New Britain herald., 1922-03-25
Pilot of Miss Miami, Pick ed up in Semi Conscious Condition, May Not Live Himself
Two Women Die of Ex- posture, Two Crazed, Jump Overheard, and Fifth Slips Quietly Into Sea to Drown.

Miami Fla, March 25.-Two of tho women passengers of the flying boat Miss Miami which left here Wednes- day for the island of Rimini and was forced down in the open sea by a broken propeller died of exposure and two other passengers crazed by ex- posture jumped overheard into the sea, according to the story told by Robert Moore, pilot of the craft to members of the crew of the steamer William Green which rescued him last night from the wrecked hulk of the boat.
 The fifth passenger. a man whose name as well as those of the others Moore could not give slipped quietly into the sea early yesterday after hav- ing become exhausted from clinging to the craft.
 Those on Board Passengers aboard the Miss Miami when she left here were MT. and Mrs. August Bulte and MT. and Mrs. Law renee F. Smith all of Kansas City and Mrs. J. S. Dickson of Memphis. Moore, more dead than alive was picked up by the Tampica bound steamer William Green last night about 50 miles off shore and about l 1o0 miles north of Miami.
 Pilot May Not Live | The sub- chaser 154 arrived in port 1 shortly after 10 o'clock today after l having transferred the delirious pilot 1 from the steam William Green which picked him up. He was rushed to hospital where it is feared the ex- posture will result in his death. According to the disconnected story which the exhausted and delirious pilot told during intervals when he was rational, two women died in his arms from exhaustion. two of the pas sengers became panic stricken and jumped overheard to their deaths and the remaining male passengers finally slipped quietly into the watery grave Friday morning as a result of sheer exhaustion.
 The incoherent story of the trage- dy as told to the members of the crew by the pilot before he lapsed into semi-conscious condition is to the effect that shortly after the Miss i Miami left this port last Wednesday morning a broken propeller forced her down and she rode the waves in safety 1 drifting northward in the Gulf stream.
 Disaster Thursday
 Nothing happened until Thursday morning when the hull of the fiier began to leak as a result of hitting against something. Men and women passengers took turns using the pumps until all became exhausted and oneof the women and Thursday night, which one Moore could not say, jump- cd overheard. A man whom he thought was her husband. leaped af- ter her and both disappeared never to be seen again. The fate of the man and woman depressed the other two wom- en and they tainted away but were supported by Pilot Moore for seven and a half hours.
 Women Die In His Arms. | After seven and half hourse the two women died in the arms of the pilot and he gently dropped their bodies into the water which had now claimed four passengers.
 This left only Pilot Moore and August Bultc. ,.ce- president of the .arabrcc Flour Mills Corp. of Kansas I City, who took turns manning the 4 pump in an effort to keep the flying boat afloat The kept this up until Friday morning when they were ex- hausted.
 Bultc and Moore scrambled over the side of the boat and Moore fast encd rope around himself to support him in case he became unconscious. Standing on his feet he waved a white handkerchief keeping this up all day long
 Hands Over S2.00O.
 After praying :or help, Bulte, real- izng his condition took a roll of money containing s2,o0 from his pocket and handed it to Moore saying.
 You are B younger man and may he able to come through but I cannot hold out any longer"
 Then he too dropped to his grave beneath the waters of the Atlantic. j 9 Boats Pass Them.
 According to ire story of Moore nine boa,r passei the Miss Miami after s,,n was down, one so closely that he could read ner name put they did not see the wre cked craft. He said that on "Wednesday and Fri'lay he saw planes flying overhead but saw lnonc on Thursday