Letter from Lt. Charles Maples Rudd to his family in Temple
(C. Avis Catalog entry #1000)
(Document ID #649)
[This letter is undated but, based upon other sources, it must have been written during his second assignment to Mather Field (Sacramento, CA) between August and November 1919.]
HOTEL OSBURN
EUGENE, OREGON
Please return
Sunday nite
Dear folks:
Last week it just seemed as if I hardly had time to write. It wasn't the time I lacked tho but I suppose I needed a little stimulator. Some one to say you must do such and such a thing. Do you know any efficient advisor who would take the job for life. (Female preferred). Only bluffing. I'm too hard to please. Well to get back to where I once was, at night as a rule we play cards. Our favorite game this last week was five handed five hundred. It is quite interesting. The highest bidder chooses his pardner by a certain card which he designates. The other three then play against them. Each count just what is made on his side and the sides change every deal according to pardners as above. There are some married people on the post now at Mather and I have been playing mostly with Lt. & Mrs. Haggety (Madge and Hilda know them) and Lt. & Mrs. Gowns.
I have been quite content with staying right on the post and saving my money.
Thursday I got orders to leave Friday by Aeroplane to deliver De Havelland to the Forrest Patrol at Eugene Oregon. Lt. Korll was to fly was to fly another ship to Eugene and I was suppose to fly back to Red Bluff, Cal. with him where he was going to stay and then I would return to Sac. by rail. Well Lt. Kroll came up from Sacramento alright Friday afternoon. He had been all the way up thru this part of the country so I had nothing to worry about all I had to do was follow him. Well as I said, we left Sac. and came up to Red Bluff, Cal. Friday. Spent the night there and left there about 11:15 a.m. (late because of engine trouble with his ship).
Shortly after leaving Red Bluff I got to tinkering around with my motor and got lost from Lt. Kroll. Wow imagine my uneasiness to be lost from the man who knew the way and I hadn't even consulted a person or a map and I only knew to fly to the left of Mt. Shasta, which was on about the border of the two states. And I also knew to fly a northerly course.
Oregon is a country, as a bird man sees it, of mountains and trees. They both run as far and a whole lot farther than the eye can see.
Well I flew, and flew and didn't know where I was going. Past over Redding and for a wonder knew it was Redding. Came over Wedde and was much puzzled as there the railroad branched one went apparently north west and the other went north east and all I knew was that I wanted to fly a northerly course. I didn't know and I split the difference went between them.
I flew and not a sign of any town. I had quite a wind which reduced my speed 40 miles an hour so I wasn't going but about 80 miles per hr. (my ship flies about 120 miles per hr.) (equipped with 400 horsepower Liberty motor). Over hills (mountains I mean) and trees, two hours and half past and I began to worry for my oil was good for not much after three hours and not a place to land and not a town in sight and I could for miles. I didn't know where I was or where I was going. Imagine my uneasiness. I saw a lake way over on my right, a very large one, and I was pretty sure I could find a town on it somewhere. I saw a bunch of sawmills and started to land at two of them but I could always see one that looked better back further in the direction I had come. At last I sighted Klamath Falls, a little town, and I finally landed after much meditation, five miles east of town. I had to land out there since I had a large ship and need a nice large field. I landed in an oat stubble field safely and found out where I was. Well I had never heard of the town but I found out I was in Oregon. I got to a house phoned for gas and oil which came out in an hr. and I looked for the first time at a map. I saw where Eugene was and that I had gone east of my course as I knew since I headed over to the lake.
Well I got serviced up and got started with a little better idea where I was going. I knew I wanted to fly about (very roughly) north 35 deg west. I took that course staring at 430 o'clock. I thought I could make Eugene by night. I flew and I never saw anything but mts and trees. Mile after mile I couldn't land a place but my old motor hummed along very nicely but I had a strong north mostly wind. It got after six o'clock and I began to worry. It was hasy [sic] and the sun was getting low and I couldn't see down in the valleys well and I was trying to find the Southern Pasific [sic] rail road as it lead into Eugene and I thought I would hit it just before I landed at Eugene. Finally at about six thirty I hit the rail road, highway, and then a nice little valley imagine my relief. I now could land without danger and it would be dark before long.
As I did up at Kalamath lake, I thought there must be a town near a prosperous place like this and I knew I must find it.
There were scattering houses places to land (maybe). I kept going on but I knew I wouldn't leave the valley and head into the hills for I had been up two hrs and I knew I wouldn't head toward the rough country with only fuel for an hr. I kept going on and at little before seven I sighted a town. The sun was getting low and I knew I must land. I couldn't see Oregon University and I knew it was Eugene but I had to land. After much circling I landed found out that I was @ Springfield, five miles from Eugene. Eugene was under me when I sighted Springfield. It was hard to see because it was late and it was directly into the Sun. I felt awfully lucky, since I was that near Eugene, but still I was sorry I hadn't seen Eugene and landed on the flying field there. I spent the night out on the farm and came over Sunday morning to Eugene, took about seven minutes to fly over.
However, I came over to Eugene Sat. night to have them wire back to Mather Field that I was safe and sound. Ship O.K..
Today I found our that Lt. Kroll wrecked at Medford, when his motor cut out shortly after leaving. He was very much relieved when he found out I got here safe. He knew I didn't know a thing about the country, and he was worried for me after we got separated.
(I am going to have to write on backs)
I am supposed to fly back to Red Bluff with Lt. Kroll and now since his ship is out of commission I don't know when I will go back. I am waiting instruction from somebody in command. Either Western Dept. San Fransisco or Sac. maybe tomorrow. All the fellows say I sure was lucky and I know I was. I made four successful landing and twice I landed in old farmers meadows where I might have turned over in any of the ruts and irrigation ditches. But I looked the situation over closely before landing.
I like Oregon fine what I have seen of it and it is nice and cool here in Eugene and the people trust us fine. Feel like a real aviator since I have made a long trip.
Well its almost one o'clock and I don't know what tomorrow may bring forth so I must good night. I expect to be back at Mather any day now. Write there.
Love, Charles
[Less than two months later, on Nov. 12, 1919, the same situation occurred again. That time Charles was not so lucky. He died in his attempt to land after dark near Stockton, CA. That plane was also a De Havilland.]