Certificate - Worthington Committee on Public Safety Citation

2006a-334

Certificate - Worthington Committee on Public Safety Citation

This original certificate on what seems to be parchment paper reads: Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety... recognizes the alertness, efficiency, and self sacrifice of the personnel of the Worthington Committee on Public Safety as evidenced by their prompt rescue of the U. S. Army Bomber Disaster on August 15, 1942, and, in appreciation, awards this citation of merit (to): Honor Roll of Peru Incident: Mrs. Guy F. Bartlett, H. Franklin Bartlett, Miss Mary P. Burr, Franklin G. Burr, Mrs. Franklin G. Burr, Franklyn W. Hitchcock, Ebenezer L. Shaw, Raymond Britt, George Gibson. Dated May 14, 1943; signed by Executive Director F. W. Farley.' On the back is a newspaper clipping describing the event which reads: 'Just 27 years ago this month, on August 16, 1942, the residents of the little town of Peru were called upon to take heroic action on short notice. That was at 9:30 p.m., when an Army transport plane flew head on into Garnet Peak on Peru Mountain and burst into flame. Fog obscured the peak, and the pilot and 16 others aboard died almost instantly. Three survived. Folks living nearby heard the low flying plane, and the ominous crash that followed. Rescue parties were organized, but it was impossible to fix the location of the plane. Meanwhile on Garnet Peak, Sgt. Robert Lee of Columbus, Ohio, crawled from the blazing wreck, badly burned. Turning back, he dragged out Pvt. James Fern of Abington, Va. and Pvt. Alonzo Pearson of Windber, Pa., the only other survivors. Surrounded by woods land underbrush, Lee fired his service rvolver to bring help, and started down the mountain despite his severe burns. David Cochrane and Arthur Trotter in the village heard the shots, and set out toward the peak. More shots followed. Cochrane answered with a single shot, and in a few minutes came upon Lee, who had struggled three quarters of a mile from the wreck. Other rescuers arrived, and Lee led them back to the plane. Villagers had to hack a two mile trail through the woods, working 15 hours and more without rest or food until all the dead had been brought out. Later, 18 were cited officially for their untiring work, the promptness of which saved the lives of the three survivors. Talked with Mrs. Robert Steele, one of the Civil Defense plane spotters, who manned the phone at her house 36 hours sending reports to Boston on the disaster. Her late husband was one of the rescuers who broke a path through the forest to the plane wreckage. Mrs. Kenneth Kirchner teel us that townspeople still mark the anniversary at the crash site, where a marker has been placed. they take flowers, and a minister speaks in honor of those who lost their lives there in the service of their country.' This certificate has been kept in its frame and because of its size is in PTG Box B.

45.7 x 55.9 cm (18 x 22 in)

1943-05-14

2007-03-24

PTG Box B

August 24, 2006

Worthington Library Rice Room

Worthington Committee on Public Safety

Document - Paper, Single Sheet