Evening star., 1923-01-14
SEAPLANE PLUNGE
K|LLSFATHER, TWO
SONSANDANURSE
Wealthy Cuban Sugar Man,
Eff. Atkins, Jr., Victim on
Key West-Havana Line.
ENGINE TROUBLE FORCES
DESCENT In HEAVY SEA
Ferry Boat Flagler Fights Big
Waves and Saves Five of Nine
Aboard Seaplane.
BY tie Associated Press.

BY tie Associated Press.
KEY WEST, Fla, January Ia
Four persons, three of them father
and his two sons, aged three and five,
lost their lives when the seaplane
Columbus, plying between Key West
and Havana, crashed into the water
and sank near Havana this afternoon.
Five Of the nine aboard were res
cued by the ferry ship Henry M.
Flagler and brought here tonight.
Those who lost their lives were: Ed
win F. Atkins. jr, thirty. New York
capitalist; Miss Grace Mcdonald of
New York, nurse. and Mr.. Atkins
two children. Edwin f.. Sd. five. and
David. three.
Mrs. Atkins, Pilot W. e. Miller, Miss
Julia Haverty of New York, Otto
Abrams of New York, and the
mechanician, Harold Thompson, were
rescued.
Sees Plane Fall.
Capt John AIbury Of the ferry boat
Flagler saw the seaplane fall when
he was about three-fourths of mile
distant and Immediately turned his
= .ru Il. Phe sea was running
very high, and several attempts had
to be made before a lifeboat could be
landed. Mr.. Atkins and Miss Nc
Donald were swept off the wreckage
to which they were clinging before
the Iifeboat could reach them. The
two children, who were asleep in the
cabin, are believed to have been
killed instantly when the wreckage
was carried on to the top of a huge
wave and then catapulted directly
into tho middle OF it. nose first.
We were flying about two hundred
feet in the air at the rate OF sixty
five miles an hour, when I noticed
that the engine on the right side OF
the plane was missing" Pilot Miller
said. II immediatstys ysattempted to
adjust 1t, but couldn't, and, reducing
the speed, forced a landing
The seas were running very high,
waves fifteen or twenty feet in height
leaping up. We hit on the top OF one
wave and then went into the middle
Of the next one, nose first. The pas
Sengers opened the cockpit OF the
cabin and came out except the two
Atkins children, who were asleep at
the time and evidently were stunned
and killed instantly by the impact
with the wave"
The pilot said that Mr.. Atkins
was clinging to q part of the wreck
age when a hugo wave washed him
off, also carrying away Miss Nc
Donald.
Traditions of Sea.
True to the traditions of tho sea,
women were rescued first. True also
to traditions, the pilot was the last
to leave the plane.
After Mr.. Atkins and Miss McDon-
aid had been swept away. Miller sue
eeeded in holding the others on to
the wreckage until the rescue was
effected.
A wave turned the plane COM |
pIetely over, but by strange bit of |
luck the survivors were dropped back !
On TO the wreckage. The lifeboat |
was launched about $50 yards from |
the plane and on reaching the wreck |
age several attempts had to be made |
before the survivors could be trans |
ferred, the waves washing the life |
boat back time and again.
The pilot praised the heroIsm of |
Capt Albury and tho crew for their |
heroic efforts in the face of great |
difficulties. |
Mrs. Atkins was the first to be |
placed aboard the lifeboat and was
followed by the other woman sur |
Vivor, Miss Haverty.
MIR. Abram went next and then the |
nechanician. After the rescue the |
.ifeboat had to wage what for a time |
seemed a losing battle in order to |
get back to the Flagler.
Placed I'm Hospital.
None of the survivors is believed
20 be in a serious condition, although
they are suffering bruises and the
shock. They were placed in a hospi-
tai here.
Mrs Atkins, it was stated, ap-
oarently is dazed and as yet does not
realiZe what has happened.
An effort will be made to recover
the bodies of the victims but the
part of the sea where the disaster
occurred is infected with sharks and
little hope was held out tonight that
a recovery would be possible.
Mr.. Atkins. who was spending\ the
winter in Cuba, came to Key West
yesterday to join Mrs. Atkins who
had just arrived from Boston. The
plane was on its regular daily voy-
Hge to Cuba.
uAn prc. cYrnAr r~yurrrr,cre,