Norwich bulletin., 1922-03-27
STORY OF HOW FLYING BOAT
 PASSENGERS MET DEATH

STORY OF HOW FLYING BOAT PASSENGERS MET DEATH Miami, Fla, March 26-Graphic de- tails of the loss of the flying boat Miss Miami with five passengers werea given tonight by Pilot Robert Moore from his bed in local hospital where he is slowly recovering from the effects of his 55 hours fight against thirst, starva- tion and the dangers of the Cuff Stream. Moore had thrown off entirely the de- lirum from which he was scattering when | picked up yesterday by the tanker Will ian Green, but the attending physicians said there was grave danger of de- veloping pneumonia from his exhausted | condition and prelengel exposure. While the pilot, still shaken with hor- l TOT of his experience told his story, crews of seapiaaes and naval craft were re- turning from a fruitless all-day search 1 for the bodies of Mrs August Butte and | MT. and Mrs. Lawrence D. Smith, of Kansas City, and Mrs. J. S. Dickson of I Memphis, who had occupied the pssseng- ] er-pit of the Miss Miami wheR she took 1 off "Wednesday morning supposedly for 9 forty minute flight to the Island of Ri- mini The search will be continued to- morrow.
 We left Miami" said Moore, lat 1194 1 o'clock last Wednesday morning in the 1 face of stiff northeasterly wind At 1 11.41, about three minutes out of Bimi- I nj, something broke off the propeller I 1 automatically looked for ship, or l shoal, to land by. I saw a fishing smack and vol-planed down to the water about l g mile away in its course.
 q asked the passengers not to be afraid. We were in no immediate dam a,-.Yff I l The winds, however, were rising, and before long the hull of the boat sprang a leak. The nose of the plane began. ris- ing. Then a big wave came along and lifted us The plane turned over and we l were all thrown into the sea.
 Mrs. Butte came to the surface first, | then MT. and Mrs. Smith. Of the three none could swim. I succeeded in getting thaem to the overturned pine, MT. Dick son and Mrs. Butte had not appeared on the surfacme. Mrs. Bulte made this discovery.
 My God. my husband, where is he? she cried.
 T told her he would be all right in few minutes and dived into the waters, but I c. Id not locate either him or Mrs.
 Dickson. Mrs. Butte began to weep. dived into the water and obtained cushions from the plane to use for life preservers. As I returned to them, I saw Bulte floating. I stepped directly in front of Mrs. Bulte and obstructed her view. As the body passed me, I noted wound on his forehead. He must have been killed before he struck the wa ter when the plane overturned.
 Within the next 30 minutes the scenes changed twice On the horizon, we sighted the fishing boat. We began to laugh and contemplated being picked up. I was confident we would be saved. In fact I 1 felt like whistling. I believe I did. It kept us up my morale.
 And the fishing boat changed it's
 course.
 q can't understand in Gods world why
 he did not keep on toward us. He knew
 ] was in that locality some where, for he had seen me come down, I could see his
 name on the boat, less than half mile l away as he went orr
 4'Fhe winds rose during the night and
 the women grew weaker. At least
 twelve times they were swept over. but
 swan out and got them and brought
 them back each time.
 'fThe next day our hopes rose as we
 saw other boats pass, but nonecame with
 in less than a mile and a half of us I
 tried to keep up the morale of the eth-
 CTS by telling them they were soldiers.
 It helped maryeiously, but one of the
 women, Mrs. Smith, became utterly de-
 jected.
 we weathered the storm of wednes- day night after terrible experience and Mrs. Butte died Thursday. saw Mir. and
 Mrs. Smith eiasped in each others arms
 and one of them suggested that they close their eyes and jump overheard. But they didn't, and Mrs. Smith died in her husbands arms. We released the bodies l o4 fa AaI
 away.
 Thursday, as dusk approached, Smith
 grew deliriags and strapped him on. At times he appeared ratioaai and asked me what chances I thought we had of being
 rescued. I told him I thought we would yet be saved, and he said:
 l "T don't see how we can hold out 1 much longer. Don't you think I had a
 brave wife?' I assured him that I had never seen 9 nor courageous woman. Il "'All right, Bob, he answered. Prom
 ise me that if you return you will tell
 her sons how brave their mother was
 Tell them the facts and tell them the
 truth about me. You will know as no , other how I did. Tell them for me
 boy
 'He removed three dollar bills from his
 pocket and asked me to give one to each
 of his three boys with his dying mes sage"
 , q pushed his body into the sea and
 al alone kept up my courage as best l could The suns heat had blistered
 me and the thirst was maddening. shew-
 the ends of mi fingers until blood came l to appeas my thirst. I saw boats past ] 1 and waved to them, but none saw me
 As dusk approached Friday night, be- s gan to believe that it was all up. I tie6 I 1 rope to my neck. but I was so weaf 7 that it seemed there wasn't much use,
 guess I was unconscious when the beat
 came after me for don't remember mucf l more"