville funeral es-
tablishment of w. w. Savage, and on
Tuesday the remains of Clayton We're
shipped to Doughton, Mass, while the
remains of Schaeffer were shipped to
New York City.
The plane crashed on the farm of
Mrs. Jefferson Frazee, across the
roadway from the Quinter Hook farm,
where Mr.. Hook was murdered by
Clyde Friend this year.
Mrs. Frazee, who is so years of age,
was alone on the farm and out by the
chicken coop when she heard the
planes motor overhead. She said it
came over her head "close to the
treetops.
at made half turn, as though it
were going to land in a clover meadow
down there" she said, "and disap-
peared" Then, she said, she heard a
crash and saw roll of smoke come
above the trees.
81 knew that they were dead. 1t was
too far for me to go so l rang the
large dinner bell in the yard to give
the alarm"
Hear Suffering
Paul Sisler, Orville Friend and
Arnold Friend, of near Friendsville,
were riding in a car on the top of a
rise about quarter of mile away
from the spot where the plane
crashed.
Sisler said: eve heard the motor
but we couldn't see the plane because
of heavy fog. Then the motor sput-
tered, like an automobile does when
it is out of gas. Then we heard the
crash and hurried down there"
The plane was found on the edge of
a clover field. 1t had struck a huge
boulder glancing blow and had dug
a deep hole in the ground beside it,
The plane turned over and debris was
scattered for many feet. A tire from
one of the wheels was wrapped around
a willow tree about 100 feet away. A
locust tree above the hole, was I'M
touched, indicating that the plane had
come down on a slant. The plane itself
was mass of twisted metal.
eve discovered the bodies in the
wreckage," Sisler continued. zone had
been decapitated and the other had
lost leg. They were horribly man.
gled."
No Sign of Smoke
eve spread tarpaulins over them
and left to get help. There was no
smoke nor sign of fire from the plane,
but when we got back Is or 20 min
utes later, it was mass of flames.
The bodies were burned but we man.
aged to drag them from the plane
before they were burned up"
Sisler also stated that the few who
gathered around the wreck in the first
few minutes were fearful of an ex-
plosion. They seemed to be of the
opinion the plane may have been car
rying some explosive. The hole in the
ground, they declared, was too big
and deep to have been made by the
falling machine.
It was difficult to notify authorities
after the accident occurred as there