Evening star., 1942-01-17
Lombard
Continued From First Pase.D

assignments. ! w. a. OIuClAN SdlO
the group boarded the plane at AL
buquerque. N Mex. where four other
passengers were put of to make
room for the pilots.
Among the Army pilots on the
plane was Staff Sergt. David c.
Tilghman of Snow Hill, Md.
Indian Tracker in Search.
Searching parties were headed by
Undersheriff Glenn Jones and Maj.
Herbert Anderson, executive officer
of an Army gunnery school at Las
Vegas. Deputy Coroner Jack Larry
and Jim Wilson, 60-year-old Indian
trscker. who knows the mountains
like a book. accompanied Jones
Word of the flames and explosion
last night came from workers at
the Blue Diamond Mine Shortly
afterward, Pilot Art Cheney of
Western Air Lines saw q fire on
Table Mountain. about 40 miles
southwest OF Las Vegas.
Its a T. w. A. plane and I can't
flnd any signs Of life" Pilot Cheney
radioed. He said he turned OFT his
landing lights in an effort TO dis
cover whether any one was moving
about the wreckage
The plane crashed more than 5000
feet up Table Mountain In the
rugged Charleston range The
ground is covered with several
inches of snow
Supt. w. T. Mcmillan of the Blue
Diamond Mine said the searchers
would have to use pack horses for
nearly 20 miles of the journey into
the Charleston range. which rises
from the Mohave desert floor.
Miss Lombard Selling Bonds.
Miss Lombard. 80, was returning
from Indianapolis With her, mother,
Mrs. Elizabeth X. Peters, and
Otto Winkler, -. publicity man for
M.-G-M. Studio. She had gone
there TO help sell Defense bonds.
Mr.. Gable is chairman Of the Actors
Committee which assigns motion
picture stars to assist the Treasury
in bond sales over the country.
Accompanying Mr.. Gable here IN
his chartered plane was Mrs Wink
Ter. Eddie Mannix, vice president Of
NON; Howard Stricking. M-G-M
publicity chief: Don McElwaine and
Ralph Wheelwright. M-G-M public
ity men.
Miss Lombard. born IN Fort
Wayne, Ind, had volunteered for the
trip to her home State. She sold
50 500 900 worth In one day, Thurs
day. described by Treasury oficials
as the largest one-day sale by any
single individual thus far.
Hollywood heard that Mr.. Winkler
preferred to make the trip by train
but that the actress insisted on an
airplane trip. They tossed a coin.
Miss Lombard won-and presumably
lost her life.
Mr.. Winkler, q former Los An
geles newspaperman. handled Ga
ble's publicity and was understood
to have made the trip at the actors
request.
Pilot Was = Veteran.
Wayne williams, a veteran T. w. A.
pilot, was at the controls He re-
Gently had been transferred to the
Albuquerque-Los Angeles run from
Kansas City.
T. w. A. said he gave no hint Of
trouble: that the only message re-
ceived from him after he left Albu-
querque was routine report. Visi-
bility and weather conditions in the
area were reported good
T. W. A. flew q party to Las Vegas
shortly after learning Of the crash.
The Civil Aeronautics Board sent
two inspectors, Perry Hodgens and
Warren Carey. and Chief Inspector
Frank Caldwell Of the accident in
vestigating division followed today.
First Crash in IL Million Miles.
r. w. A. said its planes had flown
$4,000, 900 miles-l87, ,000, 900 passen-
ger miles-since its last fatal crash.
Capt. williams had q record Of
1000 hours and 1900, 1000 miles in
the air. He learned to fly in the
Army Air Corps and joined T. w. A.
In 1891. He was Il.
Co-puot Gillette. IS. was born In
Burlington, vt. and Joined 7. w. A.
in September, 1910.
He got his early flying training In
Burlington and obtained his pilots
license In 1887.
He planned to marry Joan Allen
Of Hollywood, daughter Of IN ON.
cial Of Douglas Aircraft Corp. In
the near future.
Hostess Alice Getx. also IS, was
. native Of Kewanee, III. Her father,
Fred Getz, lives In Mineral, III. She
became . hostess In April. to3o.
Corole Lombordrs Mother
Asked Her to Shun Plane
INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. II @-
"Carole, don't take that plane"
Those were the words Mr.. and
Mrs. James G. Todd Of Indianapolis
heard Movie Star Carole Lombard,s q
mother say to her at the Indiana
polls Municipal Airport early yes
terday.
The blond screen actress boarded
the plane. however. and she and her
mother. Nrs. Elizabeth Peters, pre-
sumably rode 70 their death Ia q
crash IN the Nevada mountains.'
Mr.. and Nfs. Todd were ct the
airport awaiting the arrival Of an
other plane when they Overheard
Nrs. Petsrs ask hsr daushter not to
fy hack 10 California. Miss L0m-
hard came here By train Thursday
70 take part IN I Daenss bond rally.
Wife Was on Woy
To Join Flyer Husbond.