The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-09-26
SEAPLANE CRASH
 SUNDAY INJURIES SIMMONS BADLY
Four Passengers Not Hurt Tn Forced Landing
 Near Chichagof AIR INSPECTOR HOPS AAT PILOT TO JUNEAU
Ship Believed Total Loss Left Wing Smashed
 Floats Washed Out

Sheldon Simmons, Chief Pilot of Alaska Air Transport, is in St. Ann's Hospital today suffering from se- rious face decorations he received yesterday afternoon when a Fair child T seaplane crashed just out of Chichagof
 Four passengers in the plane, one of them Mrs w. A. Gallemore, wife of the Safety Engineer at the Hirst- Chichagof mine, were uninjured but for minor cuts and bruises.
 Extent of damage to the plane is unknown as yet, but is believed to consist principally of a shattered left wing and washed out" floats. First reports said it was total loss.
 Radio advices were not received in Juneau concerning the accident until late yesterday evening and it was not until this morning that a plane was able to go to the scene
 Flies to Scene I. K. McWilllams, Territorial Aero nautics Inspector, who flew to Ju- neau from Fairbanks Saturday in his Stinson Reliant, took off this morning with Alaska Air Transport Pilot John Amundsen, flew to Chi chagof and brought Simmons in, making the return flight in 45 min utes.
 A waiting ambulance took Sim mons to the hospital where Dr. l.. P. Dawes examined the extent of Simmons injuries, believed to con- siSt of a broken and severely cut nose as well as other deep facial wounds.
 As nearly as could be determined this morning, Simmons had just taken off from Chichagof with his four passengers yesterday afternoon to return to Juneau when the crash occurred.
 Motor Fails
 Inspector McWilliams, who said he has not yet made official in vestigation of the accident, said it seemed as though it happened about two miles from Chichagof in Elbow ssage when Simmons switched to his second gas tank and the motor failed to pick it up"
 Passengers told McWilliams the plane was about 100 feet up" when the motor lost power and Simmons was forced to try for a landing.
 Evidently the landing was made near the beach, but either stall" just before landing, or possibly rough seas, dropped the plane in on it's left wing and the nose, throwing Pilot Simmons against the instrument panel or radiophone equipment near his head.
 Though bleeding heavily and se- verely injured, it is understood Simmons either swan or waded to shore short distance away and after getting his passengers out, started to walk the beach back to Chichagof when he was picked up by passing troller.
 Alaska Air Transport officials late last night wired Don Moller, of the Sitka branch of the Colum- bia Lumber Company, to take a boat and doctor to the scene, Mol Ter replying that the halibut Sophia, Capt. Tibbetts, left Sitka at Il pm. for Chichagof with Dr. w. L. Charteris aboard.
 Marine Airways Pilot Alex Holden went out this morning to bring in the four passengers that had been with Simmons.
 Accident Statement
 In the hospital this morning, just before going into the operating room, Simmons told Glenn Goudie, Supervising Engineer for the Alas ka Aeronoutics Conn ission a broken story of the crash.
 Shell told me he was about 100 feet in the air." Goudie said, "and when he switched over to the other gas tank, it didn't take and he start ed down for a landing. About 25 feet
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