The Daily Alaska Empire

MOTOR OF POST'S SHIP FAILS WHEN
CRAFT 50 FEET OFF WATER ON WAY
TO ARCTIC OUTPOST AFTER LANDING
15 MILES SOUTH TO ASK DIRECTIONS

Great Humorist and Famous World Flier Killed Instantly When Plane Noses in While Attempting to Rise
on Last Leg of Hop to See "King of the Arctic";
Bodies Recovered and Taken to Barrow; Indian
Runner Carries News of Grim Tragedy

"Post, Rogers killed near Point Barrow, plane crash."

That was the brief Associated Press "flash" received
by The Empire shortly before 7 o'clock this morning. The
news not only stunned Juneau, where the two had recently
visited, but also the world, where both were internationally known. Empire extras were soon on the streets giving the
brief details.

Quickly over the air came from Seattle further information of the tragedy as received there from Point
Barrow, the northernmost point on the American continent.

Wiley Post and Will Rogers were instantly killed at
5 o'clock yesterday afternoon (8 o'clock Seattle time) 15
miles short of their goal at Point Barrow, the Signal Corps
reported.

The plane plunged nose-on into the water.

NATIVE RUNNER REPORTED CRASH

The details were received in Seattle by Col. George E.
Kumpe, of the United States Signal Corps from Sergeant
Stanley R. Morgan, Signal Corps operator at Point Barrow
and sent from Point Barrow at 10 o'clock last night (1 a.m.
Friday, Pacific Coast Standard Time).

Sergeant Morgan radioed that a native runner reported the Post-Rogers plane crashed 15 miles south of
Point Barrow.

A fast launch was immediately hired and proceeded
to the scene.

Rogers' body was found. It was necessary to tear the
plane apart to extract the body of Post from the water.

The bodies were taken to Point
Barrow and turned over to Dr.
Henry Griest, medical missionary
at the Presbyterian Hospital.

Personal effects were also salvaged from the plane.

Natives camping on a small river,
south of Barrow, claim that Post
and Rogers landed and asked the
way to Point Barrow.

Taking off the engine misfired
on the right bank while only 50
feet off the water. The plane was
out of control and crashed nose-on.

The crash tore the right wing off
the plane and the craft in nosing
over forced the engine back through the body of the plane.

Both Post and Rogers were killed
instantly. The bodies are badly
bruised.

Watch Stopped at 8:15

Post's wrist watch is broken.
The watch stopped at 8:15 o'clock.

Upon receipt of the report from
Sergeant Morgan, Col. Kumpe immediately notified Mrs. Post and
Mrs. Rogers.

Col. Kumpe also sent a detailed
account of the tragedy to Gov.
John W. Troy, as contained above
in the Associated Press dispatches
to The Empire.

At the time of the accident, Post
and Rogers were enroute to Point
Barrow, a distance of 500 miles.

Waited for Fog to Lift

A dispatch from Fairbanks to
The Empire stated that after Post
and Rogers took off, they set the
(Continued on Page Two)

Stratosphere
Flying
Was
Post's Idea

LOS ANGELES, Cal., Aug. 16.
-Wiley Post went to his death
convinced that the future of
aviation lies in the upper reaches of the sky.

Post made this declaration after four unsuccessful cross-
country stratosphere flights each
time forced down.

After the last flight, Post retired the famed Winnie Mae and
announced the ship was not
suited for stratosphere flying.

The Winnie Mae sits in the
hangar here.
POST, ROGERS DIE IN CRASH ARCTIC AREA
(Continued from Page One)
...plane down on Harding Lake, 50 miles from Fairbanks to await the lifting of a dense fog. Rogers was on his way to Point Barrow to visit an old friend, Charles Brower, known as "King of the Arctic." Brower operates a whaling station and trading post.
MESSAGES SENT TO TWO WIDOWS
Messages of condolence were sent by Gov. John W. Troy to Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Post after he had received confirmation of the tragic news.
To Mrs. Rogers he telegraphed: "The grieved people of Alaska extend their deepest sympathies to you. Everyone feels a personal loss on account of the shocking death of our guest. Please advise me if there is anything I can do."
The message to Mrs. Post read: "We are all profoundly shocked and grieved at the terrible accident which resulted in the death of your husband and Mr. Rogers. You have our whole-hearted sympathy. Please advise if there is anything I can do to help."
HOLLYWOOD IS STUNNED
HOLLYWOOD, Cal., Aug. 16.-
This city, the movie capital of the world, is stunned today at the news of the death of Will Rogers and Wiley Post in the Arctic regions of the American continent.