The New York herald., 1922-08-23
RUM RUNNER SOUGHT
IN RESCUE OF FLIERS
Continued from First Page.


that she can keep afloat indefinitely no
craft or shore station has reported sight
ing her. The leaking dory out of which
the rescued plane excursionists jumped
when II swamped near Long Beach has
not been found. Fishermen about
Wreck Lead, on Jamaica Bay. near
Long Beach, and at Baldwin Harbor.
five miles from Long Beach, have seen
neither plane nor dory. The fleet which
went out to look for the Ambassador
III. on Sunday, including naval flying
scouts. sighted no strange schooner or
drifting seaplane. Naval Communica-
tions, which has been canvassing all
radio equipped ships in this vicinity, has
heard nothing.
Mr.. Appleby casts no suspicion on any
craft operated by Aeromarine Airways,
Inc He assumes that all Of them are
engaged In lawful affairs. He notes.
however. that certain planes not owned
by this company have at times ham
pered the Dry Navy by scouting out to
sea and tipping off rum runners to the
proximity of prohibition raiders One
plane has done this within the last two
weeks. Moreover. as many rum runners
have no wireless and those who have
do not dare >use it fer unusual mes
sages. seaplanes have been known to
fly out over the ocean and drop In
SlTuCtlOES lelilnS rum runners Wnere TO
land their cargoes.
Major Smiths belief that the schooner
may be a liquor carrier is based he
says, on the inability of the Ambassador
lis crew to learn her name. They re-
ported. he says, that she apparently had
no name. The schooner's crew looked
Ike foreigners, Cubans, perhaps, but
some spoke little English. The
aviators had a notion she came from the
Bahamas.
In "A dictated statement Major Smith
described the vessel yesterday as a
small fishing schooner" As the Ma jor
got the story from Pilot Miller, the
seaplane. after leaving New York on
Sunday morning, went in the direction
or Fire Island light and then of Far
Rockaway. At about 9:15 A. NJ, at an
altitude of about 1900 feet, the motor
stopped and the plane descended to the
water about two miles off Long Beach
The waves were about twenty-five feet
high, as a strong wind was blowing.
Miller put out a sea anchor and dis
tributed oil. Tho plane drifted lightly
until about :35 p. NJ, when the party
sighted the fishing schooner about half
a mile away. Miller attracted it's at
tention with several Very lights.
The schooner came alongside and
after two hours manouvering got the
aviators and their passenger aboa I'd.
Miller had ascertained that the break
ing Of one of the driving gears had
crippled the ignition system OF the plane.
The schooner couldn't tow the plane
because of the high seas, and when last
seen it was drifting easily. The
schooner, unable to approach shore be-
cause of a strong off shore wind, heaved
to and waited for the weather to
moderate. The rescued men stayed
aboard Sunday night and most of Mon
day. Then the schooner brought them
to within half mile of Long Beach.
The captain said he couldn't go further
but gave his guests an old ships dory.
which ne said was SO rickety he didn't
want It.
Miller paid the schooncr's captain s25
for his trouble. but did not learn the
captains name nor the nature OF his
cargo. The captain advised him to sink
the dory upon reaching land. The three
men from the seaplane then got into
the small boat and rowed for shore,
while the schooner disappeared In the
other direction. Major Smith under
stood Miller to say that the men in the
dory had to keep bailing every minute.
and that as they grounded at Long
Beach It was swamped and they left 1t
to it's fate while they sought food in
the Hotel Nassau, where they arrived
about l 80 a. NJ. yesterday.
Miller lives at 203 West Eighty-flfth
street and Thompson on the Aeromarine
tender at the foot of West Eighty-sec-
ond street. They reached New York
about 2 80 a. VI. yesterday and went
TO Major Smiths home, 101 West Eighth
street. to report. The company had
agreed to take Mr.. and Mrs. A. G. Porter
to Saratoga. and as there was short
age OF men and Miller and Thompson
said they were none the worse for their
experience they started for Saratoga be-
tween and Q o'clock yesterday morn
ing. c. +. Redden. president OF Aero
marine Always. Inc. who Is in Detroit,
wired instructions yesterday forSfurthcr
search for the Ambassador H., az he felt
sure IL would be found intact.