Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1916 — TOSSES 29 HOURS ON ADRIATIC SEA [ARTICLE]

TOSSES 29 HOURS ON ADRIATIC SEA

Young American Airman Adds to Long List of Perilous Adventures. RESCUED BY TORPEDO BOAT Searching for Submarines of Italy's Foe, Hydroplane Goes Wrong and Drops Doherty to Water — Seeks Further Adventure. Milan, Italy. —William Ellwood Doherty, a young American whose career as an airman has abounded in perilous adventure, has lust added to his list a fight for life lasting more than twenty-nine hours in the wintry waters of the Adriatic. Once before he had been stranded in the same sea in midsummer and collapsed from thirst and heat. This time he had the other extreme of weather, battling with a northern gale, and was rescued when on the verge of exhaustion. Austrian submarines were infesting the Adriatic while the Italians were sending troop ships across to Albania. Doherty set out in a Curtiss hydroplane to patrol the passage and give warning of danger. He left Taranto at two o’clock in the afternoon with an Italian helper. As daylight was falling the motor broke down, and the hydroplane dropped to the water. Italian vessels were in sight, but did not see Doherty’s signals for help. With darkness the wind rose and wnvua broke over the tiny craft. Doherty tore away the drip pan of the machine. The two cold, hungry, watersoaked men used it to bail with. By working one at a time without stopping they were able to keep afloat, although every high wave gave them a fresh drenching. They had lost their scant provisions in the descent to the water, and in the tossing of the hydroplane their cigarettes and matches went overboard. The weather became intensely cold. In the respite from bailing the airman who was free kept lookout for a ship. One came in sight several hours after dark, but passed on, not seeing the smoke bombs with which the aviators tried to hail it. Throughout the night and all the next morning the men relieved each other with the drip pan bailer. Finally, too tired to work longer and despairing of rescue, Doherty curled up in the end of the craft. Sleep overcame him, but he had nightmare- and was -roused wh en a lurch of the plane nearly spilled him into the sea. Again he took his turn at bailing.

The specter of death was before the eyes of both men whdh night fell once more. Then a torpedo boat headed toward them appeared on the horizon. They exploded more smoke bombs and wildly waved their signal flags. This time they were seen. The torpedo boat approached, lowered a small boat and rescued men and wreck twenty miles from shore. , Italian a Vwaft had been looking for Doherty and his companion ever since the machine failed them. Allowance had not been made for the” wind, which blew the unfortunates seaward, and the search was confined to an area comparatively near shore until the torpedo boat struck out into the open. ' ‘ Naval commanders who had engaged in the early search reported the first night that Doherty and his* companion probably were lost. Their return to shore was failed as little short of miraculous. - Doherty recovered within a day from the effects of his exposure. Substitutes had taken over his patrol duty in the Adriatic, however, and he decided to shift his field of activity. He has gone to Paris and London in search of further adventure.