Evening star., 1925-09-11


like atop choppy seas, by a monster
of the deep, the L. S. submarine R-4.
Lost 21S12 hours after a plunge
! from the air, after 25 hours hurtling
| from San Francisco towards Honolulu
| in the first such flight ever attempted,
! the brave little force in every sense
except officially had been given up as
| lost martyrs to mans efforts to over
come the elements.
Today, their tiny craft towed by
the submersible, was ashore at Nawi-
| Twill, Island of Kauai, of the
Hawaiian group, towards which the
| U. S. destroyer McDonough was rush
ing with medical officers to give any
attention necessary.
In Good Physical Condition.
That Comdr. Rodgers and his crew
were in good physical condition was
attested by the brief messages report
| ing the rescue.
Request tug be sent to Nawiliwili
| for Rodgers and crew, who in good
health" read a message intercepted
| by an amateur radio operator in that
city.
Another message from the R-4 said:
THE submarine R-4 is towing trans
Pacific plane to Nawiliwin and ex-
poets to arrive about s o'clock. Plea Sc
have small boat meet US at anchor
age"
The first message was briefly
laconic. 1t was devoid of details, and
merely gave to a waiting world the
| information that the five despaired- of
| lives had been dragged back from the
| sea, that the men were we'll, that the
R-4 had taken. the disabled plane in
| tow, and that she was headed for
NaWiliWi1i."
Addressed to Rear Admiral John D.
Mcdonald from Lieut.. d. r. Osborn,
jr., commander of the submarine R-4,
it said: -
plane PN-9, No. I, located by R-4.
IS miles northwest of Nawiliwili.
Personnel safe. Am towing plane TO
Nawiliwili. ="
Drifted $50 Miles.
Soon afterward- came a second mes
sage from the rescuing submarine:
Request naval tug be sent TO
Nawiiiwili, Kauai, to tow the PN-9,
No. l. Comdr. Rodgers and crew
in good health. Expect to make
Nawiliwili by pm"
Since the big plane reported that
it's gasoline supply was gone and
cracking up was feared in an emer-
it had drifted approximately $50 miles
in line almost due westward from
,, the point where it dropped from the
air.
Exactly where that point was and
| just how far the floating aircraft
| drifted never can be known.
The PMS, No. l, was found Is
miles off the Island of Kauai, "a miles
northwest of Oahu, upon which is
,-I oh I1 L.,
| ship was headed.
| After her wings were clipped by
| the exhaustion of her gasoline sup.
! ply the plane, wind-driven on the face
| of the water, made progress slower
than calculations of the searching
| Navy forces had indicated.
1t was sighted at a position over
| which the fiotilla of naval craft had
! cruised last Saturday, near that in
will reported two days after the
search started it had seen a white
! flare and two red rockets.
Leader Veteran Flyer.
! The big Navy plane, which was
| forced down when within an hour
| flight of its destination, was captained
| by Comdr. Rodgers, veteran flyer OF
the United States naval forces, who
! learned to fly as a pupil of the Wright
| brothers at Dayton, Ohio, IA years
! ago. Because of his skill and expert
| ence he had been assigned from his
post in Washington, D. c., was the
| flight commander. The PN-9, No. /
/ had been designated as the flagship
| of the three craft originally intended
| to hop off together from San Fran.
| cisco to Hawaii
! Under Comdr. Rodgers direction
were Lieut.. Bryon J. Connell of Pitts
burgh, Pa, assistant pilot; Skiles N.
Pope of Jackson, Tenn, as aviation
Ipilot; William H. Bowlin of Richmond,
Ind, aviation chief machinist's mate,
and Otis G. Stantz Of Terre Haute,
Ind. chief radio man.
| To the members of the airplane's
crew, heading for land on the sub
marine, Lieut.. Comdr. Millington B.
McComb, Junior commandant Of Pearl
| Harbor Air Station, sent the jubilant
and reassuring word: "The whole
! Navy is rejoicing. Your families noti-
| fed"
Receipt of the news of the safety
of the plane which had carried its
burden of five men safely more than
nine days on an alien element caused
scene of rejoicing among the peo-
pie of Honolulu and the men and Off
GERS of the fleet here after it's visit to
Australia and New Zealand COM
parable only with the celebration at
the time of the signing of the World
War armistice.
At a hotel where numerous dinner
parties were being attended by officers
of the visiting fleet, the news was
announced. Silence fell, and then
some one broke into Praise God,
from whom all blessings flow," and a
hundred or more guests Joined in the
paean of thanksgiving.
Refused to Leave Plane.
Rescued aviators refused to leave
their plane, but obtained water and
food from the rescuing submarine as
they were being towed ashore by small
boats.
En- route to Liuhu, the island port
of Kauai, the plane was reported as
having parted from its tow last night
on a coral wreath. but it was able to
get under way in a smooth sea, and