The Oliver H-G that saved lives
Wrapped in cobwebs in a small barn in Western New York State is the vintage 1940's Oliver H-G crawler-tractor that saved lives in Hang on and Fly.
I had known about this farm and logging vehicle being stored away for quite some time. However, I finally found the time to go see it. It was formerly owned by the Kenneth and Margaret Herrick family of Napoli, New York, relatives of mine through my paternal grandmother. They used it for logging and hauling farm materials in the cold winters and muddy springs in the Allegheny Mountains.
The Herrick boys, center, using their H-G to haul survivors and bodies from the plane crash. Newspaper image used with permission.
When rescuers determined the location of the crash of Continental Charters Flight 44-2 on New Year's Eve - New Year's Day, 1951-52, they all gathered at the Herrick farm on the upper section of Sawmill Run Road to trek up the side of Bucktooth Ridge. The tractor helped cut a path through the snow and mud.
In the book, Hang on and Fly, I explain how the Herrick teenage boys, Robert and Marion, drove their Oliver H-G, with a small trailer attached, up the side of the ridge to carry out survivors, including Stewardess Pearl Ruth Moon. Later that night and early the next morning they returned with the crawler-tractor and helped carry out the dead. In the following weeks, the Herrick boys used the H-G to carry out the plane's wrecked engines and other parts, for salvage.
The Herrick’s Oliver crawler tractor was vital for hauling the survivors and then bodies down the mountain from the plane crash scene. Herrick family photo.
The Herrick brothers passed the Oliver H-G down in the family. It is now owned by Will Herrick and is stored in his barn in Western New York State. Although covered with dust and cobwebs, the lifesaving crawler tractor is in very good condition. The pictures here are from a visit to see it on October 1, 2016.
The Herrick’s H-G in 2016.