First Aereo Squadron, Signal Corps, war diary : period from March 12 to April 23, 1916. Page: 13
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War .Diary, 1st Aero Sq. ,Contd.
Mar 19 Sunday. Continued work on Jeffery trucks for '..uartermaster.
3quadron received orders at 1:30 p.m. to proceed at once to Casas
Grandes and report to General Pershing for immediate service.
Machine shop section and fifty wen left at Columbus, IT.U., to con-
tinue work on ^artermaoter trucks. Squadron left Columbus at
5:10 p.m., in the following order of flight: aeroplane #44, capt.
Dodd, pilot, Capt. Foulois, observer; aeroplane #42, Liout. Kilner,
pilot; aeroplane #43, Lieut. Darguo, pilot; aeroplane #46, Lieut.
Bowon, pilot; aeroplane #45, Lieut. Carberry, pilot; aeroplane #52,
Lieut. &orre.ll( pilot; and aeroplane #41, Lieut. Willis, pilot.
Aeroplane #42 failod to start with Squadron on account of motor
trouble. Lieut. Christie, with crews of aeroplanes, proceeded with
trucks inrediately after departure of Squadron. On account of ap-
proaching darkness, landing was made at La3 Ascencion, at 6:30 p.m.
At this time seven machines were together, but only four landed, #
44,45,48, and 53. These four machines wero flying closely togother
and at approximately the same altitude. Of the other three machines,
two wero flying approximately 2,000 feet above the pilot machine,( #44 /
and the other machine was flying approximately 1,000 feet below the
pilot machine. These three machines, on account of their differences
in altitude, lost sight of the pilot machine, when it started to land
at Las Ascencion, and proceeded in flight toward the south. Immed-
iately upon landing at Las Ascencion, the Squadron Commander, was fur-
nished a guard for the aeroplanes by Colonel Allaire, commanding the
16th Infantry, liounted patrols of the 11th Cavalry were sent out in
search of the missing maohines, but they could not be found. The
landing of four machines at Las Ascencion, without damage, was remark-
able, as a huge cloud of dust, approximately ten feet high, caused by
a regiment of Cavalry on the malfbh, rolled over the ground, just as
landing was being made. Flights 10, timo 15 hrs. 35 min.
Mar 20 Left Las Ascencion at 8:16 a.m., in the following order of flight:
aeroplane #44, Capt. Dodd, pilot, Capt. Foulois, observer; aeroplane
#45, Lieut. Carberry, pilot; aeroplane #48, Lieut. Bowon, pilot; and
aeroplane #53, Lieut. Chapman, pilot. Proceeded south, following the
Casas Grandea River, scouting on both sides of the river for signs of
the missing machines. The four machines landed at lleuva Casas Grand-
es at 9:35 a.m., without having sighted any of the missing machines.
Found shortly after arrival that aeroplane #43, Lieut. Darguo, pilot,
had arrived at Colonia .Dublan, near Genoral Pershing's Headqiiarters.
Aslo found that aoroplano #42, Lieut. Kilner, pilot (the machino
which failed to start from Columbus because of motor trouble) had
lost Columbus at dayhreak and arrived at Colonia Dublan at 9:30 a.m.
Lieut. Darguo reported that his machine, aeroplane #43, was unable to
climb a3 rapidly as the other machines, on the trip south from Colura- jj J
bus on the afternoon of I-Iaroh 19th; that ho lost sight of the remain-
der of the Squadron near La3 Ascencion and did not coo any machines
landing at the l<\ttor plaoo; that he continuod his flight to a point
about 20 miles south of Las Ascencion, landed, and remained with his
machine the ontire night; that he started from his landing place at
daybreak, this date, and proceeded south to camp (Dublan), arriving
at this latter place at 8:00 a.m. Ho information could be obtained
as to the whereabouts of aeroplanes #41, Lieut. Y/illia, pilot, or
#52, Lieut. Gorrell, pilot. Upon arrival at lleuva Casas Grandes, the
Squadron was immediately reported to General Pershing for duty.
Orders were received to make reconnaissances to the south, along the
Mexican Northwestern railroad, with directions to get in touch with
advanoed troops, moving south. Aeroplane #44, Capt -Dodd, pilot,
Capt. Foulois, obsorver, left camp (Dublan) at 12:00 p.m. to make
this reconnaissanco. Thoy proceeded southward about twenty-fivo miles
but they were unable to get over the foothills of the Sierra liadre
ilountains, due to the constant encountering of whirlwinds and terrific
vertical air currents. In order to keep the machine righted under
these air conditions, it was necessary every minute oi^jwo to head
the machine downward, to give the machine sufficient momentum to en-
able the pilot to keep control of the machine. This constant loss
of altitude effectually prevented any attempt to rise to a suffi-
cient height, necessary to cross the foothills of the main range of
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United States. Army. Signal Corps. Aereo Squadron, 1st. First Aereo Squadron, Signal Corps, war diary : period from March 12 to April 23, 1916., report, 1916; Columbus, N.M.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188057/m1/15/?q=%22~1~1%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting University of Texas at El Paso.