Evening star., 1951-04-09
Morniingsiide
Biffer, Meeting
Set in Crash
Andrews Base BIomee
For Luck Of Water to
Fight BIS Blaze

s o'clock tonight.
The $500 residents Of the small
community seemed to be unified in
criticism Of Andrews Air Force
Base on number Of counts:
/. The plane should not have
been abandoned over the popu-
lated area.
2. Andrews Air Force base off,
cials should have allowed the
town to tap In on its 24-inch
water main so the town could
have adequate fire protection. Ef-
forts to do this in the past have
been turned down by the base
officials.
Town Is Bitter.
8. Andrews base officials should
have needed repeated requests
from the town to stop bringing
planes in 50 low over the coms
Inunity.
Mayor william j. Spahr said
the whole incident will be dis
cussed and then the council and
fire department will formulate an
action plan designed to prevent
any possibility of q recurrence.
He said the town was bitter
and in an uproar about the crash.
Lack Of Water Blamed.
Gerald Glaubitz, assistant chief
Of the Moningside Volunteer Fire
Department, blamed lack of water
for firemen's failure to save the
life of at least one Of the three
persons killed when the plane
crashed into the home of T/Sergt.
and Mrs. Samuel Snyder at 302
Poplar road.
One of the first to arrive on
the scene, Mr.. Glaubitz said he
and other members of the fire
department. rushed into the burn
ing house and saw a man pinned
beneath some wreckage. The man
was IRWIN Guyer Of Crawford. N. Y.
who wassvisiting the Snyders. He
was killed as were two of his
nieces, Kay, 6, and Rena. 8 weeks
daughters of the Snyders.
"Just his legs were pinned.
think it was under the cockpit
section" MIR. Glaubitz said. "He
was conscious and crying. Help
help
Water Runs Out in 10 Minutes.
II kept telling him, well get
you out I grabbed his arms and
shoulder and tried to pull him
out but he wouldn't move. Then
we set to work on the wreckage
with axes while other boys played
two hoses ON the fire. keeping 1t
away from the man."
Mr.. Glaubitz said the water
ran out in about 10 minutes
water from the new 500-gallon
pumper Of the fire department
and the smoke and flames drove
them, out.
'sI'm positive we could have got
that man out II we'd had more
water" he said.
He said engines from other fire
companies arrived but it was toe
late to fight their way back into
the fiame-hlled house.
Has No Water Hydrants.
Mr., Glaubitz said the town hac
no water hydrants with which
to fight fires. He said a 24-inct
water main runs through the
town from Suitland road to the
air base.
The fire department has asked
the Air Force for permission tx
tap into the main to supply firt
hydrants, he continued. but have
been refused on the grounds i
was impossible"
The main In question Is a spe.
cial one Andrews base had bull
to supply its needs.
Morningside itself gets its water
supply from an artesian well.
storage tank system installed by
the developers of the community
Mayor Spahr said there was one
hydrant in the upper part of the
town but lack of pressure made
1t useless for fighting fires Of any
size.
( 1949 Petition Cited.
Concerning the base planes
which continually fly low over the
town in making their landing ap.
proaches, MIR. Spahr said Andrews
Air Force Base had been asked te
stop bringing in planes over the
homes.
He said that two years ago 9
petition was drawn up by a now
defunct citizens association anc
presented to the Air Force official.
to get the base to route the plane!
differently. Nothing happened, h
added.
The Ladies' Auxiliary Of tht
Morningside Volunteer Fire De-
partment served coffee and sand
wiches to the firemen and voices
in bitter tones their attitude
toward Andrews base.
"They seem to feel they wer'
here first, so to hell with u.s." on
citizen said.
Pilot Is Criticized.
where's the pilot Of tina
plane? If he was here he ought
to be lynched," another said
Several chimed In with. THAT
right. he ought to be-"
Charles Kiker, a member o1
the town council, declared:
"The pilot had plenty Of tint
to take the plane away from the
area. We are going to see whom.
ever we can to press for an ex.
animation Of why this thing wa.
allowed to happen"
Harry E. Middleton. who live.
next door to the demolished house
said he and his neighbors hac
been protesting periodically about
low-fying planes for the las
three years.
Morningside has had plenty OF
trouble with its water supply fol-
some years. In 1945 the pumping
station broke down and for several
vnooxc fhn ,.arilna&c x1.~~A~s /.