Evening star., 1951-04-10
Residents Call
For Satisfaction
In Bomber Crash
Meeting. Launches
Fund for Victims
At Morningside

About one-third of the 1,50
grim-faced residents Of Morning
side. Md, turned out last night
indignant. angry and frightene'
at the death and devastation
caused Sunday by the crewles
B-25 which crashed into thei
settlement.
The townspeople, including man.
children and mothers carrying
babies. jammed the main room O
the Idle Club Elite, the neighbor'
hood social club which nearly wa
struck by the big plane as i
plunged to earth.
Mostly. they came to demand
satisfaction for the tragedy which
many felt was avoidable. They
wanted assurance, too. that the
same thing couldn't happen again
But they overlooked their anger
long enough to make plans to re-
build-with men of the community
furnishing the labor-the home OF
children and an uncle of the chill
dren perished.
Andrews Officials Absent.
The residents Of the little town
near the Andrews Air Force Base
also decided to ask their member
of Congress, Representative Sass
Ger, Democrat, of Maryland, If a
member of the. community could
sit with Mr.. Sasscer's subcom-
mittee during its investigation of
the tragedy.
Many of the townspeople were
primed with questions for Andrews
officials, but none appeared,
Gerald Glaubitz, deputy fire chief.
told the group that Col. Robert
A. Gardner, Andrews commander,
had said he would be present un-
less the Air Force investigation of
the crash kept him away.
However, an Andrews spokes-
man said today that Col. Gard
ner went to Morningside yester-
day and offered. in discussion
with fire officials, to attend last
nights meeting if the town lead
ers desired. The spokesman said
the colonel waited at his Office
until nearly 10 pm. for a tele-
phone call from the group. but
received none.
The indignation centered around
two points: Why the bomber was
abandoned over a populated area
and why Andrews planes fly low
over their homes. On the first
point, Leo Abernethy Of 6116 Suit
land road summed up the feeling:
"The question is. when the
blame has been fixed, can we be
assured Of finding out who was
to blame and what is to be done
about it? There is righteous in
dignation here. But too often
nobody finds out what happens. )"
Data Drafted for Grand Jury.
In . brief comment Prince
Georges County Commissioner
Thomas Latimer told the group
the States Attorney was preparing
data to be turned over to the grand
jury today for an investigation of
possible negligence in connection
with the crash.
Earlier, his neighbors called on
William ]. Lowery, 20, a former
BIS pilot who lives across the
street from the Snyders at 303
Poplar road. They cteered when
he said that "as far as I'm con-
cerued. that pilot had plenty of
time to ditch that plane some
where else"
On the point Of the low-flying
planes, Duncan Fleming, secretary
of the tower council, read re-
sponse to complaints from a now
defunct citizens association, in
which Air Force officials said it
was essential that Andrews jet
planes use a runway pointed at
Moringside in order to take off
into prevailing winds. II imagine
the situation now is pretty much
the same as it was then Gin 1948) ;"
the councilman declared.
One member of the group said
he didn't see why it is necessary
to fly 100 feet above the houses
all the way across the town.
II wish it was 100 feet over my
house, Bud" yelled some one
across the room.
To Study Flight Pattern.
MIR. Glaubitz, 507 Naples road,
quoted Mr.. Sasscer as saying his
committee would study Andrews
flight patterns to see if any run
ways could be changed.
Mr.. Glaubitz said Mr.. Sasscer
also promised to do anything in
his power to allow water hydrants
in Morningside to tap water line
running from the District to An
drews base. Fire Chief Lawrence
D. Beardmore said the town had
no hydrants on which it could
draw to fight the fire Sunday
When the departments engine
tank was dry the water was gone
Asked about comments of fire.
men that it may have been pos
sibie to save a life in the fire II
the water had not run out, Mr.
Beardmofe told the group only
that he didn't think it was pos
sible to do anything that wasn't
done.
e. Al. Glenn of 220 Woodland
road. president of the Prince
Georges County Republican Club
proposed that a Morningside resi-
dent sit with the Sasscer commit
tee to make sure the Air Force
doesn't cover up, to make sure the
proper questions are asked and
answered" Mr.. Glenn, who rar
against MIR. Sasscer In the last
congressional race, was delegated
to make the proposal to Mr.. Sass.
Ger.
m