Requiem for a B-36

Requiem for a B-36 -- Page 3

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After growing up in an El Paso neighborhood not far from the crash, several members of the INHL decided in August of 2002 to see how the site looks sixty years later. (Click on images to enlarge them to full page size)

The wreckage is not visible from the city, and requires a rigorous climb that can leave unacclimatized travelers gasping -- especially in 100 degree heat.

The Rio Grande Valley is visible behind Christopher C. Multhauf (Left) and David F. Etzold (right) The distant mountains lie across the US border in Mexico. The city of Juarez and El Paso are separated by an almost invisible thread of water -- the Rio Grande.

There are no trails to the crash site, and travelers must take care to avoid damaging the delicate desert foliage. Dave Etzold (right) and George Saucedo (Left) are standing on Ordovician limestone deposited on an ocean bottom 450 million years ago. Close inspection reveals the fossils of tiny ammonites. This rock was thrust upward through more recent sediments in the huge tectonic events that created the Franklin mountains -- the last southern vestages of the Rockies.

Dave has located one of the jet engines. The jets were only used during takeoff and landing, the intakes protected by dilated iris covers while cruising. The ground is sprinkled with titanium alloy blades from the turbine. The aluminum shows no signs of corrosion. Perhaps the US government will someday make this a historic site, to prevent souvenir hunters from removing what remains of one of America's historic bombers.

Close inspection reveals the intricate workmanship of this early jet engine that would someday lead to modern jet-propelled bombers. The B-36 was propellor-diven -- designed for long-range heavy bomb loads. Like the flying fortresses of World War II, the B-36 had gunners assigned to turrets built into the nose and tail of the plane. An additional turret could be elevated from the upper portion of the fuselage. A fighter jet escort was normally intended to help protect the bomber, but later versions of the B36 tested "parasite fighters" that could be deployed from the belly of the plane.

Chris has found one of the propellors. Three hollow blades were connected to a hub from which the "feathering" of the prop could be adjusted by hydraulic gears. The propellers were 19 feet high, and were mounted backward -- pushing the wings from behind.

Click For Picture of the Convair B-36
B36 at Bay Bridge
B36 on the ground surrounded by people

In this photo, Jim Davison (Left) and Chris Multhauf (Right) ponder the strange circumstances that lead to this piece of steel arriving at this remote mountain peak. There is no evidence that Garick was carrying a nuclear bomb, but even 60 years later, little vegetation seems to grow on this barren patch of ground. INHL records indicate one witness -- Nelson Martin -- noticed the plane bank over his head during physical education at El Paso High School, saw the bomber disappear into the clouds, and heard the explosion. He states the following day he climbed to the edge of the crash sight with a friend, and found the area cordoned off and scoured by men in strange suits, picking up objects and putting them into bags. On our next trip, the INHL will bring radiation detection equipment.

A total of six propellers were driven by huge engines that were connected by complex gears to the propellor -- giving the aircraft an unmistakable growl.

Click here to hear a B-36

Perched high on a ridge is a large rusty piece of steel that a appears to have been the landing gear for the aircraft. Around the site, flakes of burned magnesium can occasionally be found, in spite of the fierce winds that normally sweep the mountain. Far below, a residential neighborhood at the foothills of Mt. Franklin.

Steep canyon walls lead on up to the summit of Mt. Franklin, but the intense afternoon heat made the ascent impossible that afternoon. In any case, that was not our goal. The INHL had seen what it came to see.

High above the city, a faded cross on the rock pays tribute to those who met their fate in in this spot 60 years ago:

Lt. Col. Herman Gerick

1st Pilot Maj. George C. Morford

1st Navigator Major Douglas J. Miner

1st Flight Engineer 1st Lt. Cary B. Fant Jr.

1st Radio Operator M/Sgt. Royal Freeman

Gunner A/C1 Edwin D. Howe

Gunner: A/20 Frank Silverstri

492 Bomb Squadron Staff Flight Engineer 1st Lt. James M. Harvey Jr.

Passenger 492 Bomb Squadron 1st Sgt. Dewy Taliaferro

Strategic Air Command (SAC), 8th Air Force
7th Bomber Wing, 492 Bomber Squadron

The INHL remembers.
August 2002

The International Natural History League is dedicated to expanding the sphere of human knowledge. This project completes the 9th year of the planned 1000 year charter. See you next year.

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