Evening star., 1938-02-03
Four Are Rescued.
but One Dies in
Hospital.
SEARCH is MADE
FOR TEN BODIES
Disaster Occurs in
Full Sight Of
Fleet.
RS the Associated Press.

BS the Associated Press.
SAN PEDRO, Feb "a mid-air
collision of two giant bomberS-Worst
plane disaster in American naval his
tory-claimed its eleventh life today
as a search was made by air and sea
for the missing bodies of 10 airmen.
Rescued from the water after the
bomber 1l-P-4 fell in splintering i'm
pact last night, ]. H. Hester. radioman
First Glass; of San Diego, died aboard
the hospital ship Relief at San Glenn
ente Island this morning.
Three of his companions were seri-
ously injured, but were expected to
recover.
The bodies of three more of the H.
PAS crew and the seven men in its
sister bomber, the 11-P-3, were hunted
by the United States Fleet. Navy
sources here said unofflcially there was
no hope the men had survived.
Collide During Squall.
The bombers, scouting for a theo-
retical enemy off the Southern Cali
fornia Coast, collided during sudden
rain squall, within view of maneuver-
ing surface ships.
The 11-P-3 fell in flames. The IL
Pa smashed to pieces on the choppy
sea.
Naval officers ashore said the bomb
ers, flying near each other, might
have been crushed together by sud-
den downdraft. They were cruising
at about 140 miles an hour, close
above four battleships and 20 de-
stroyers.
Searchlights suddenly Illuminated
the scene and warship launches put
out to rescue the men. while the en-
tire war game of the fleet came to q
halt
List of Those Missing.
The 10 missing airmen, listed by
the Navy simply as "unaccounted for"
and their nearest kin were:
Crew of 11-P-3:
1t. Elmer Glenn Cooper. COM
manding officer; wife, Mrs. Frances
Cooper, Coronado, Calf
Aviation Cadet Erwin John Koch,
second pilot; mother, Mrs. John
Koch. Toledo. Ohio.
Maurice Fitzmaurice, Aviation chief
machinist mate; wife, Mrs. Victoria
Eitzmaurice, Ell Cajon, Calf.
George Gordon Griffin, aviation
machinist mate, firts class; wife,
Mrs. Sadie Griffin, San Diego.
Joe Earl Walton, aviation machinist
mate, second class; wife, Mrs. Mary
Walton, San Diego.
Paul Landgrebe, aviation machinist
mate, second class; father, Frank
Landgrebe, Stillwell, Ind.
Julian Rawls. radioman, second
class; wife. Chula Vista, Calf.
Crew of l1-P-4:
It. Carleton Barmore Hutchins.
commanding officer; wife. Mrs. Eliza
bath Hutchins. Coronado, Calf.
Marion William Woodruff, aviation
chief machinist mate; wife, Mrs. Ruth
II. Woodruff, San Diego.
John Gregory Niedzweicki, aviation
machinist mate, first class; father
Felix Niedzweicki, Milwaukee, Wis.
Radioman Hester's widow. Mrs.
Mamie L. Hester, lives at San Diego.
The three survivors, all rushed
aboard the hospital ship Relief, are
u. B. Mckay, aviation chief machinist
mate; v. o. Hatfield, aviation chief
machinist mate, and L. S. Carpenter,
aviation machinist mate, second class
Mckay and Hatfield suffered broken
legs: Carpenters arms were fractured
Each has wife residing in San Diego.
Radio Silence" Broken.
A radio silence" imposed upon the
neet was broken to send news of the
accident
The planes were of the same type as
those which have made many long
distance mass flights without accident.
The latest exploit was January 10,
when l8 of the big flying boats flew
257O miles from San Diego to Homo.
(see NAVAL CRASH, Page A-53,