Last Flight

Captain Carranza's return flight to Mexico City was originally scheduled for Monday July 9th, 1928 but was postponed twice because of poor weather. On Thursday, July 12th, preparations for the flight to Mexico City had attracted a crowd earlier in the day when mechanics of the Wright Company conducted a thorough pre-flight inspection of the "Mexico-Excelsior". At Captain Carranza's request, the airplane's fuel load was reduced from 430 gallons to 390 based on Captain Carranza's estimate for the 27-hour flight to Mexico City. Concerned that his heavily loaded airplane would pose a danger to the assembled crowd at Roosevelt Field in Long Island, Captain Carranza announced late in the afternoon the indefinite postponement of his flight in order to get the spectators to leave.

On July 12th, flying conditions over most of his route were described as ideal, except for weather in New York State. It appears Captain Carranza planned to hurry south to escape the northern storms and pick up good weather for the remainder of the trip. Eager to return to his bride of four months, he slipped away from the Garden City Hotel, where he dined Thursday night, and without telling anyone of his intentions to take off. At 7:05 pm, in secrecy, to avoid dangerous crowds while attempting to get airborne with a fuel-laden aircraft, and in between thunderstorms, Captain Emilio Carranza took off on the 2,400 mile non-stop flight to Mexico City. His B-1 Ryan Brougham Monoplane took off without difficulty after a 3,000 ft. run. Captain Carranza circled the airfield twice before heading south. He planned to circle Washington DC and then set a direct compass course toward Mexico City. He was expected to arrive at midnight on July 13th, 1928. The Associated Press wired news of Captain Carranza's departure to Mexico City, where word spread quickly. The people of Mexico eagerly awaited the return of their famous aviator. Mexican government officials, US Ambassador Morrow, and the entire staff of the United States Embassy in Mexico City planned to be at the Balbuena airfield to greet Captain Carranza upon his arrival.

At about 8:00 pm, the roar of an airplane was heard near Chatsworth NJ about 85 miles southwest of Roosevelt Field. Immediately afterwards, residents reported severe rainfall with lightning and thunder. This was to be the last contact with the "Mexico-Excelsior".

The following morning, along Captain Carranza's planned route over Galveston TX, vigils were set up in towns along the Gulf Coast to sight the Mexican aviator. US Army aviators stationed at Fort Crocket were also on the lookout. But there were to be no sightings of the "Mexico-Excelsior".

Fallen Excelsior

Shortly after 3 pm on July 13th, Mr. John Henry Carr, a mechanic from the town of Chatsworth NJ, his wife Ms. Marie Carr, and his mother, Ms. May Carr had stopped along the tracks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey to pick berries. As the Carrs worked their way along the railroad line, they came upon several large splinters of wood. Finding additional fresh splinters, Mr. Carr decided to leave the vicinity of the tracks to further explore the thick underbrush. Soon thereafter, Mr. Carr came upon a wing of an airplane and after proceeding a short distance, he found the body of an aviator. He then spotted the rest of the wreckage about 120 feet away, consisting of the fuselage and the Wright Whirlwind engine. The fuselage, the engine, and the other wing had crashed down a clearing in the thick pines.

Mr. Carr ran back, and with his family drove into town where he telephoned the County Detective, Mr. Arthur Carabine of Mount Holly NJ. Mr. Carabine and the Deputy Coroner, Mr. John Throckmorton immediately drove the twenty-five miles to Chatsworth where they picked up Mr. Carr. Upon arriving on the scene, Mr. Carabine searched the body for identification. In a pocket of the leather aviator's jacket, he found a telegram from the Weather Bureau in Washington addressed to Captain Carranza and a few Mexican coins. The telegram had been sent out as a night letter filed in Washington on Tuesday at 10:17pm and reached Mitchel Field, Long Island at 7:44am. The telegram reported the weather forecast between New York and Mexico City and read as follows:

"Mitchel Field, L.I. N.Y.:

Partly cloudy to cloudy sky New York to New Orleans, with local thunderstorms Wednesday. Variable winds north, south and southwest up to 1,000 feet and light variable winds over New York at 5,000 feet. New Orleans to Mexico City, partly cloudy sky with some risk of showers or fog Mexican coast; gentle to moderate southwest or south winds up to 1,000 feet possibly 5,000 feet. Mitchel"

Detective Carabine found additional items on Captain Carranza's body. A $100 bill, a bag with $70 in American coins, a letter written in Spanish on stationary of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, a flight itinerary listing the cities over which Captain Carranza planned to fly: Philadelphia, Washington DC, Greenville, Spartanburg, New Orleans, Galveston, Tampico and Mexico City. In addition, Detective Carabine found several maps and some bags used by aviators to drop messages in flight. Captain Carranza's right hand was gripping a flashlight.

Upon completing his preliminary investigation of the crash site, Detective Carabine transported Captain Carranza's body to the morgue of K. Perenchieff and notified the Mexican Embassy via telegram.

Shortly thereafter, a group of Army officers led by Lieutenant Mee of the Seventy Seventh Division at Camp Dix, went to Mount Holly under orders of Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius V. Wickersham. With members of the American Legion post of Mount Holly, the Army officers placed an American flag upon the coffin of Captain Carranza and took post pending arrival of soldiers reported on the way from Washington.

At the Carranza home in Mexico City, a Mexican newspaperman was spending the evening with Emilio's mother and wife so he may be the first to interview them when news came of the success of the flight from New York. During their conversation a man dashed in from the street shouting: "Emilio is dead."

Accident Investigation

Initial examination of the scene by Detective Carabine turned up charring on Captain Carranza's leather jacket and on one of the wings. This suggested the airplane was struck by lightning and caught fire; and that Captain Carranza died after bailing out from the burning aircraft. Captain Carranza was not wearing his parachute, although the pre-flight check indicated a parachute was placed behind his seat.

Lieutenant F. W. Bullock, US Army also investigated the accident scene on the evening of July 13th and reported his findings to the commander of Fort Monmouth at Ocean Park. Lieutenant Bullock concluded that Captain Carranza had tried to land and hit trees. He based his finding partly on his observation that the throttle had been closed and the spark advanced. Mr. Patrick A Burkholz, of Mount Holly, who served as first class mechanic overseas with the 152nd air squadron, supported the Lieutenant's conclusion.

In addition, there were reports that an aircraft was seen trying to land at Trenton the night before at about the time the severe storm was in its initial stage. Additional information was brought forward about an unknown aviator who dropped a yellow flare over a field near Scudder's Falls, but then headed toward Trenton and turned toward Chatsworth and Mount Holly. Back at Roosevelt Field, another airplane, which some thought resembled Captain Carranza's "Mexico-Excelsior" was seen flying over the field and eventually disappeared westward.

Finally, Mr. J. C. Holloway, who managed an estate near Chatsworth, reported that at about 9:30pm on the night of July 12th, he heard an airplane flying very low over his house. Mr. Holloway judged from the sound of the engine that it was misfiring, and after going outside saw it heading west and disappear only to return in about fifteen minutes. Mr. Holloway indicated he heard a crash and an explosion a short time later, which he attributed to the engine backfiring and did not investigate further.

A preliminary medical examination at the morgue disclosed that Captain Carranza died instantly; his head had been crushed and all limbs broken. The flashlight he had gripped in his hand had been driven into his palm. Two of the officers from Fort Dix, Lieutenant Colonel Curtiss Clawsen and Captain William Lippold of the Medical Corps, assisted Dr. Daniel Remer, the Burlington County Physician in an inquest. Their report to Coroner Benjamin F. Farmer stated "accidental death by falling from airplane". The charring on Captain Carranza's jacket, described by Detective Carabine, was never fully explained.

The wreckage was transported to Mount Holly and stored in the armory for examination by regular army officers, who were ordered to conduct an examination.

Return to Mexico

The body of Captain Carranza was transported from the crash site to the morgue of K. Perenchieff in Mount Holly, NJ by Detective Carabine, who conducted the preliminary investigation of the crash site. Shortly thereafter, a group of Army Officers from the Seventy Seventh Division stationed Camp Dix went to Mount Holly, and with members of the Mount Holly American Legion Post, placed an American flag on the coffin and stood watch pending arrival of officials from New York and Washington.

Later in the evening of July 13th, representatives from Mexican Consulate in New York arrived in Mount Holly. Mr. H. E. Rodriguez, Secretary of the Financial Agency of the Mexican Government formally identified the body. He was accompanied by J. Lopez and F. Gonzales of the Mexican Consulate in New York City. On Saturday July 14th at 6:20 am, two automobiles accompanied the motor hearse, one with the representatives of the Mexican Embassy, and the other with an escort of State troopers. Four motorcycle policemen escorted the cortege through Newark and as far as the New Jersey entrance to the Holland tunnel.

At the tunnel, a detail of tunnel police conducted the cars through the tube. The cortege reached the Manhattan end of the tunnel and halted at the plaza at 9:11 am pending arrival of Manhattan police escorts. Apparently no arrangements had been made with Manhattan police so no police escorts showed up. After a short delay, the cortege proceeded to the Campbell mortuary at Sixty-sixth Street and Broadway. Hardly had the coffin entered the doors before the first of many floral tributes arrived.

Under orders from General Ely, Captain Keith B. Wise of the Eighteenth Infantry relieved Lieutenant Mee as honor guard. Shortly thereafter, two representatives of Mexican President Calles arrived at the funeral home, they were the Military Attaché Col. Samuel C. Rojas and his assistant Captain Beristain. They joined Captain Wise in the honor guard at the coffin.

President Coolidge, in a message to President Calles in Mexico City, expressed the grief of the American Nation over the death of Captain Carranza and offered the battleship USS Florida as a funeral ship to carry the remains back to Mexico via Veracruz. Secretary of the Navy Wilbur ordered the USS Florida to hold itself in readiness for the detail. The battleships Florida, Arkansas and Utah were steaming home from southern waters after completing the annual summer cruise with Naval Academy midshipmen. The Mexican Government declined the offer of a battleship and instead requested the coffin be transported via rail to Laredo, TX where a Mexican Military Mission would then transport the remains to Mexico City.

Captain Carranza's remains were made available for viewing at 7 pm on Saturday July 14th, after extensive reconstruction by five plastic surgeons. The terrible effects of the accident were plainly visible to those who passed the glass panel of the coffin. The coffin was draped in the flags of Mexico and the United States. A spontaneous tribute to Captain Carranza was paid by the 104th Field Artillery which had its armory at Broadway and Sixty-seventh Street. The regimental band paraded slowly by the funeral parlors playing a dirge. Shortly thereafter the entire regiment of about 700, on its way to camp, marched to the front of the funeral church, came into line, and stood at attention. Colonel John J. Managan took post in front of the regiment while the band played "Nearer My God to Thee". Later the regiment marched away while the band played Chopin's Funeral March.

On Wednesday July 18th, nearly 200,000 people stood in silence along the route of the procession along Broadway, Times Square, and Seventh Avenue to Pennsylvania Station. The funeral procession consisted of 10,000 soldiers and sailors. Officers wore black bows on their swords. Captain Carranza's bronze coffin was carried on a black caisson drawn by six black horses. Directly behind the caisson was a riderless horse, a military symbol of a comrade passed on. A specially chosen tall, black charger was draped with a black mantle. A Corporal from Governor's Island led the chrarger. Showing through a slit in the mantle was a sabre with a black bow tied at the guard. A pair of black stirrups were suspended from the empty saddle, and in military tradition a pair of boots were placed facing backward on the stirrups. Overhead, an escort of twenty-one airplanes from Mitchel Field and Miller Field followed the procession to Pennsylvania Avenue where they circled during the firing of the last volleys and the sounding of taps. Major General Hanson E. Ely, Commander of the Second Corps Area, and his staff represented the Army in the funeral cortege. Rear Admiral Louis R. de Stigeur, Commander of the New York Navy Yard, represented the Navy. General Otho Rosenbaum, Commander of the First Brigade, First Division, was in charge of the cortege.

A special Pennsylvania train consisting of three Pullmans, an observation car, and a diner waited on Track # 3. The special train pulled out shortly before 5 pm on its way to Laredo, TX. Along the route, in every city and town through which it passed it drew a sorrowful tribute. Near Trenton, close to the crash site, the train slowed as a crowd lined the tracks and the 112th Field Artillery, National Guard, fired a Major General's salute. The special train arrived in Laredo at 8 am on July 21st. In Laredo, Captain Carranza's coffin was transferred to another caisson, and with full military honors by soldiers from Fort McIntosh escorted to the middle of the international bridge where it was delivered to his countrymen.

At noon on July 24th, 1928 Captain Emilio Carranza was laid to rest in a special Rotunda in the Dolores Cementery of Mexico City.