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Show AMERICAN AIRMEN, NEAR DEATH IN FAR NORTH, SAVED BY BARIC OF DOG By James R. Keely Unitad Praaa 8taff Corraapondant. ' (Copyright. 1921, by tha United Praia.) MATTICK, Out., Jan. 5. Electrically heated garments preserved the lives of the three American navy airmen, lost in the Canadian wilds, when they blundered through the snow and ice, seeking help, after their balloon descended near Mooe - Factory, according to Indians who arrived here today. Were it not for these electrically heated garments, the frozen corpses of the three Americans might rimy, be lying in the white wilderness north of here, and the chances are they never would have been found. The Americans, battling their way back to civilisation with uug sieus, are sum rour or rive days travel distance from this hamlet, populated by forty-seven men and two women. The weather Is mild, with a light snow, not sufficient to Imperil the balloonlata. TRAPPER BRINGS NEWS. . .Tbe story of lb fight far life made by the Ahierlcans. Lieutenants Walter I Hlnton, Stephen A. Kartell and A. J.. K loor, waa told to me by G. W. MoI,eod, the Indian foreman of the Hudson Bay post at Moose Factory, near which settlement the balloon came down Tecember 14, after Its flight from Rockaway Point. N. Y. j McLeod Is the man who brought out m first wm-rt rmrt the Americans were safe, driving a dog team 200 1 miles to announce their arrival at Moose Factory and file Hinton's telegram to the navy authorities. The balloonist" had no idea of their location, after having been eloft two days, McLeod said. They thought they were still over New York state. Their gas bag kept sagging toward the earth, and from time to time they dropped suddenly out of the low clouds and saw the snow-covered ground leaping toward them. LIGHTEN, BALLUUN. Instruments, sandbags, rope-every- thing that could be considered ballast was thrown overboard to lighten the balloon. As their trip drew to a close, they found themselves scudding close over the treetops of a dense wood, from which they knew they probably would novor smurtf alive, and 11 was only by sacrificing everything except what they absolutely needed in the say of garments and food that they escaped. Shortly afterward they saw what appeared to he a hut. It was tlv most welcome sight they ever beheld, be-held, as they had begun to believe thev were sailing deeper and deeper Intm an uninhabited region. When they saw this supposed hut In real-itv real-itv a haystack they were heading swiftly for the waters of James bay. which is not entirely frozen over. II:id they delayed their descent ten minutes they would probubly have fallen Into the bay. HEAR TRAPPED DOG. Their balloon was tangled In a tren and remains there. The three m-n crawled out of the upset basket, and Immediately heard the barking of a dog. They believed this came from the direction of the "hut" they had discerned from the skies, snd headed for the sound. Kventually they came upon an open space, and to their bitter disappointment disappoint-ment found nothing there but the straw stack and near by a dog cinwht in a beaver trap. They wandered three days. All the rations were gone. The earner : pigeons.- of which they had three, next, were eaten. j At lat they met an Indian trapper, w!io guided them to Moose Factory. 1 Instead of surrendering to exhaustion aril going to led firr a long rest after their Ionic hardships, the three Amer-1 Amer-1 icuiiH demanded that thev t ziven ! facilities to start south immediately land report to the navy department. ! Thitt story was told by McLeod in a simple, straightforward manner that gave additional emphasis. while his two companions also "educated" Indiansnodded In-diansnodded approval. Another Account Of Perilous Venture HEARf T. Ont., Jan. S fBy Associated Pres. Tales of terrible hardships endured en-dured with the utmost fortitude by the three stranded American naval bal-loonists bal-loonists from Rockaway, N. Y, In the frozen wilds of ihe Canadian north, were related here today by Indian trappers arriving from tha lower Hud-eon Hud-eon bay district. - Their s tori ee. In tha main, corroborated corrob-orated report from Cochrane that the airmen were on tha verge of starva-(Continued starva-(Continued on page 7.) No effort made anada te make a landing until they reached Southland. There three attempt were made before be-fore success waa attained. At times they floated at a high elevation and at others they dropped cleae to the treetops In the hope of finding an open apace. When tha men landed their clothing waa In rage and they were without food, the second of the pigeon having previously been eaten. I AMERICAN AIRMEN , (Continued from page 1 ) tlon and were forced to eat their two remaining carrier pigeons to keep alive. The men are now alowly wending wend-ing their way back to civilisation by dog train, with the thermometer registering reg-istering 10 degrees below aero. Unless unusual storms are encountered, they should reach Mattloe not later than Friday. A Pullman coach will be placed at their disposal when they leave the trail there. According to the alorlea of th Indians, In-dians, the howling of a moose dog, caught In a trap at Phlpsands. the original trading poet of the Hudson Bay company, was responsible for the safely of the IrmenT",t Sondey-. When they heard the dog's cries, th balloonleta decided to land. Th great balloon struck In a clump of tree ten mile couth of the post, and Its occupants occu-pants were almost stripped of their clothing in the perilous descent. At the time of the landing the mercury mer-cury waa only 10 degrees below aero, the mildest weather for this season of the year In the history of the trading post. When the men extricated themselves them-selves from the wreckage, the first words were uttered by Lieutenant Walter Wal-ter llinton. a veteran of the hlstorio trana-Atlantio flight in the NC-4. who extended "gracloua thanks" to the AN mighty for their existence. The next fhought of the airmen waa to express thsnks to the unfortunate dog. whose howls caused them to descend. de-scend. For almost forty hours the Americans Ameri-cans hnd mocked death In a raging storm high in the air, and for the time being they were too exhausted to do anything but congratulate themselves upon their safe landing. The airmen had been drenched to the akin and Icicles hung, over their torn clothing. For four days they wandered aimlessly In th wilderness, and were at the point of despair when they were discovered by a frightened Indian trapper. Before attempting a descent the halloonists told George Mcfood. an Indian mall carrier wh brought the news of their descent to the outside world, they Jockeyed for eight hours to find a safe place. During that time they were tossed by a raging gale that at times reached a velocity of seventy miles an hour. They decided to chance It when they heard the howling dog, and aa they descended IJeutenant Stephen Karrell sped a smokestack In the distance. It disappeared from view as they struck the treetops, and when they crawled from the balloon I there waa no sign of a habitation. They at last made camp for the night and waited for daylight. With renewed aplrita they set out In the f morning In a southerly direction until they a vain Raw the mokrptrk la th d lata no. Making for it, they mt th ard Indian, Turn Mar Inn. H took to his hla, pumucd by Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Kloor, who naught th old man and Indued him to lead them to a refuge. He took them to hla hut. and from there nt hla wife to Moone Factory to notify Hudon Hay eom-iwtny eom-iwtny men of tha appearance of the three atrangere. Company employee then came to their aid and took rharw of them. Warmed, fed and dreened in dry clothing, the men told the thrilling etory of their flight. Tha men are in good health, al-, though Karrell Buffered from froatbite and ahock. j . After their departure from Rock-away, Rock-away, N. they aald. the balloon drifted northward to the Adirondack until. In the vicinity of Fork Mountain, Moun-tain, near Wella, IN'. T.. It waa caught by a terrific atorm. The officer felt no alarm, however, and 'derided not to aend out any of the pigeon, re- j serving them for a more aeiiooa Huatlon. " They expected to take a westerly rourme after reaching the St. Lawrence Law-rence Hver, but before arriving there they were caught by a eouthat gale, which swept them toward Canada. |