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After an active 1914 summer season Minnerly and C.A. Herman rebuilt the 
Thomas flying boat at Bath,New York and then shipped it south for the winter at 
West Palm Beach, Florida. While there Minnerly also made a flight up the east 
coast to Daytona Beach with stops along the route, one at what is now Cape [[crossed-out]]Kenndedy [[/crossed-out]]Canaveral
when it was a reed-covered sandy island.
In 1916 Minnerly took a Nieuport plane, with rotary engine, to Guatemala where 
he engaged to fly 
it in the army of Estrada Cabrerra. His assignment was to fly regular sorties over rebel camps for reconnaissance and to drop homemade  bombs 
into their area. His plane was underpowered and, with[[crossed-out]]his disposable leads[[/crossed-out]]the bomb loads was risky 
to fly. [[crossed-out]]which eventually resulted in[[/crossed-out]]led to a bad smashup when he was seriously injured, 
sustaining a fractured skull and a bad concussion.[[crossed-out]]Minnerly laid[[/crossed-out]]He lay unconscious in a Guatemala hospital for over a week, then slowly recovered and eventually got out of 
the country with his wife and baby just before the victorious rebels had an oppor-
tunity to carry out their avowed threat to execute him. He returned to New York 
State where he was some time[[crossed-out]]recovering from his serious injuries. [[/crossed-out]]regaining his strength.
At the beginning of World War I Minnerly tried to enlist in the Air service 
but was rejected to his continuing disabilities, so he went to work as a fore-
man and Senior Factory Test Inspector on OX engines for Curtiss at Hammondsport, 
New York. Later during the war[[crossed-out]]period[[/crossed-out]]he was a civilian flying instructor with 
the Army signal Corps at Garden City, Long Island, New York.  There when Minnerly 
[[crossed-out]]washed out[[/crossed-out]]refused to approve the solo efforts of the son of a well-known United States Senator from New York, the Army discharged him from the Service.
After World War I Minnerly moved his family back to Missoul, Montana where 
he became a fireman for the Northern Pacific Railroad, later advancing to engineer, 
a position he held for some forty years before retirement on September 15th, 1960.
In Montana Minnerly evidently continued to fly to some extent until about 1920
when he abandoned aviation entirely.
Following several heart attacks Mr. Minnerly passed away on February 23rd, 1974,
at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Marie, one daughter and one son. Burial
was in St. Marys Annex Cemetery, Missoula, Montna. He was a member of the Loco- 
motive Engineers and Railroad Retirement Association.
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