The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-10-31

(Continued the ground in this rolling, farm country of southern Ontario facing on Lake Erie.
 Residents of Lawrence Station, a tiny farming hamlet, IA miles west of here, provided the story of the planes last minutes. Thompson Howe, owner of the farm on which it crashed, his wife, Hugh Smith, and John McNaughton, neighoorng farmers, the Rev. O. G. Taylor, pas tor of the United Church there, and Lewis Riddle, the Hamlet's store keeper, all watched it and their stories agreed.
 Crashed Out of Mist
 Tn summary and aggregate, their stories were that out of the misty, rainy night & plane descended on Lawrence station. It made three circles of approximately five miles in diameter, starting at some 100 feet from the ground, and getting lower and lower. No witness was qualified to judge the condition ot airplane motors from their sound but all were under the impression that one or both motors were sput- tering. Occasionally their roar was accelerated, as though the pilot was attempting either to get more power from them or was merely keeping his plane on an even keel while looking for place to land. Al! witnesses noticed that the right wing was lower than the left.
 Finally the plane was only a few feet from the ground. That droop- ing wing scraped the ground-ac- cording to Mrs. Howe who was only 200 feet away when it happened which flew the machine into tht earth. The explosion and fire fol lowed at once.
 Howe, who was doing his chore! in the barn, came running out ant he and Mrs. Howe ran as near al they could to the blazing wreckage They said that through the flame! they saw at least two bodies. Int plane burned into 3 a. m. today By a. m. the wreckage had cooled sufficiently for provincial police ant members of the Royal Canadian Ali Force, which has station hint miles away, to begin removing tht bodies which were brought here fol Identification.
 Mail Scattered Widely
 The explosion scattered thu planes mail over quarter of mile, bursting open the pouches arC even envelopes. Royal Canadian airmen picked up two checks pay able to the Ford Motor Compan! of Detroit, one for $3,500, the otheI for $2,50O. There was a number O letters from United States soldier at Fort Bragg, N. C., addressed t' relatives in the Detroit area.
 Mrs. Howe had the best view. Sht was listening to her radio when th' roar of airplane motors shook thu windows. Planes from the bombing school of the Royal Canadian Ali Force at Fingal, nine miles away are over the Howe farmhouse st often she thought nothing of 1t. Blu the roar grew louder and she wen to window. She saw a plane yer. close to the ground. She ran out side and the plane seemed to b. coming directly at her. Glued t the spot by fright, she couldn' move. The next instant, she felt would be her last. Suddenly tn, plane crashed and exploded jus 200 yards away.
 Circled Half Hour The plane had circled arount Lawrence station for at least ; half hour, residents said. Its cir clings had aroused the entire com munity and within an hour som 200 farmers, their wives, and chil dren, plus military airmen wer, watching the flames roar. Unde the command of Flight Lieut.. J. c Foster, the airmen gathered tn scattered mail and did what the, could until provincial police arrived and took charge.
 American Airlines announced tha six passengers boarded the plane il New York, II in Buffalo. All werv men. The following passenger lis was published by the lines whicl were unable to supply deficiencie in first names and addresses.
 List of Casualties Crew:
 Cooper, David T., S4, Syracuse, \ Y.. pilot-captain.
 Owens, Richard L., 30, Wichit' Falls, Tex, co-pilot.
 Blackley, Mary E., 27 Hamlet, N C., StewardesS.
 Passengers:
 J. Bacon, Detroit, an employe 0 the Chevrolet Motor Co.
 Benz, Erwin A., SS. Ann Arbor Mich, engineer for the Tram Cor. poration.
 Bigda. Edward, 24. of stratfOrd