Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1921-02-17 | Page 2 | Missing Airman Escapes Death

MISSING fllli ESCAPES DEATH Wanders 3 Days Without Food in Desolate Texas Waste Lands SANDERSON T.xas. Feb IT. I Lieutenant Alexander Pearson; Jr., I hid s nights sleep last night, tho first real reel since he left B Paso Inst Thursda on a fllcht in an armv airplane air-plane to San Antonio. I'nlform In rags, fare Unshaven, worn out from privations suffered in Twxas' most desolate waste lands, the 25-year-old aviator rOde Into Sanderson Sander-son last night on a horv borrowed from radchers who befrlehdsd him.1 He made his wny to a telegraph station sta-tion to send messages to relatives, friends and the army air service, and rnllrcd to bed in a hotel room where soldiers walked cuard during the night to assure a slep without Inter-1 ruption from Intruder. W mi Its i iii xi in I'.' that three liours" flight from! BI I'.iso, Lieutenant Pearson made a forced landing nt 1:30 p. m Inst' Thursday In Reagan -anvon, some nlnety-rfve miles from Sanderson, miles away from wire communication and human habitation lor three, da.s he wandered without food. tak- lng water from the airplane radiator to quench his thirat. i n tho fourth day he struck the Rio Grande and floated down the Stream on an Improvised Im-provised raft until he was discovered by THnchers who gaVS him food and i mount. ills arrival came as the sixty-five urmy aviators who Had combed TVxi's in search ftr him since last Frido) bad abOUt jflven up iiope. ENGINE STOPS Lieutenant Pearson was on his way frotn Douglas; Arls., to Florida to make an attempt at a trans-continental flight In twenty-four hours pn Washlngton.'s birthday. The point ;(t which he landed Is sail to be the worst territory a lo.it aviator could find. There Is not a railroad nor a! telegraph or telephone Une within miles- A strong north wind drove the avia-tor avia-tor from his course and then his engine en-gine choked. He looked about for a' place to land There was none. Just! then his enk'ln. stopped and In- Kiild. d th. machine to tho ground, damag-Iiik damag-Iiik the wIiiks. Ili" Irln buck to Civilisation was made blindly, part of the time through a terrific sandstorm.