Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1921-01-26
KEyP0RT MAY
DYNAMITE ICE
Plan This Move to Get Strand
ed Flying Boat Caught in
Into Company Plant.
B( + VALUED AT $4,000
N " Efforts Planned to Save
aIuabIe Plane From De-
,truction-- May Cut it Out
I VALUED AT $50, 900

Special Correspondent.
kEYPORT, Jan. 26.-In an effort
save the $4,000 fiyingboat-
/ 1iser Ponce de Leon" from des-
lction as a result of being frozen
the ice in Raritan Bay about ESQ
irds off shore from the Aero
iarine Plane and Motor Corpora
.pn here. plans were being form
Hated this morning to dynamite a
/ hannel from the machine into
J more.
The flying boat became imbedded
in the frozen bay during the cold
snap of Monday night and early
TUESDAY morning, the crew of seven
men suffering from the extreme
jcold and lack of nourishment for
ten hours until they were finally
/ enabled to crawl from the boat to
the ice. with the assistance of Key
port firemen and Aeromarine en-
ployes who came to the scene with
searchlights. ropes and long boards.
The work OF cutting partly
through the ice from the shore TO
the fiying-boat was started this
morning and proved slow work. This
cutting is being done in two straight
lines, just enough space separating
them to allow the boat being towed
in once the dynamite has been ap-
piled to the ice. 1t was doubtful
whether the work would be COM
pleted today.
Owing to the light construction of
the hull of the cruiser" and the
heavy weight it bears-chief among
which are two 400 horsepower mo-
tors--the utmost care must be taken
In working about the craft and in
preparing to set off the blast which
l. frA
An effort was made last night by
Capt. Guy Osborn of the sloop
"Georgiana" of Keyport to break
open a channel through the ice TO
the marooned craft. but without
success. the ice being too thick to
break IN this manner. 1t was planned
to send to Perth Amboy for tugs to
break their way through the ice and
tow the flying boat ashore. but ow.
ing to the draught of the tugs and
the shallow water at the point the
aircraft is frozen in-between five
and six feet-this idea had to be
abandoned.
Announcement was made last
night that the ice about the flying
boat would be cut. and the boat,
with the ice which IS now frozen 10
it. would be lifted from the water
and towed ashore.
This morning. however, it was re-
ported that a new plan had been
devised-that of breaking channel
through the ice to the shore by
means of dynamite. The Aeroma-
rine plant had a large number of
men on the ice ready to put this plan
into effect
In order to more easily handle
the flying boat and lessen the possi-
bilities of damaging the huge wings,
which have a spread of los feet. it
was decided to dismantle them.
According to one of the officials
of the Aeromarine company the fly
ing boat had not. up'until this morn
ing. suffered any material damage
from the ice which covered it in its
entirety. The radiator which was
originally placed on the engine fail
ed to function properly during the
trial test Monday and was removed
to be replaced by a new one.
Owing to the fact that the boat is
to be used in warm climate-it
having been built for service be-
tween Florida and the West Indies
no way of heating the interior was
provided for, although there is some
heat generated by the engine while
it Is running. On Monday night
when 1t landed in the bay and be-
came icebound. there was no heat in
the cabin and the seven passengers
suffered severe hardships for ten
hours because of the singing cold
wind which swept the bay.
Yesterday efforts were made to
reach the stranded flyer by taking
a boat to Cliffwood on large truck
and launching it from that point
but continued freezing of the bay
made. the proposed rescue work i'm
practicable.
Lifeboats have been hauled out on
the Ice near the flying boat to be
used in case of an emergency should
the ice suddenly break away and
drop any of the workmen into the
icy waters of the bay.
The Ponce de Leon" will carry
fifteen or seventeen passengers and
is luxuriously fitted with expensive
furnishings. In the forward hold"
there are six huge armchairs while
in the rear compartment there are
chairs for four more passengers and
accommodations for five or seven
more. including the crew.