The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956 Page: 448
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
hummed. My tongue stuck to the dry, rasping roof of my mouth.
I knew that I was dying, but I knew, too, that I must not die.
Finally darkness came and a bone eating chill settled over me.
I fell, my face landing in a water hole. I doused my head in the
water. I splashed it over my burning shoulders. I washed in it to
cool my feet. Then I lay down on the bank with my feet still in the
water and slept. A feeling that I was freezing to death awoke me.
I got up and beat my hands against my body to bring back the
circulation. And then crawling, not to avoid the Mexicans, but be-
cause my feet were too sore to carry me, I started back to my
machine.4*
Although the International News Service correspondent prob-
ably added a great deal to Gorrell's story, it would appear that
the young pilot had a rather difficult time before meeting a
friendly Mexican who guided him toward an American patrol
and a gasoline supply. While the JN-2 airplanes seemed to be
underpowered for the task in Mexico, General Funston, never-
theless, ordered eight new airplanes on March 24, 1916. The War
Department replied that no additional airplanes could be pro-
vided at that time because "every machine the Army possesses
is with the Pershing expedition."" The Signal Corps Aviation
School at North Island could not be drawn on as a source because
all of the airplanes there were trainers as distinguished from
service planes.
While aerial operations in Northern Mexico were hampered
considerably by altitude, high winds, dust storms, and snow, the
JN-2's of the i st Aero Squadron were unusually active during
the last week in March. On March 25 Lieutenant Townsend F.
Dodd flew from the advanced field headquarters near Colonia
Dublin to Columbus, New Mexico, a distance of 165 air miles.
On arriving at Columbus, Dodd reported a serious shortage of
food.50 On the following day, the War Department announced
that only two of the eight airplanes taken to Mexico were serv-
iceable, two had been destroyed and four were undergoing re-
pairs. It is significant, however, that at this time General Pershing
was using airplanes extensively as message carriers, and most
of the flights from Casas Grandes north to Columbus were rela-
48sbid., March 28, 1916.
olIbid., March 26, 1916.
bolbid.448
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, July 1955 - April, 1956, periodical, 1956; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101162/m1/474/: accessed April 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.