Evening star., 1925-09-11
Heroic Crew Heard
by Radio of Hope
Given Up.
RAIN AND TINY STILL
GAVE WATER TO MEN
Forced Down in Sight of
Ship, All Signals
Were Futile.
BY The Associated Press.

BY The Associated Press
LIHCE. Island OF Kauai. September
lin a darkened suite of rooms in
the little, old-fashioned Lihue hotel
five men lay unconscious in sleep
this morning.
1t was sleep OF a kind that had
been denied them for nine long davs
and nights. while, faced by threaten
ing death, they tossed on the broad
Pacific in the wrecked Navy seaplane
PN-9, No. |.
The hve men were Comdr. John
Rodgers, commander of the at
tempted San Francisco Honolulu
nonstop fight, and his four asso-
ciates, rescued late yesterday bv the
submarine R-4 after nearly all hope
of ever seeing them again had been
given up by their brother officers
Of the Navy.
heir sleep was carefully guarded.
Exhausted but too excited for
slumber, they were ordered to bed
early this morning by Navy doctors.
Sleep quickly came.
Rodgers Praises Men.
outside the hotel the scene was diff
ferent. Villagers and Navy men. their
imaEinations captured by the drama
enacted when the five aviators were
suddenly brought back to life. stood
about in groups, discussing the sud
den ending of the flight and eXChang-
ing and relishing bit by bit the infor-
nation given them personally by the
flyers.
Capt. Rodgers and his four com
panions stepped ashore a few miles
down the road from here shortly be-
fore IL o'clock last night. after one
OF the most narrowing chapters in
American naval history had been writ
ten.
When the five stepped out of the
seaplane it was the first time they
had left the craft since taking off from
San Pablo Bay, an arm Of San Fran
cisco Bay, at 2:52 pm. August 81.
While COmdr. Rodgers deprecated his
own part in the exploit, his men could
not give him sufficient praise, and in
turn regarded their own parts in the
epic sea and air drama as negligible
Rodgers pulled US through" they
said He should receive all the
credit"
Never Lost Heart.
He kidded us" said one Of them.
though not once did he lose heart,
and the doleful MESA ges we kept
picking up failed 10 impress him. He
ioked bout them and told us about
the surprise folks on shore would get
when we arrived safe and sound"
Rodgers was the first of the FIVE men
to fall asleep after reaching his room.
His physician heard him murmur Just
before he dropped off: I'm going to
ride in that plane when it's towed to
oahu"
Il was that same determination
to complete the fight from the west
ST of HaWaii-which made the five
ayiators stay in the seaplane until 1t
was beached on this island. BY doing
50 they technically completed their
flight.
Even after their skipper had drop
ped off TO sleep the members of his
crew continued their praise.
He stood every watch" one of them
said of Rodgers. He wouldn't sleep.
He buCked us up every minute and
when we looked like we might be get
ting downhearted he told us about
men he knew who had floated Is days
cInging to a log"
Otis StantZ, the radio operator of
the seaplane, broke in there with:
Yes, and when we almost made the
coast of Oahu and We're carried on by
the wind he was cheerful about It,
lie merely grinned at our luck and
said we would sail for Kauai as it
was the best island anyway. Rodgers
told us he was confident he could
sail our plane right into Nawiliwin
harbor, so he tore off the fabric from
the lower wing and kidded us about
sailing right up TO Nawiliwii docks"
Given Sleeping Potions.
Navy physicians Interrupted the
apparently endless stories of the four
men when they became excited and
showed the first nervous reactions
Of their nine days vigil Although
they wanted TO tell more about
Rodgers and his "capers." they were
given sleeping pOtions and put TO
bed, where they quickly dropped into
an exhaust sIumber.
AT the temporary radio station
near the harbor sat a neat and trim
Young officer awaiting a reply to
Inessa ges he had sent the COM
luandant at Pearl Harbor Oahu. the
big Hawaiian naval station. His mes
sage had said
can I proceed Pearl Harbor? /
can do nothing further here"
The sender was Lieut.. Donald Os-
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