May, 1918 
FOREST AND STREAM 
277 
Going at a dangerously low altitude over the saw grass wastes 
in the vicinity of Tamiami Trail Canal 
There was no possibility of making a safe landing on the 
treacherous surface in case of engine trouble 
which certain portions of the ’Glades 
abound, could prove fatal. (This rock is 
similar, in many respects, to lava or slag.) 
It is interesting to note some of the 
newspaper reports, printed at the time:— 
“It is believed that the King Party is 
somewhere in the timbered country of one 
of the West Coast counties, Lee or Mon¬ 
roe. This belief is held by everyone who 
has taken an active part in searching for 
Mr. King and the boys, as a thorough 
search has already been made of the Ever¬ 
glades proper as far north as the Tamiami 
Trail survey, north of which it is thought 
they would not have attempted to go, as 
they were on their way to the southwest 
of the spot where the dredges are at work. 
Others contend that it is likely that the 
King party left their boat and proceeded 
to their destination in the timbered section 
of northwest Monroe county, on foot, and 
then were unable to find their boat when 
they were ready to return to Miami. This 
is believed to be plausible, as each island 
or hammock in that part of the state, is 
almost exactly like every other, and there 
is no landmark by which they could gov¬ 
ern their course. 
“John G'sceola, an Indian runner, came 
in yesterday in his canoe and reported that 
V. C. Hallowes, Jack Tigertail, a Seminole 
chief, and Little Doctor, another Indian, 
had reached Cypress Tiger’s 
camp, fifteen miles southwest of 
the dredges, and were ready to 
proceed'to Monroe County to 
resume the search.” 
Bob Watson and Argyle Hen¬ 
dry, to whom the ’Glades were 
a playground, were sent at once 
on still another expedition. It 
was their intention to scout to¬ 
ward the lower part of Lee and 
upper part of Monroe county. 
Hendry had been Mr. King’s 
’Glade scout on a Gulf trip, a 
short while before and was a 
thoroughly competent profes¬ 
sional guide. 
It is significant of the univer¬ 
sal anxiety of the community 
that Miami Spiritualists pro¬ 
claimed their belief in locating 
the lost ones through their own 
peculiar medium. Special seances 
and meetings were held to this end, and at 
one time Captain Jaudon was willing to 
supply a boat and provisions for the true 
test of Spiritualistic power. 
L. D. Franklin, of Fort Lauderdale, and 
Charles Pfeiffer, of the Biscayne Bay En¬ 
gineering Company, offered their services, 
working due west from Miami along the 
Tamiami Trail survey towards the Lee 
County Line. Here they were to turn 
south and attempt to join the other search¬ 
ing parties. 
Six distinct parties were formed in a re¬ 
markably short period, with Captain Jau¬ 
don assuming active responsibility. Every¬ 
thing humanly possible was done to find 
the missing surveyors. The plan was for 
all six groups to work towards a com¬ 
mon point in northern Monroe county. 
The routes radiating from this common 
point, spread out over the Everglades like 
the ribs of a fan, and it was believed that 
if the two King's and Catlow were still alive, 
one of these six searching parties would 
be sure to find them—or their dead bodies. 
This item is characteristic:— 
“It is now thought that the phenomenal¬ 
ly low water in the Everglades caused the 
boat used by the men to become stranded 
somewhere along the drainage canals. If 
they stuck to their boat their provisions 
must have run dangerously low and if they 
abandoned their little craft, to escape on 
foot from the swamps, their fate may 
never be known.” 
In the meanwhile, Llobart Crabtree and 
James Truitt went to dangerous Loss- 
Phil Rader and the aeroplane in which he took his long 
flights over the ’Glades in search of the King party 
man’s River in a motor boat, on the West 
coast. 
But it remained for^ the aeroplane to 
demonstrate its remarkable usefulness in 
an hour of dire need. Miami is, and has 
been for several years, a germinating 
ground for aviation. The Government has 
schools there. The air throbs with air¬ 
plane motors. The Curtiss school, antici¬ 
pating the needs of the War, conducts a 
marvelous establishment. Against the beau¬ 
tiful sunset skies of Biscayne Bay, there 
are always dozens of humming machines. 
And the plight of the King Party inter¬ 
ested no less a world celebrity than Phil 
Rader, Chief Instructor of < the Curtiss 
plant. 
We'find this memo in our diary:— 
“Soaring to the tremendous height of 
14,000 feet, two and two-thirds miles in 
the air, Rader, air scout, and Bert Tubbs, 
as passenger (Everglades surveyor), es¬ 
tablished the altitude record for Florida, 
this morning in a particularly dangerous 
and daring flight over the Everglades. 
“Phil Rader is known as the most ad¬ 
venturous air men in the United States, 
having distinguished himself on numerous 
occasions both in this country an.d on the 
firing line in France, as scout for the 
French armies. The trip was more than 
usually perilous, as the machine was taken 
out over the swamps in search of the King 
Party. There is no possibility of making 
a safe landing should engine trouble be 
encountered. The aviators say that low 
clouds seem to always hang over the 
’Glades, which makes flying ad¬ 
ditionally discomforting. Treach¬ 
erous winds are found and the 
air currents are always tricky. 
“Another reason for the great 
height of the trip, was the op¬ 
portunity it afforded for a 
broad-range view of the terri¬ 
tory, as Mr. Rader could cover 
more of the area at this altitude. 
He was also actuated, in part, 
by consideration for his own 
and his observer’s safety, since 
they had experienced motor 
troubles while flying low. A 
machine will plane eight miles 
to each mile of altitude, and 
there is no such thing as a land¬ 
ing in the saw grass country.” 
And again, when a false hope 
was raised :—■ 
“What is believed to have been 
the lost party of surveyors sent 
into the Everglades was located this morn¬ 
ing about 25 miles west of (he end of the 
Tamiami Trail Canal, or approximately 
forty miles west of Miami, proper, by 
Phil Rader, airman, and Bert Stubbs, sur- 
