September 25, 1927
NOTED GUEST TELLS MAYOR HE IS ‘GLAD’
“Spirit of St. Louis” Reaches Fort Bliss Field Exactly On Schedule Time.
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“We are glad we are here.”
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, tall, slender, tanned, but rosy cheeked, blond curly hair, altogether a good, clean-looking youngster, said Mayor R.E. Thomason in response to the letter’s greeting.
When this modest young American, who looks and seems to be nothing but a boy, stepped from the cabin of “The Spirit of St. Louis,” he removed his helmet and then approached the mayor.
Said the mayor: “Slim, we are glad you are here. El Paso is yours.
Then Slim replied that he was glad “we are here” and thanked the mayor.
“Have a nice trip?” Inquired the mayor.
“Fine” said the young colonel.
“Fine all the way through.”
It was exactly 2 o’clock when the “Spirit of St. Louis” rolled to the entrance of the hanger.
“You fly in on schedule time,” Myrtil Coblentz, chairman of the Lindbergh committee, stated.
“I try to,” Modestly said Col. Lindberg. Modesty is one of his outstanding and chief characteristics.
As in every other place, the colonel won the heart of El Paso. Perhaps Mr. Coblentz best described him by saying: Hasn’t he a joyable face?”
Although there was no special edict to the effect. Lindberg day in El Paso was a holiday. Business was at a standstill. During the parade, merchants locked up their stores, and they and their employees went out on the streets to see the colonel pass by.
Banks opened at 9 in the morning and closed at noon, an hour earlier, each way, than the customary Saturday banking hours. Among the places that closed were the post office and public library. Saturday was not officially declared a holiday, but El Paso took it.
The city was gaily decorated, the American flag forming the chief not in the decorative scheme. The 10 official cars in the parade were appropriately decorated. On the back of each was a large picture of Lindy and a welcome to him.
Main roads, by-roads, in fact, all roads led to the army landing field yesterday afternoon. A constant, steady stream of cars poured over the roadways. Cars were parked two deep along one edge of the field. They were parked in a continuous line along the highway to the post and along the road to William Beaumont hospital. In addition to the regular passenger cars, there were many trucks. Numerous cars carried more than the special field passenger capacity.
Reaching the field, occupants left the machines and assembled near the hanger, a solid mass of humanity. The lines extended for long distances on each side of the hanger, and also on the edge of the field. This latter position was taken because not another soul could squeeze into the crowds in the vicinity of the wire enclosure, which had been erected for “The Spirit of St. Louis.”
In spite of the great numbers, it was an extremely orderly crowd.
There was only one time when it threatened to overrun the guards and that was when Col. Lindberg taxied into the enclosure. Even if this, the crowd only rushed to the fences and remained.
Reyes Boys’ band entertained during the wait for the arrival of the colonel.
“I know,” said Arthur M. Lockhart, “that not more than 1,000 people stayed home today.” He had a pair of strong field glasses trained in the direction Col. Lindbergh would fly in from Lordsburg, where he stopped yesterday for three quarters of an hour. There were many others who also had field glasses. A number brought along opera glasses.
Before 1:30 the department of commerce plane, piloted by Lieut. Phillip R. Love. Col. Lindbergh’s buddy, hove into sight. The lieutenant made a graceful landing and was in the hanger promptly at 1:30, the hour the department plane was scheduled to arrive.
Mayor Thomason and members of the committee greeted the occupants, D.E. Keyhoe, manager of the tour and Col. Lindbergh’s aide, and C.C. Maidment, mechanic, besides Lieut. Love.
“How about Col. Lindbergh?” the mayor asked Mr. Keyhoe.
“He will be there at 2,” confidentially replied Mr. Keyhoe.
“The Spirit of St. Louis” came into El Paso ahead of time and the colonel, as some stated, “played around overhead, before making for the landing field. Some who were watching the plane through glasses thought that the plane had gone over a part of Juarez.
A din of auto horns announced the arrival of the colonel over the landing field. “Lindy welcome banners” began to flutter wildly and enthusiastic cheering vied with the horns.
“The Spirit of St. Louis” came over the western edge of the filed at a rapid pace, swooped down gracefully and flew to the other side. A climbing turn at the lowest point, perfectly executed, brought exclamation of admiration from the excited throngs. The turn, which was made so that the colonel could get a good view of the ground, brought the plane back to the field, to watch it descended gently. Visibility is not one of the features of the plane. There is the huge gas tank for one thing, and that is the reason there is the periscope.
Col. Lindbergh brought his plane to a stop, probably 50 feet from the opening of the wire enclosure. It looked like a big silvered bird. He taxied up to the enclosure.
After the second stop the colonel remained in the plane for about four minutes. He did this in order to shut off the gas line and run the motor until all the gasoline had drained out. This is a religious duty for him, for the reason that should anyone happen to strike the propeller it would not spin and therefore no one would be injures.
“The Colonel,” said Mr. Keyhoe, “never runs the slightest risk of injuring anyone.”
When this duty was performed. Col. Lindbergh stepped from the plane and remove his helmet. Mr. Keyhoe presented the mayor, who was the first and one of the only seven men who shook hands with the colonel. Promiscuous handshaking, like kissing, are two things barred in the colonel’s case. Mayor Thomason in turn presented Dr. H. E. Stevenson, grand marshal for the occasion; Don Thompson, the colonel’s El Paso aide; Herman Bosch, city clerk and secretary of the committee; Maj. C.A. Mitchell, temporary officer at Fort Bliss, Mr. Coblentz and George Stiller, former aviator, who had the honor of driving Col. Lindbergh.
Col. Lindbergh was taken through a side door of the hangar to the car in which he rode in the parade. This was parked between the hangar and another building and the space was jammed. A number of young women, who were fortunate enough to get near the doorway through which the colonel made his exit, demonstrated they wee exceedingly thrilled by being in such close proximity to the hero.
It was 2:06 when the 10 official cars, making up the parade, left the hanger and, in courtesy to the army, passed through the 82nd air field artillery headquarters so that the wives of the officers attending the maneuvers at Marfa could get a look at the colonel.
As soon as the colonel departed from the field, a rush was made for automobiles and, what appeared like an unending stream of cars, the journey back to the city started. In clods of dust, cars, countless almost, traveled back to the main highway, many stopping at every point where another glimpse of the colonel could be obtained. Any number of the cars made as many as four street intersections in time to see the colonel pass again.
One reason why there were not more at the high school stadium is probably de to the fact that many cross streets were blocked and it was an impossibility to get through.
County and city motorcycle officers, leading the parade, are due considerable credit for the manner in which they handled the situation. The same applies to the traffic men, who, perhaps, had their biggest job since they have been members of the force. A squad of 25 city firemen, pressed into police service, to help out the regular cops, also came in for high praise.
While persons lined every block of the parade route, the densest crowds were in the immediate downtown district, particularly around San Jacinto park and Pioneer plaza. Windows of hotels, office buildings and stores were filled with spectators.
It was 4:30 when the parade journey was completed and Col. Lindbergh reached the stadium.
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