Iowa
Old Press
Waterloo Times Tribune
Waterloo, Black Hawk co. Iowa
May 31, 1921
Established 1879
Dubuque Man Meets Death in Air Crash
Maurice Connolly and Six Companions Lose Lives When Plane Smashes
in Storm
Had Served During War, Commanding Flying Field
(Associated Press Telegram) Washington, May 30 - Army officials
were preparing today for an investigation of the crash during a
storm last Saturday, near Indian Head, Maryland, of the ambulance
airplane in shich seven men, five army officers and two
civilians, met death. The fact that every occupant of the machine
was killed making it necessary for a board of inquiry to depend
largely on the observations of distant eye witnesses in forming
its conclusions, made it appear doubtful that the exact cause of
the disaster could ever be developed.
Seven men, including Lieut. Col. Archie Miller, U.S.A. wartime
ace and model honor man, are dead as a result of the army's
greatest peacetime aviation tragedy. Flying from Newport News,
Va., to Bolling Field, Washington, Saturday evening, the giant
Curtiss army ambulance plane dived into a lonely field, amid
crashes of thunder and lightning, killing all hands. Word of the
disaster did not become public until Sunday. The crash occurred
near Morgantown, Md. thirty miles from the Indian Head proving
grounds on the Potomac river.
List of Dead.
Besides Colonel Miller, the dead are:
Lieut. Stanley M. Ames, regarded as one of the best pilots in the
army.
Lieut. Cleveland McDermott of Langley flying field
Lieut. John Pennywell, also of Langley
Sergeant Blumenkranz, mechanic of Boiling field.
Maurice Connolly, former Iowa congressman, a major of the
officers reserve corps, sales-manager of the Curtis Airplane
company.
A.G. Batchelder, chairman of th executive board of the American
Automobile Association.
[transcribers note: this was a lengthy article about the crash, I
did not transcribe it all. A photo of Maurice Connolly appeared
with the article, with the following caption:
Maurice Connolly
Prominent Dubuque business man and former member of the House of
Representatives, who lost his life in disastrous plane crash.]
--
New Names on G.A.R. Roll of Dead
N.R. Kennedy, Co. K, 13th Iowa
John McStay, Co. K, 15th Iowa
W.C. Farnsworth, Co. D, 89th New York
Jacob Farnsworth, Co. F, Col. 1st Illinois
H. Ballentine, Co. G, 16th New York
James H. Lamson, Co. G, 9th Iowa
S.L. Klingaman, Co. K, 5th Pennsylvania
Jacob Shannon, Co. F, 5th Illinois
J.E. Barrett, Co. E, 129th Indiana
Charles Stokes, Co. H, 42nd Wisconsin
William Moon, Co. G, 11th Wisconsin
Vinton Honors Soldier Dead
Funeral Services for Leo Waddle, Who Died in France, Held Sunday.
Vinton, May 30 - Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon for
Leo Waddle, whose death occurred December 5, 1918, in a hospital
in France. The body arrived in Vinton Friday morning and until
the hour of the funeral lay in state in the American Legion hall,
guarded during that time by two armed sentries. The funeral this
afternoon was in charge of George G. Luckey Post American Legion,
and was conducted according to the ritual of the American Legion.
Some seventy members of the American Legion formed the firing
squad, pall bearers and escort. The funeral was held in the
Baptist church, which was filled to the utmost, and a large
number of people were unable to get in. Leo Waddle was a son of
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Waddle of this city, and was born and reared
here. He went overseas in July 1918 with the 88th division, being
sergeant bugler with the 338th Machine Gun company. His death ws
due to illness. He is survived by his parents and two sisters.
This was the first military funeral held in Vinton for twenty
years and was very impressive thruout. Another will be held in
the near future, as Mrs. Frank Toombs has received word that the
body of her son, Albert Smith, who was killed in action, has
reached Hoboken, N.J.
Pay Tribute to Lamont Hero
Private Bernard Carr Buried in Catholic Cemeter at Manchester.
Manchester, Ia, May 30- Private Bernard Carr, son of Joseph Carr,
of Lamont, who died of influenza in France, during the great war,
was buried in the Catholic cemetery here Friday. A guard of honor
composed of the Lamont post of the American Legion in uniform and
a number of members of the Manchester Post escorted the body to
the Catholic church, and from there to the cemetery. The services
at the church were in charge of Rev. Father Link Linkenmier, of
Lamont and he made an inspiring address in tribute to Private
Carr and all who had made the supreme sacrifice that this county
might be free to enjoy the blessings of Liberty. He adopted
President Harding's wish that such sacrifice must never happen
again but said that should it be necessary, none should shrink
from giving their all to reserve our free institutions. Many
relatives and friends were present to pay their last tribute to
this young man and the services were most impressive. At the
grave, the Lamont Post conducted the burial service of the
American Legion with firing squad and bugler and full military
honors.
Oelwein Honors Soldier Dead
Oelwein, May 30- Last services for Lynn L. Dean were held Sunday
afternoon from Grace M. E. church. The Masons had charge of the
funeral and members of the American Legion served as pallbearers.
Young Dean, a member of Co. E, 13th Engineers, died at De
Zoilles, France, September 30, 1918. He was born at Anamosa,
Iowa, September 29, 1892. Most of his life was spent at Lamont
where his parents lived before moving to Oelwein. Surviving
members of the family are: His parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Dean,
of Oelwein; four brothers, Earl, of Davenport; Frank of Sumner;
Gail, of Cedar Rapids; Clay, of Moultie, Ga.; four sisters,
Blanche, of Mason City; Zoe, of Charles City; Zola, of Oelwein,
and Mrs. Ethel Bjorklund, of Oelwein.
Two Boys Drown in Big Cedar
Osage, Ia., May 30 - Lloyd Delaney, 21, of Osage, and Carl
Thompson, 30, of Mitchell, were drowned in the Cedar river Sunday
when the canoe in which they were riding upset, throwing them
into the water. Gerald West also of Mitchell, who was with them,
reached the shore safely. It was reported that Thompson reached
the shore but seeing his companion struggling in the water
returned to rescue him. Both men were poor swimmers.
Shoots Himself and Little Girl
Sioux City, Ia, May 30 - The same bullet which Calvin J. Murphy,
24 years old, sent crashing thru his brain also ended the life of
his 10 month-old baby girl, whom he was holding in his arms when
he committed suicide in the bathroom of his home at 1707 Pierce
street last night at 9:15 o'clock. The bullet passed thru the
head of the father and then grazed the side of the infant's
skull. The child died at a hospital four hours later. Domestic
and financial troubles are said to have been the motive for the
act.
Girl Accuses Man of Mistreating Her
Oelwein, May 30 - Domnick Ladiso was jailed at Independence
Saturday night on complaint of Mabal Graham, who alleged that
while she was out riding with him he tore her clothes and forced
her to get out and walk. Another vehicle came along and picked
her up. Both live in Oelwein but the alleged offence too place in
Buchanan county southeast of Hazleton. Ladisa will have his
hearing Tuesday at 10 o'clock.
Saved Youth Before Tragedy
(Special Times-Tribune Service) Mason City, May 30 - One
hour before Frank McCall met his death in the tornado which
struck here late Thursday, he saved the life of a 13 year-old boy
who attempted to ford the Shell Rock river, it was disclosed
yesterday. The lad was Gerald Smith. The boy, riding on
horseback, attempted to ford the river three miles north of
Manly. He had done this in the morning, but the freshets had
raised the stream and the current caught the horse, starting both
it and the boy down stream. McCall, assistant foreman of a bride
gand, happened along the road, sighted the boy struggling in the
water, jumped in and saved him. The horse was drowned. An hour
later the car he was riding in, driven by County Engineer Lyford
of Northwood, was picked up from the road by the tornado two
miles east of Manly, and hurled fifty yards. McCall was killed
instantly. Lyford and a second passenger escaped with minor
injuries.
--
Reports received yesterday served to augment rather than diminish
early estimates on the damage to farm buildings from the wind
storm in northern Iowa Thursday. It isn't unlikely that the loss
will exceed the half million mark when all reports are in.
The list of injured will contain in the neighborhood of fifty
names, it is believed. At Hanlontown, a school bus was struck and
every one of the dozen children in it suffered injuries ranging
from painful cuts to broken arms. Mrs. Art Dobel, bride of three
weeks, living near Manly, is expected to recover from the
crushing injuries she received when a farm house was lifted up
and carried into a grove a hundred yards away.
Unsuccessful in two days of searching for the bodies of Bob Abel,
city marshal of Garner, and Gust Magnason, tiler from that place,
both drowned when their fishing boat was upset by the wind
Thursday. The volunteer search party of twenty-five members was
about to call to call on the county sheriff or coroner to direct
the search. Because the men were wearing hip boots it is though
their bodies will never rise to the surface.
[transcribed by S.F., April 2009]