| OCR Text |
Show MISSING PILOT DOW PLANE AIR MAIL CARRIER APPARENTLY DIED INSTANTLY WHEN SHIP HIT INTO MOUNTAIN Natural Camouflage of Trees Baffles Search From Above; Thousands Were On Hunt For Missing Miss-ing Aviator Belie Fonte, Pa. The frantic search for Charles Ames, air mail pilot who disappeared several days ago, ended on Nittany mountain, six miles northeast of Belle Fonte, when the body of the birdman was found in his wrecked plane, which had crashed against the side of the mighty hill. A party of searchers, one of the thousands who tramped the hills and valleys S'ince Ames was reported lost, came upon the wreckage. Ame's body, bearing only a few bruises, was found in the cockpit of the ship. Nature conspired to keep the fate of the birdman unknown, for, when the wrecked ship of the air was found, it was discovered that four kings of the forest, broken off. when the plane crashed into them, had formed a perfect cover. Under these four big trees, completely shrouded, rested the wreckage containing the pilot's body. Word of the find spread through the mountains like wildfire, and within a short time hundreds of searchers, together to-gether with air mail officials from the Belle Fonte field, were on the scene. The body, lifted from the cockpit, cock-pit, was brought to Belle Fonte and taken to an undertaking establishment. establish-ment. That Ames met instant death was the belief of the air mail officials. His tace was badly bruised, but the body contained few other marks. The point where Ames crashed is densely wooded. It was evident that the pilot, flying low, crashed into the four trees, the plane coming to a stop against the trunk of a fifth. The trees closed in upon the wreckage, making it impossible for the air men who have searched this entire region, to locate the spot where Ames met death. Ames was on his court and was near the Hecla light, Deacon for airmen, air-men, when he met his fate. Over the point where his body rested in the debris other airmen have passed each day, flying east and west with their cargoes of mail for New York and Chicago. The shipment of mail in Ames' plane was intact, and shortly after it was removed from the wreckage, it was on its way west in a plane piloted pi-loted by F. B. Hill. For several days the search for Ames had centered in the Clarion region, re-gion, west of Belle Fonte, where thousands thou-sands of volunteers, Pennsylvania national na-tional guardsmen and aviators combed a wide area in the belief that the pilot fell in that district. Little hope was held that he would be found east of Belle Fonte. One party of six led by two men named Yarnell and MacMullen, started start-ed up the west slope of the mountain, Fighting their way through the heavy underbrush and dense woods, the searchers pushed their way toward to-ward the crest. Near the top, buried under the trees, they found the wrecked wreck-ed plane. The searchers rushed forward. for-ward. A moment later silence replaced re-placed the shouts of members of the party, for there, in the cockpit, could be s'een the lifeless form of Ames. |
