Evening star., 1962-04-18
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

banite is plunked down in the
middle of a tracklesS tropical
jungle?
1t happened a few days ago.
and thanks to a jungle-wiSe
companion, I survived the
ordeal very well. Had l been
left to myself, though, l might
be there yet
I asked for a taste Of jungle
life at the Air Forces tropic
survival school at Albrook Air
Force Base. Canal Zone. H.
Morgan Smith, director Of the
school, and Tule Arauz, his In
dian-Negro chief instructor,
gave it to me in one massive
10-hour serving.
4 turned out at $50 am. in
the worst possible condition for
a jungle ordeal. having caroused
the night before in the flesh
pots of Panama City. I was
ill-clad for jungle work, in low
cut crepe-soled suede shoes.
socks, slacks, a short-Sleeved
white sport shirt, no hat.
Machete Part of Gear
Tule and Morgan Smith
looked me over, shuddered and
handed me a cartridge belt
with first aid kit, canteen and
machete attached. AS an after
thought, Tule handed me
diSreputable reversible field hat,
olive drab on one side and
orange OF the other, and an
orange Mae West life jacket.
You'll need the Mae West"
Smitty explained. You see, the
only way to get where you are
going in the jungle is by hell
copter, so I thought we'd toss
you in the water and let the
chopper rescue you for a
starter"
Tule put me in an outboard-
powered dugout canoe. We went
several miles up Madden Lake.
one of the two big bodies of
water that feed the locks of
the Panama Canal. At place Il
where the lake was about 200 dt
feet deep and about three miles
wide, Tule told me this was in
where I got off. DE
AS I floated around in my 10
inflated Mae West, helicopter ju
drew near, an oval-Shaped har- su
ness dangling beneath it at the LEI
end CT a cable. The chopper to
hovered while struggled to
get into the "horsecollar" har- m
ness, losing my hat in the prop sh
wash from the machines big co
rotor. pr
To get into a helicopter that
is lowering 20 feet above you -
is a little more intricate and ~ ~
exciting than to Chamber into W
one sitting on the ground. 1t 81
is also lot more fun.
And Away He Goes
You put your arms into the
horsecollar as if you were ~,
getting into a coat. Then you n
lock your arms in front of you y y
and give a nod to the man in ;,
the chopper. He starts winch :.
and you are lifted from the :,
lake as the craft goes on its u
way. 1t is a novel and pleasant n
sensation of flight to be dang n
ling at the end of a cable as h
you sail through the air at 40 r.
or so miles an hour. is
Safe aboard the helicopter, I II
was whisked across country to co
the hilltop in the jungle. Nor
gan Smith, who had gone out :.
earlier, was waiting when the - -
whirlybird touched down. He ~. ~
had been working in the clear ~ ~
ing with his machete and was Oe
a bit woozy from the sun. He r.
suggested we rest a few min ~
uteS before heading into the 20 20
forest. W
Smitty told me a little about ue .'
himself as we rested. He first W v.
hit Central America in the % "a
early sos as a young anthro- ~ ~
pologist fresh out of Florida ~ -,
State University. BY the time W W
the grant he was working ca
under ran out Smitty had the
tropics in his blood. He hung Ju
around Central America and OF
eventually tied up with the Air a
Forces tropic survival school. eH
Smitty has dedicated his life
to teaching men how to beat
the odds against them in the
jungle.
Actually, he said, the jungle al
is not such a bad place if you W
keep your eyes and ears open 50
and use common sense. The ST
natural enemies of man-ex- -
cept for disease germs - are dt
probably fewer in the rain for m
est than in the rougher sec W
tions of any big Stateside city. H
ST
What to Do? pt
Imagine" Smitty said, that m
our plane has just crashed N
here on this hilltop. Somehow az
We have escaped serious injury. a.
What 90 We do now?" ..
Head down hill guess, look ~ ~
for watercourse and try to -,
follow it to civilization" I re- -
piled.
mot so fast" Smitty warned. " y.
The best thing to do is stay tt
here couple of days. Remem- =. -
ber, if you're lost, somebody will 40 40
know that, and they'll start
looking for you. .,
80 stick around. Besides. -,
there's a lot of stuff in the -. =,
wreckage that would be of some ~ ~
use to you in the jungle. Take .. ,.
your time. Save what you think ~
you can uSe-but don't load ~
yourself down with too much 9,
gear when you do leave" =, :,
If Smitty had to face the "
jungle alone with only three "
pieces of gear, he would choose "
a machete. Mae West Ito keep ~
him afloat if it became neceS- e
sary to cross a deep water