﻿THE 
  FIRST 
  ALASKAN 
  AIR 
  EXPEDITION 
  

  

  539 
  

  

  While 
  still 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  an 
  hour 
  

   away 
  from 
  Prince 
  George, 
  as 
  I 
  estimated 
  

   our 
  position, 
  I 
  was 
  compelled 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  

   blackness 
  of 
  the 
  storm. 
  Rain 
  and 
  occa- 
  

   sional 
  hail 
  beat 
  us 
  down 
  closely 
  under 
  

   cover. 
  For 
  fear 
  of 
  being 
  blown 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  off 
  my 
  course, 
  I 
  determined 
  to 
  

   drop 
  down 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  

   check 
  up 
  any 
  drift 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  or 
  south. 
  

  

  For 
  fully 
  ten 
  minutes 
  we 
  were 
  im- 
  

   mersed 
  in 
  partial 
  darkness. 
  I 
  remember 
  

   yet 
  how 
  I 
  watched 
  the 
  lightning 
  dart 
  from 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  clouds 
  straight 
  into 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  glimpse 
  I 
  had 
  of 
  terra 
  firma 
  

   was 
  a 
  cliff, 
  not 
  below 
  me, 
  but 
  ahead 
  of 
  

   me! 
  I 
  zoomed 
  up 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  rocks 
  by 
  

   a 
  good 
  ioo 
  feet, 
  then 
  dropped 
  down 
  again 
  

   to 
  within 
  a 
  ioo 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  tree-tops. 
  I 
  

   feared 
  I 
  might 
  pass 
  directly 
  over 
  Prince 
  

   George 
  without 
  seeing 
  it. 
  

  

  And 
  indeed 
  this 
  nearly 
  happened. 
  It 
  

   was 
  raining 
  very 
  hard 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  

   scarcely 
  distinguish 
  the 
  ground. 
  I 
  felt 
  

   that 
  we 
  must 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  town, 
  and 
  

   so 
  I 
  turned 
  back, 
  and 
  there, 
  to 
  my 
  great 
  

   relief, 
  I 
  saw 
  houses 
  and 
  a 
  road. 
  

  

  Back 
  and 
  forth 
  over 
  the 
  settlement 
  we 
  

   flew, 
  trying 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  directions 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   locate 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  field 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   selected 
  for 
  our 
  landing. 
  Finally 
  a 
  blaze 
  

   of 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  my 
  right 
  indi- 
  

   cated 
  that 
  a 
  flare 
  had 
  been 
  lighted 
  to 
  guide 
  

   me. 
  Flying 
  low, 
  I 
  observed 
  the 
  three 
  air- 
  

   planes 
  of 
  my 
  flight 
  huddled 
  together 
  in 
  

   the 
  blinding 
  rain, 
  while 
  around 
  them 
  was 
  

   grouped 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  motor 
  cars. 
  Later 
  

   I 
  learned 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  flown 
  over 
  the 
  spot 
  

   several 
  times 
  without 
  seeing 
  my 
  com- 
  

   rades. 
  

  

  A 
  BLIND 
  LANDING 
  A 
  SMASHED 
  WING 
  

  

  I 
  made 
  a 
  blind 
  landing. 
  As 
  luck 
  would 
  

   have 
  it, 
  I 
  hit 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  

   smashed 
  my 
  left 
  wing 
  and 
  tore 
  away 
  the 
  

   whole 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  stabilizer. 
  Ten 
  feet 
  

   more 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  would 
  have 
  given 
  me 
  

   an 
  open 
  path. 
  However, 
  Henriques 
  and 
  

   I 
  were 
  quite 
  satisfied 
  to 
  step 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   damaged 
  machine 
  and 
  find 
  ourselves 
  sur- 
  

   rounded 
  by 
  friends. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  ships 
  had 
  arrived 
  without 
  

   injury 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Lieutenant 
  

   Crumrine, 
  who 
  blew 
  a 
  tire 
  and 
  nicked 
  his 
  

   propeller 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  landing. 
  His 
  me- 
  

   chanic, 
  Sergeant 
  Long, 
  was 
  riding 
  on 
  the 
  

   tail 
  of 
  the 
  machine, 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  stop 
  rolling 
  

  

  after 
  landing, 
  when 
  the 
  airplane 
  nosed 
  up 
  

   and 
  threw 
  him 
  headlong. 
  Fortunately 
  he 
  

   was 
  unhurt. 
  

  

  Pilots 
  and 
  crews 
  unanimously 
  voted 
  the 
  

   Prince 
  George 
  field 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  worst, 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  field, 
  that 
  we 
  

   had 
  yet 
  visited. 
  

  

  The 
  officials 
  and 
  the 
  citizens 
  of 
  Prince 
  

   George 
  treated 
  us 
  royally 
  and 
  gave 
  us 
  

   every 
  assistance 
  in 
  making 
  our 
  repairs. 
  

   We 
  found 
  a 
  cabinet-maker 
  in 
  town 
  and 
  

   we 
  gave 
  him 
  the 
  job 
  of 
  splicing 
  the 
  torn 
  

   panels 
  and 
  spars 
  of 
  my 
  machine's 
  wing. 
  

   The 
  fabric 
  was 
  not 
  badly 
  torn. 
  Our 
  

   greatest 
  concern 
  was 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  suitable 
  

   substance 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  dope 
  

   needed 
  to 
  shrink 
  and 
  coat 
  the 
  new 
  linen 
  

   covering 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  and 
  stabilizer. 
  Lieu- 
  

   tenant 
  Kirkpatrick 
  finally 
  concocted 
  a 
  

   solution 
  from 
  banana 
  oil 
  and 
  gun-cotton 
  

   which 
  seemed 
  to 
  prove 
  quite 
  a 
  good 
  sub- 
  

   stitute. 
  

  

  All 
  hands 
  turned 
  in 
  valiantly 
  to 
  salvage 
  

   the 
  damaged 
  panel. 
  We 
  pressed 
  into 
  serv- 
  

   ice 
  a 
  local 
  tailor 
  to 
  repair 
  the 
  linen 
  fabric 
  ; 
  

   each 
  machine 
  had 
  brought 
  along 
  spare 
  

   linen 
  for 
  this 
  very 
  purpose. 
  In 
  the 
  mean- 
  

   time 
  Lieutenant 
  Nutt 
  was 
  sent 
  ahead 
  to 
  

   inspect 
  our 
  next 
  landing 
  field 
  at 
  Hazleton. 
  

   so 
  that 
  we 
  might 
  avoid 
  a 
  repetition 
  of 
  this 
  

   mishap. 
  

  

  Although 
  Prince 
  George 
  is 
  only 
  500 
  

   miles 
  from 
  the 
  coast, 
  we 
  found 
  few 
  peo- 
  

   ple 
  there 
  who 
  had 
  ever 
  seen 
  an 
  airplane. 
  

   A 
  railroad 
  connects 
  the 
  town 
  with 
  the 
  out- 
  

   side 
  world, 
  yet 
  its 
  facilities 
  are 
  poor 
  and 
  

   the 
  vast 
  natural 
  resources 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  

   still 
  remain 
  practically 
  untapped. 
  The 
  

   country 
  is 
  inhabited 
  by 
  intelligent 
  men, 
  

   all 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  quick 
  to 
  relate 
  the 
  ad- 
  

   vantages 
  of 
  their 
  town 
  and 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  Lieutenant 
  Nutt 
  returned 
  with 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   quieting 
  intelligence 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  sure 
  no 
  

   airplane 
  could 
  land 
  safely 
  at 
  Hazleton. 
  

   He 
  had 
  examined 
  the 
  field 
  prepared 
  for 
  

   us 
  and 
  had 
  scoured 
  the 
  country 
  for 
  a 
  

   better 
  site, 
  with 
  only 
  indifferent 
  success. 
  

   reporting 
  a 
  site 
  then 
  in 
  oats 
  which 
  if 
  

   cleared 
  might 
  serve. 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  train 
  next 
  

   morning 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  personal 
  investigation. 
  

   We 
  were 
  indeed 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  heart 
  of 
  

   our 
  trouble. 
  It 
  was 
  no 
  longer 
  a 
  question 
  

   of 
  occasional 
  landing 
  hehls 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  

   emergency 
  landings, 
  but 
  a 
  vital 
  one 
  of 
  

   being 
  able 
  to 
  come 
  down 
  at 
  all 
  when 
  our 
  

   fuel 
  gave 
  out. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  the 
  train 
  at 
  Hazleton 
  station, 
  

  

  