Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 January 1947 — Page 2

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survivors agreed with him.

Tired, Hungry Survivors

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erick Warren Williams, Huntington, Tenn, the crew chief, and Aviation Radioman 2-¢. Wendell K Henderson, Portsmouth, Va., the radioman.

subsequent drop to the frozen hardness of the Antarctic snow.

Besides Lt. Kearns, other sur-

Cal; Aviation Machinists Mate 2/c William PF. H. Warr, Reading, Pa. and Chief Photographer's Mate Owen McCarthy, Sonoma, Cal. Lt, Leblane was the only one of the survivors who was seriously injured. He rode in a sled when his comrades trekked across the Antarctic glaciers for the rendezyous with the rescue plane. Helpless to Move " Chief McCarthy said Lt. Leblanc was strapped to his seat when the plane crashed. He was helpless to move when it began to burn. Kearn, Robbins and Warr, according to Chief McCarthy, fought their way thorugh the flames and ripped Lt. Leblanc out. He was . badly burned. But he went without - medical treatment for several days because the survivors were unable to locate their first-aid equipment. Chief McCarthy said he Was “partially knocked out” but. was unable to drag himself from the wreckage. Aboard the Pine Island last night ~where the suryivors were offered turkey, ice cream and all the other > things they dreamed about during their two-weeks’ nightmare—naval authorities pieces together the story of the twin-engine mariner patrol bomber that disappeared in polar mists Dee, 30, ’

Exploratory Flight The plane, a unit of the esstern group of the Byrd expedition, had taken off for an exploratory flight. Pilot Kearns headed the plane due south toward/the unexplored Thurston Peninsula, in the vast reaches of James Ellsworth Land. /

For a time all went well. . ~ Bhorfly before the disaster, the crew radioed the Pine Island that they had a ceilirig of 600 to 1000 feet and visibility of less than two Even

- mn LY, swung his plane slightly and climbed to 1000 feet.

William H. Kearns Jr. the pilot of <x the ill-fated plane. His five fellow :

strange tricks. The horizon—the

{their forward gasoline fuel tank!

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© Acme Telephoto SCENE OF CRASH—{X) on the map marks the approximate | position of Thurston Peninsula where the naval scout plane of || the Byrd expedition crashed in the frozen wastes of the Ant. orete

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all-important point where sky begins and ice ends—was indistinguishable. The crewmen heard the sneer-

the bottom of the ship. Again Lt. Kearns’ skill showed

profit and out of his heart.

do, I always say.”

up. He drove :all the power possible into the stricken plane and kept it in control. The craft lurched and bumped, but under Lt Kearns’ handling nosed around toward Pine Island. .

light the- six survivors watched!

burn brightly. For 100 yards the: wreckage of their plane and precious equipment was strewn across an isolated patch of an unknown continent.

did what they could—salvaged the unburned gasoline in the rear tank for cooking purposes—and prepared

The food was rationed as the survivors prepared for a long siege. For the first day and a half, however, no one ate. The six were in a daze and either slept fitfully or

whiteness surrounding them. It was a long hard haul ; Bui Saturday morning, searchers spotted them and dropped food and provisions. Then a rescue piane took off from the Pine ‘Island, dropped instructions to the stricken men and landed in an jcy pool about eight miles from them.

Journey Takes Hours

With Lt. Lebranc riding in a sled, the six began their trek over

less crevasses “of the Antarctic wastes. Occasionally, they huddled together for warmth, or to assure

merely stared at the unbroken !|’

the treacherous slopes and bottom- {|

one another they were going in| the right direction, The _Jourpiey took hours. But their way was set by their rescuers. | They reached the fog-bound rescue! plane early yesterday morning and | within a short time stepped on

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36 Crash Survivors

Taken to Manila

MANILA, Jan. 13 (U. P).—The, army transport Gen, E. T. Collins | docked here today with 36 survivors of an emergency landing in ‘the China sea made by a four-engined plane bound. from: Shanghai to the Philippines. Officials of the Far Eastern Air| Transport, Inc., owners of the C-54, sald that six passengers—all Chinese —Wwere missing and presumed lost. The plane crashed in'the water 80 miles off the coast of northern Luzon Satyrday afternoon. After spending the night in: rubber liferafts’ the survivors were sighted by another plane, *” Jr

Community Service Institute Is Set

An institute designed ‘to promote interest in community service will be held at the Cropsey auditorium of the Indianapolis public library

starting Jan. 29, it was announced today. -

The institute program will be given in six sessions. It is spon-

__|sored by the Indianapolis council |

(Continved From Page One) § [is undertaking to construct inexthe goodness of

‘He's ‘Trying to Help’ “Too old to enlist” he says. * | “Tried to, but they wouldn't take me. So I'm trying to help the boys who did go. That's the least I can

And that's what he’ always says.

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veteran, struggling to get

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down by In ans aginst swindiers unl it was former Daputy Prosecutor Saul house or an apartment if you can |ioo late. : SITY der ot + yu Cotrvicied of Lasomny. = | BUG GAY after mors than 00 gle: wt what 18 valle, “calling” J was too aie 9 Wot was ln sshiine War TUG, but the housing 6 » d te. Putting up a little cash on the| von Welch and Forrest SRATAge Was Senpary Fhe etm) side is r way to get under afl®V: The state eventually caught up have ropa rg 1 oe i Minder *lwith. them, but not ‘until ‘veterans{sbly never will h right person. : and others lost $30,000. Tomerrow: Welch & Hackley The on| Welch and Hackley,

(Continued From Page One)

.|who had obeyed the rules of the

home without signs of defiance, The parents had been having

eral years but they managed to hold the home together. «8 =» HOWEVER, they began to avold each other ostensibly to avert friction in the home and both sought escapes in separate social routines. This led to separate drinking bouts, causing more friction and finally the divorce court. A few months after the di-

trouble between themselves for seve |r

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spouses. The: father was to pay $15 a week to the’

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