Diamonds in Venango County

jeff of pa · Mar 14, 2010

Diamonds in Burned Mail Plane Bring Rush; Postal Official Ends Scramble at Polk, Pa.

October 22, 1928, Monday

725 DIAMONDS RECOVERED.; Eight Tons of Earth From Scene of Plane Wreck Were Sorted.

November 26, 1928, Monday

Diamond in Crash Put at $5,000.

November 4, 1928, Sunday

http://query.nytimes.com/search/que...=12&day2=31&year2=1928&submit.x=30&submit.y=6

kalbs · Apr 6, 2011

Great site for a shove! Have you been to this site? Also thanks for ALL of the great stuff that you contribute!

jeff of pa · Apr 6, 2011

No. Never Bin there.
it's a bit of a distance for me

TreasureWriter · Nov 26, 2011

I've done some research on this one Jeff. I believe that most of the diamonds were recovered if not by the postal authorities then by the locals who found them before the site was secured. The USPS gained unnamed warrants for about 80 individuals and served them on individuals who had picked up diamonds at the crash site. They also screened/sifted the entire area. I think that it would be very difficult to find any that may be left although I don't doubt that there are a few there. I have some news clippings from the day on this one that talk about the recovery if anyone is interested.

I've fished this area when I was younger but I wasn't aware of this plane crash at the time. I probably walked right past the area! I used to work in Franklin, Pa for a youth program in the early 1980's and ride the horses throughout this area but never saw any remains of an airplane. It would be interesting to know if any of the plane was left there or if it was removed.

Also, from what I've read the airplane which was a single seat open type of fuselage; probably covered in fabric was just about completely destroyed by fire when it hit the tops of the trees. Only about 10-15lbs of mail of a couple of hundred lbs was recoverable. The plane was also most likely on fire before it hit the trees judging from eye witness accounts, meaning that the mail bags could have been burned open and distributed over a wider area than where the plane was.

If I knew that part of the plane was still there I'd go just to photograph it and get the GPS coordinates. If anyone knows anymore about this site I'd appreciate hearing about it.

jeff of pa · Dec 14, 2018

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 25 Oct. 1928.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

I Wonder if the Warrants were a Bluff.

Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 09 Nov. 1928.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

CaptnJohn · Dec 14, 2018

I owned a house used as a hunting camp in Venango County north of Polk. Never heard of the plane crash. If I had I would have asked my (now retired) Postal Inspector friends for more info. Just sent a few of them a Christmas card. Maybe one is still working... no longer have his contact info though....