Evening star., 1942-01-19
Miss Lombard 5 Body
Among 9 Recovered
From Plane Ruins
Removed Of Is Others
May Not Be Completed
Until Tomorrow

BY the Associated Press.
LAS VEGAS, New, Jan. 19.-Ihe
shattered bodies Of Carole Lombard
and eight other persons among ~
killed in = mountain-top plane
crash Friday night lay in Las
Vegas morgue today while men
toiled through snow to bring the
remaining - victims down from the
crash scene.
The dead included Miss Lombard
and her mother and two other
women, the actress press represen-
tative and Is Army flyers, in addi-
ton to the pilot and co-pilot.
Recovered from the plane wreck
age late yesterday were the bodies
of two women and seven men.
Wisps of blond hair land the gen.
eral contour of her face" served to
enable Edgar j. Mannix, vice presi-
dent Of M. G. M. Studios, to identify
one body as that Of Miss Lombard
A three-man jury, conducting q
special inquest, decided that she
died Of injuries sustained in "the
crash - T. w. A. liner en- route
from Las Vegas to Los Angeles"
Another Inquest Planned.
Another inquest will be held when
all Of the bodies have been recovered.
Clark Gable, Miss Lombard's hus-
band. who new here on receiving
word Of the crash Friday night, re-
manned in seclusion at a hotel.
Friends said he was too numbed by
the shock Of the death Of his wife
and her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth
Peters, and their close friend, Studio
Press Agent Otto Winkler. to talk to
any one. Unable to leave his film
duties, Mr.. Gable last week had
asked Mr.. Winkler to accompany
Miss Lombard to Indianapolis where
she aided In a sale Of Defense bonds
Spencer Tracy, q close friend Of
the actor, drove alone to Las Vegas
Saturday and was expected to ac-
company him back to Hollywood
Studio officials in Los Angeles were
making arrangements for q double
funeral for Miss Lombard and her
mother, to be held probably We'd
nesday or Thursday.
Deputy Coroner Jack Larry said 1t
might not be possible to complete
the task Of removing the bodies
from the remote peak, IS miles
southwest Of here. and Of identify
ing them, until tomorrow.
Planes Nose Embedded in Rock.
The plane, travelling at an alti-
tude Of 8,700 feet and apparently at
full cruising speed, flew straight
into a sheer. snow-based granite
cliff and then burst into flames. It
struck with an impact SO great that
its nose was imbedded In, the solid
rock and its 70-foot length was tele-
scoped into a 10-foot mass.
This is the most completely
obliterated crashed plane I have
ever seem" said John Ceilings Of
Kansas City. T. w. A. superintend-
ent Of operations.
Searchers found the bodies of six
soldiers thrown clear Of the wreck
age, only slightly burned, frozen in
the snow. The charred bodies of
the other, victims lay in and about
the ruins.
Also recovered was a quantity Of
mail and luggage, much Of 1t burned
and badly soiled.
At Los Angeles, Harold NJ Graves,
assistant to the Secretary of the
Treasury. praised Miss Lombard's S
voluntary work in the interest of
national defense and said, she died
while in the service Of her country
just as surely as did the soldiers
who crashed with her"
The 32-year r-old star was one Of
the most popular figures on the
screen. She. recently completed a
Aim with Jack Benny. The comedian
Cancelled his radio program yes
terday.