Evening star., 1941-10-31
Second Airline Crash
Kills 20 Americans
Near ST. Thomas, Ont.
Washington Trained
Stewordess Among
Victims of Tragedy
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ST. THOMAS, Ontario, Oct. 81
All 20 occupants of an American
Airlines transport we're killed last
night when the big plane ploweo
into the earth IA miles west of here
and burst into such fierce flames
that no attempt at rescue could be
made.
The II passengers and three men,
bers of the crew of the 21-paSsen-
ger Douglass airliner were all from
the United States, bound through
a drizzling rain on the Buffalo-De-
troit leg of a regular flight from
New York to Chicago
Twenty-seven-yea Mary E
Blackley of New York City, the
stewardess, was the only woman
victim. She was born in Franklin
ton, N. c., and was graduated from
st. Elizabeth's Hospital, Washing
ton. in November, 1888.
The other crew members were
Capt. David I. Cooper, "a, of Plan
dome, N. Y, and First Officer R. L
Owens, 80. of New York City.
Capt. Cooper, graduate of Syra-
cuse IN. " University and vet
eran flyer, joined American Airlines
in 1881 and held rank of pilot since
1884. In 1889 he became a captain
and chief pilot of the Syracuse
Boston route and a year later was
transferred to the New York-Chi-
cago route. He is survived by his
widow and one child
Passengers Killed.
The II passengers were listed by
the line in New York as:
Robert Flowers, Hastings, N. Y.
Edward Bigda, "a, Bridgeport,
Conn, aircraft inspector Of the
Vought- -Sikorsky division of United
Aircraft Corp.
A. L. Lewis, Walpole, Mass, also
of Vought- -Sikorsky, engineering de-
partment.
Ell. Benz, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Thomas A. Fraser, American
Brass Co., Detroit.
v. R. Conzett, American Brass
Co, Detroit.
G.. S. Van Norman, American
Brass Co., Detroit.
FIR. Root, Stinson Aircraft, Ypsi-
lanti, Mich.
Frank A. Fisher, accountant for
Arthur Anderson & Co., Detroit.
E. M. Scott, Detroit.
tioro a
representative of the C. l. o. United
Automobile Workers, Buffalo.
George E. Russell, As, sales pro-
motion manager of Gilman Fanfold
Corp, Niagara Falls, NJ Y.
James George, Buffalo.
D. E. Stowe, Eddy Paper Co.,
Three Rivers, Mich.
E. J. Watt, Pratt-Whitney Co.,
Royal Oak, Mich.
Joseph Bacon, Detroit
John Kay, La Porte, Ind.
There was no immediate eXplana-
ton for the disaster, the second
within a day to befall an American
air transport and the worst disaster
in Canadian history. 1t was the first
crash of an American Airlines plane
since February, 1886.
Second Crash in Day.
With 20 dead here and ID killed
early yesterday morning in the
crash of a Northwest Airlines plane
near Moorhead, Mimi, the day was
the most disastrous in loss of life of
any in the history of American COM
mercial aviation.
Visibility was poor when the plane,
on its course, crashed at about 1890
pm. on the farm of Thompson Howe
at Lawrence Station.
1t was due at Detroit at 10:17 pm.
on the run from Buffalo, one leg of
flight which began at La Guardia
Field, New York, with Chicago as its
final destination.
When the plane struck, there was
one big explosion followed by a
series of smaller ones. Flaming gas
oline gushed out.
Before Mr.. Howe could reach it.,
several hundred yards from his
house. it was engulfed in flames.
Farmers, provincial police from St.
Thomas and officers from the Royal
Canadian Air Force School at near
by Fingal, who arrived quickly, were
poWerless to aid.
Flames shot up from the wrecked
plane, holding them at distance.
Three Bodies Fell Out.
Lewis Biddle, Lawrence Station
storekeeper, who was one of the first
at the scene, said three bodies tum-
bled outside but the flames roared
up with the impact of the crash and
they we're burned before they could
be reached.
Mr.. Biddle said light showed in
the murky night sky before the
crash, indicating that the pilot had
dropped flare in an effort to find
a landing spot. The plane circled
around, he said, then skinned the
ground and shot up, only to sideslip
and crash.
It's nose was buried in the ground
and debris was strewn in an area
with a radius OF 200 feet or more.
The left wing was only partly de-
stroyed, but the right wing was
smashed to bits.
Police picked up many letters
from mail catapulted from the
plane.
The fire still was burning more
than an hour after the crash when
a bucket brigade of farmers, getting
water from nearby pumps, were
able to start eXtinguishing it. AS
the flames began to subside long
after the crash, the fire department
from Shedden played streams Of
water on them.
Woman Sees Crash.
The fire apparatus had to come
miles and draw water from the
Howe well.
American AirlineS officials we're
said to be flying here to investigate
and were expected to land at the
Fingal Station school.
Mrs. Howe said she thought first