YOUTH WRITES MOTHER OF PLANE CRASH NEAR NORTH POLE

Following is a transcript of a newspaper article that featured a letter written by Howard R. Adams, Radar Observer to his Mother.
Originally published in a newspaper article sometime shortly after the crew's rescue (March 1947?).
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Former Roulette Youth Aboard B-29 In Crash on Greenland Ice Cap – Grandson of I.W. Adams Tells of Experience.

Lt. Howard Adams, former Roulette youth and grandson of Mr. And Mrs. I.W. Adams of Roulette, was one of the 11-man crew of the B-29 “Kee Bird” which became lost in a sudden storm on February 21 while on a photographic mission from Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska. The pilot crash-landed on the Greenland ice cap, about 600 miles from the North Pole.

All eleven were rescued three days later by an Army Air Transport Command C-54 piloted by cool-headed 22-year-old Lt. Bobbie Cavnar of Okmulgee, Okla.

They were flown to Thule, Greenland, about 200 miles from the scene of the crash. From there, starting a few hours later, the 18-ton rescue plane made a 2,310-mile non-stop flight to Westover Field, Mass., reached on the morning of Feb. 25.

The letter was released to the Enterprise by Mr. And Mrs. Albert Knechtel of Coudersport, Lieutenant Adams’ uncle and aunt.

Ronald Adams, brother of the rescued flyer, is in the Army recruiting service and stationed at Olean, N.Y.

According to a Montreal, Canada paper, while Lt. Adams was lost in Greenland, an Army schoolmate, Lt. (j.g.) LeRoy R. Gerhard was at the other end of the world. Lieutenant Gerhard is fire-control officer on the Navy flagship of Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s current expedition in the Antarctic.

Following is a letter Lt. Adams wrote to his mother, Mrs. Earl Shipley, Buffalo, describing his experience:


Dear Mom and all:

It is a very bright Sunday morning here, and the sun is giving out enough warmth for a change to melt the snow in the afternoons, but it freezes again every night. The biggest share of the winder is over here, and from no on it is a straight road to an Alaska spring. As far as Alaska goes, I only want to spend spring and summer here anyway. Not another winter, ever again, for me up here without Woodie and Bernie.

There is always a best place to start anything, so I will begin at the beginning.

On Feb. 20th, we took off from here at Ladd Field in the afternoon. We winged our way over Alaska noting the beauty of the land and about four hours later we headed our ship out over the uncharted Arctic with no fear of ever becoming lost. (Little does one know what the morrow may bring.)

We flew all nite and up until about 1:30 the next morning (21st Feb.) everything was going all right, when all of a sudden we flew into a very big storm. Since we could not see the stars any more we climbed to about 25,000 feet. You see we use the stars to tell which way we are going, and where we are at all the time. We flew for 4 hours and the radar picked up a strange coast line.

Then we knew we were actually lost. In that part of the world and at that time of year crazy things happen. The magnetic compass just goes around circles, as we are near the magnetic poles. The sun is just on the horizon and never gets much higher. You can only see the glow but you cannot see the sun. This glow blanks out the stars so you don’t know which way is north, south, east or west. The sun does not come up in the east here. It comes up in a nearly south position, but due to us being lost, we had not the faintest idea where we were. We only knew we were over very rugged mountains, ice and water. We flew for 6 hours just wandering around trying to pick up a radio beam or check point to locate ourselves.

We were hopelessly lost, and our gas was running low, so we were trying to find a place to crash land. We finally located a lake frozen over with snow covering the ice, so we prepared everything, and crashed there. I prayed like I never prayed before. There was a dryness in my throat to the extent of making it hard to speak. When we hit the lake there was hardly a jar and since the snow was only about 10 inches deep, we skidded across the lake like as if we were on ice skates.

Mom, I don’t know how I could ever explain how I felt during the time we were lost. No one lost his head anyway, but all I could think about was Bernie and Woodie, and if I would ever get back. But I know now God answers prayers and only through Him was I saved.

After the crash everyone got out immediately and since there was no fire we prepared for the nite. We got out our emergency kits, and bed rolls and our signalling equipment. We had a little square stove along that offered heat to warm our hands. We burned oil from the engines for fuel. When it was completely dark, the stars came out and we got our position.

Then we had to build a fire under the little gasoline engine so we could get it started. Then we started the radio. It was wonderful to send once on the radio and we got return immediately from one of the ships that was out looking for us already. That night the ship could not locate us, but we knew more were on the way. Then the next morning about 10:30 we guided a ship into us. Mom, there was a big lump in my throat when they found us and dropped supplies.

That nite we rested easier but colder due to the temperature going down to 55 below zero. I slept in the ship the first nite, but the second and third nites I slept in the ice and snow. I had more room, and with no wind I was warmer, but at no time was I warm all over. Either your face or hands or feet would be cold. Some of the boys froze their feet and got frostbite, but I was o.k. in every way. The food was frozen stiff, but anything liquid and hot was what tasted best. We had a hard time heating things as by the time something would be done and burned on the outside, it would still be frozen on the inside. It was too cold to ever melt snow at times, as we could not keep a steady heat.

One of the humorous things that happened was on the second nite, I slept with my feet near the stove, but it didn’t help. So the fire guard that nite opened the stove door and the stove pipe fell on me. I came out of the sack in a hurry. Boy, it was hard sleeping on the hard ice. I just ached every morning.

On the third morning Lt. Luedke and myself went hunting. It was sure warmer when we got into the hills. We saw tracks of rabbits, foxes, wolves and musk-ox. There was no shrubbery or trees. Just a green grass at places under the snow. That is what the rabbits eat. Then the foxes eat the rabbis and the wolves eat both.

There was one of the biggest glaciers in the world about 5 miles from us. Had we not been rescued on Monday morning, we were going over that day.

Mom, it was so cold the guns would not fire. I sure would have hated to meet a polar bear. There are a great many in this section but we did not see any tracks.

The next day – Monday morning – we all prepared for the C-54 that was coming. It came about 10 a.m. and I never was so happy to get on anything.

We landed at Toulee, Greenland and they fed us like kings. Then we flew to Massachusetts. I slept the whole flight. We were met by the movie photographers and the reporters but they took us right to the hospital. I called Bernie as soon as I had a chance, and then I was happy again. Never before have I been happier to hear her voice. So she sent a telegram and I received it that evening. I called her again and she decided to come up in a few hours. So she left that night and drove all night and got up about noon the second day. We had a very happy time for four days; then I drove her back Saturday night. I came back to Massachusetts on Sunday.

We were going to Washington but our pilot fouled that. So we went back to Alaska immediately. We stopped over in Detroit and Great Falls, Montana. So here we are again. The crew has been broken up, so now we have a new plane commander.

Mom, I cannot write everything that happened, as it would take a book, but I have tried to give you a short description of what happened. The worst thing was the fact that I shivered so much I was gradually getting weak. As I said before, any work at that temperature was extremely tiring. Just carrying the supplies dropped to us made me tire.

Everyone takes so much for granted in life, yet we who believe owe so much for so many things. Not one thing went bad for us, but if only one thing had gone wrong, we still would be up on the ice cap. It was God and the radio that saved us.

Some day I will see you all again and tell you all the little details that I have missed. Now that it is over with I can laugh, but it is extremely hazardous – this arctic flying, I mean. I will be glad when I can get out of it. Nothing is ever said about our squadron because our missions are all top secret. But some day everyone will see the work we have done, and then I can tell you everything.

I will close for now and I do ask you to keep praying for us, Mom. I do love you and I mean it from all my heart.

Your loving son,
Howard
P.S. Some of the guys said we should write a book and call it, “My Three Days in the Arctic”, while another suggested calling it “Six Hundred Miles from the Pole”. Since we were down Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we should call it. “The Lost Week End” ha ha!

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