Evening star., 1942-03-20
Drama Of the Sea
Moves at Slow Pace
Writer Tells How Cuution
Returds Release Of News
Of Rescue Of SuiIors
By Mdrv-Cdrter Roberts.

VI Rescue OF S0lIorS
By Mary-Cdrter Roberts.
Here is how the war, as 1t has reached
our own shores so far, looks to q casual
bystander.
In the town Of Lewes, Del. 1T $50
am, March II, word went round that
survivors from a torpedoed ship had
come ashore at the local Coast Guard
station. The town lies at the entrance Of
Delaware Bay and is the natural place
for crews rescued in the vicinity to be
brought In. A reporter. getting the word,
hurried down to the beach where the
Coast Guard station is located.
| Other reporters arrived before long,
as did group Of press photographers.
Coast Guard officials told them that
they would have to wait until the Navy
public relations of1icer arrived from
Philadelphia. They already knew this,
Of course. Parking their cars In the
station driveway. they punched up in
velopments. Three OF them were women.
There was no question about the fact
OF survivors having landed. It was said
however, that they had not come ashore
at Lewes. but rather at Fenwick Island
some 30 miles south. The story was that
they had appeared rowing in one Of their
own boats and subsequently had been
transferred to Lewes in Coast Guard
station wagons. There were IA Of them,
according to general rumor, and six men
of their ship, including the captain, were
said to have been lost. A number had
been hurt and were in the local hospital.
Some Of the newspaper people drove to
Fenwick Island to look at the boat. They
reported back that 1t had belonged to
. Norwegian freighter.
| Nothing could be more brightly i'm
personal than the setting in which
| these tragic rumors were tossed back
| and fourth. Tho Lewes Coast Guard
station is bleak new building, painted
| white and set on q bare stretch OF
shore. a perky little man-made wooden
| cube in the midst Of gray, rounded,
drifting dunes Other bright little cubes,
subsidiary buildings, surround It, Be-
yond the Government reservation be-
| gin the unpainted tumble down, dune
clinging shanties Of poor seaside people.
On the day in question the sun was
| brilliant but 1t gave no warmth to the
| cleaning white Government houses and
| 1t made the shabbiness Of the humble
shacks glaringly pitiable. Human struc-
lures. proudly official or furtively per-
sonal. looked equally unreal beside the
strength and permanence Of the elements.
The reporters were parked In the
curve of the drive. only Q few yards
from the station door. Through the
windows they saw q crowd. It looked as
y every room were full Of men. Cars
kept arriving and leaving, mostly marked
with Government insignia. Naval in
telligence men went in and out A
group of Army men Joined the scene.
Immigration and customs oficials also
were on Land. Representatives of the
Red Cross passed to and fro. The coast
guardsmen were everywhere about. But
the vast sweep OF sky and sea robbed all
this movement Of any quality of hustle.
People were hurrying, but they did not
seem to hurry. The pace Of that strip of
shore had been set long ago by sea
tides drifting sands and looming clouds
and 1t was one of huge Indifferent leis-
ure. No human emergency, however
poignant. would serve to hasten It,
Presently the naval public relations
ofhcer arrived. young ensign, who
said ne was former newspaperman,
cordially addressed the reporters, calling
some OF them by their first names. The
story, he said, could not be released for
some time. The men reporters then
wandered of and the women gathered
in car and discussed the silk stock
ing shortage. BY l O'Clock they were
hungry and an obliging coast guards
man came out to them with q box of
crackers and three cups of coffee. All
this time the drift of men In and out
OF the station continued.
1T certainly takes a lot Of legality
to get shipwrecked these days" said
one OF the women to a passing immi-
grafton official. He thought it over
seriously and nodded but made no
comment. Apparently he feared that
the remark was q cunning Journalistic
trick and decided to take no chances.
The men reporters came back and
the waiting continued. From time to
time. various unofficial citizens came
up to the press cars and volunteered
bits Of information"
At o'clock the reporters adjourned to
a neighboring juke joint which adver-
tised Americas Most Beautiful Ham.
burgers" There they attracted the
sympathetic notice OF an Army sergeant
who. on leave, had gotten slightly IL
Illuminated. Mistaking a press photog-
rapher's badge for a Veterans of For
eign Wars button, this worthy embraced
the badges wearer as one who also
knew what war was. Then, after SOL
emnly looking a long time at q woman
reporter who was tall and blond, he
went up to her and asked. SISTER, are
you Swede?"
The woman happened to be Colonial
Dame from Virginia, but she replied
obligingly that she was-yes-a distant
cousin Of Miss Garbo ME, too" said
the sergeant. Misery loves company.
Shake"
At this point the public relations
officer came in saying that, at last, he
had something definite. Nothing could
be released for 4S hours. That, ap-
| parently, was that.
From a toll box located between