﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  503 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  U. 
  S. 
  Air 
  Service 
  

  

  PILOTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ALASKAN 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  From 
  left 
  to 
  right, 
  Captain 
  St. 
  Clair 
  Streett, 
  Flight 
  Commander; 
  Lieutenant 
  C. 
  C. 
  Nutt, 
  

   Lieutenant 
  R. 
  C. 
  Kirkpatrick, 
  Lieutenant 
  E. 
  H. 
  Nelson, 
  and 
  Lieutenant 
  C. 
  E. 
  Crumrine. 
  

  

  spots 
  where 
  landing 
  an 
  airplane 
  is 
  possi- 
  

   ble. 
  Few 
  landmarks 
  are 
  identified 
  easily 
  

   until 
  one 
  reaches 
  Lake 
  Chautauqua, 
  some 
  

   40 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Erie. 
  Erie 
  itself 
  is 
  

   clearly 
  identified 
  from 
  the 
  air 
  by 
  the 
  pe- 
  

   culiar 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  peninsula 
  that 
  extends 
  

   into 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  and 
  hooks 
  eastward. 
  

  

  The 
  rain 
  continued 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  

   soaking 
  the 
  field 
  at 
  Erie 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  bog. 
  

   Pilots 
  and 
  mechanics 
  were 
  kept 
  busy 
  oil- 
  

   ing 
  metal 
  parts 
  to 
  prevent 
  rust. 
  Every 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  machines 
  was 
  examined 
  con- 
  

   stantly, 
  for 
  we 
  had 
  9,000 
  miles 
  to 
  cover 
  

   in 
  these 
  vehicles, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  we 
  

   were 
  to 
  traverse, 
  spare 
  parts 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  

  

  The 
  townspeople 
  of 
  Erie 
  overwhelmed 
  

   us 
  with 
  invitations 
  and 
  many 
  were 
  the 
  

   kindnesses 
  showered 
  upon 
  us 
  by 
  visitors 
  

   to 
  our 
  field; 
  but 
  we 
  were 
  eager 
  to 
  get 
  

   away 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible. 
  We 
  watched 
  

   the 
  heavens 
  and 
  studied 
  the 
  weather 
  re- 
  

   ports 
  as 
  we 
  oiled 
  and 
  mended 
  and 
  waited. 
  

  

  MIRED 
  IN 
  THE 
  ERIE 
  PLYING 
  FIELD 
  

  

  Finally, 
  on 
  July 
  20, 
  five 
  days 
  after 
  

   leaving 
  Mineola, 
  the 
  storm 
  subsided 
  and 
  

  

  we 
  determined 
  to 
  push 
  on 
  to 
  Grand 
  

   Rapids, 
  Michigan. 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  Crumrine, 
  in 
  Number 
  3, 
  

   started 
  off 
  first, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  take 
  some 
  

   oblique 
  photographs 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  from 
  

   the 
  air. 
  He 
  settled 
  himself 
  into 
  his 
  seat, 
  

   waved 
  us 
  adieu, 
  and 
  taxied 
  over 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   turf. 
  He 
  opened 
  up 
  his 
  motor 
  and 
  started 
  

   down 
  the 
  field. 
  Suddenly 
  his 
  wheels 
  cut 
  

   deep 
  into 
  the 
  surface. 
  He 
  quickly 
  cut 
  off 
  

   his 
  motor, 
  but 
  the 
  momentum 
  of 
  the 
  ma- 
  

   chine 
  carried 
  it 
  a 
  hundred 
  feet 
  or 
  so 
  

   deeper 
  into 
  the 
  soft 
  ground, 
  where 
  it 
  

   eventually 
  stood 
  with 
  one 
  blade 
  of 
  the 
  

   propeller 
  sticking 
  in 
  the 
  mud. 
  

  

  A 
  team 
  of 
  horses 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  drag 
  

   the 
  De 
  Haviland 
  out. 
  This 
  field, 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  quite 
  substantial 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  had 
  

   been 
  converted 
  by 
  the 
  long 
  and 
  heavy 
  

   rains 
  into 
  a 
  wretched 
  bog. 
  The 
  airplane 
  

   was 
  not 
  injured, 
  but 
  the 
  mishap 
  had 
  dem- 
  

   onstrated 
  how 
  impossible 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  

   get 
  away 
  from 
  so 
  soft 
  a 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  balance 
  of 
  that 
  day 
  we 
  spent 
  in 
  

   rolling 
  the 
  field. 
  To 
  our 
  great 
  dismay, 
  

   the 
  Kelly 
  truck 
  roller 
  stuck 
  fast 
  in 
  the 
  

   mud, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  horses, 
  in 
  trying 
  to 
  

  

  