Part 17 - Report of aircraft wreck near Langong Chu and journey to Nang Dzong (26–27 Nov.)

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SUMMARY:
Notes describe an aircraft wreck near the upper Langong Chu with four bodies, intact but scattered wreckage, and items such as rusted machine guns and iron hooks; the time of the crash is guessed by a Dzongpon’s man as about three years prior. Subsequent entries record a halt day with clear weather and a march to Nang Dzong, noting transport arrangements and plant observations including Box, Ceratostigma, Sophora viciifolia, and Juniper.

CONTENT:
What rotted was a 'tent' (parachute?) One man still had a little flesh on his bones, the others had all been stripped bare - presumably by animals. Mistris were sent to take the plane to bits, but they failed to do so. Only bits & pieces were collected & put under seal, as were any papers found. The plane was not burnt. The place mentioned is probably in the upper waters of the Langong Chu, about 2 full days march from Kyindong Dzong. A few rupees were found close to the wreck. Four useless (through rust) machine guns were found in the wreckage. The clothes of the 4 men are described as being winter wear & very good indeed. They wore two pairs of boots - one ordinary & one rubber on top. I was unable to make out how many engines there were. The wreckage was strewn over a biggish area. The time of the crash is only guessed by the Dzongpon's man as 3 years ago owing to the state of the bodies & of their clothes & notes. The area it fell in is a very wet one in the monsoon & things would easily rust. One of the few contents noticed was 30 things like walking sticks of iron, hooked at one end, rather longer than a walking stick, but having on the stick part a "lot of rings, some round some square & some other shapes".

26th Nov. HALT. A good day. There have been some clouds to the south the last 3-4 days, but generally very clear.

27th Nov. Nang Dzong. Left at 7.35. In at 3.20: transport in at 5.0pm. Transport about half & half coolies & pack animal, mostly pony. On the hill just before Nang, Box grows well. We collected a little seed. Ceratostigma is the dominant shrub again all the way, with Sophora viciifolia a good second. Juniper from deep to the edge of the escarp just below.