Evening star., 1943-01-17
kickenbocker Party Prayed Like Children
In Begging God for Rescue From Ocean

(Thts Is the Sirth instaument
OF the dng-by-dug Storg-told
here tn }ult for the first tin1e-of
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker and
the seDen companions 1Uith 1Uhon,
Jor more than three aoeeks he
fought thirst, hunger, sharks and
the elements in the equatorial
Southwest PGcifc.)
BY 1T. JAMES c. WHITAKER.
o. s. Army Air Force Transport Command
As Told to Charles Leavelle.
Few people realize how much the
human body can take and still come
through. Fortunately, not many
have to find out the hard way.
AS the sun rose on us on our ninth
day adrift the opinion was pretty
general among our eight men that
we all would die in our rubber RATS.
The only exceptions were Capt.
Eddie Rickenbacker and I. We were
the Oldest of the crowd, and had
been in some pretty tight places
during our knocking around.
I think you can tell whether it's
your turn or not. ! didn't think
it was mine, and 1 was glad Rick
was with us because he always
comes back. I figured that if Rick
was coming out alive, I was too.
We started the day with sips of
water rationed by Capt. William T.
Cherry, who had been pilot of our
Flying Fortress ano commander of
the party. We got liz inches of
water in the bottom of flare shell
about 11a jiggers. And during the
morning the Lord provided few
bites of food.
Shark Provides Food.
Among our shark escort that day
was a little fellow about two feet
long. Cherry got to teasing it with
an undated fishhook.
To our surprise, the shark took it.
Capt. Cherry hauled him over to
the raft, drove in his sheath knife,
and yanked him into the boat,
The fight was on, and it was
rouser. That little devil jumped,
slasted, and whipped about with
his tail at uncomfortably close quar-
ters. When there are three men
in one of those RATS, there is little
room for an enraged, 2-foot shark.
Our raft careened, took water and
once almost capsized. At last Capt.
Cherry plunged his blade through
the sharks head, and the battle was
over. The blade also went through
the bottom of the raft, and geyser
Of water shot up. We finally plugged
the hole with As cartridge and
passed the carcass over to Col. Hans
Adamson. Kicks military aide, to
butcher and ration.
The raw shark steaks were pretty
rank, and We were glad to get our
next ration OF water to wash away
the taste. The next day brought real
trouble.
Men Get Water Ulcers.
We had the last of our water early
on the tenth day. Shortly after
ward, all the fellows, except me dis
covered they were victims of the
scourge deep water men dread-salt
water ulcers.
They had broken out with rash
day of two before as result of the
burning, dehydrating effects of the
encrusted salt from spray. On the
parts of the body that rubbed against
the sides and bottoms of the RATS,
the rash grew angry and red.
1t had been aggravated, too, by the
scalding heat of the sun. Eruptions
and ulcers developed in rapid order.
Tt brought agony for man to touch
the eruptions.
There were several near fights as
the fellows rubbed against one an
other inadvertently. A sergeant
cursed a lieutenant. The lieutenant
threatened to cut his throat. Men
were beef1ng at one another in all
three RATS.
Because had escaped the scourge,
I acted as peacemaker. And I had
to be a pretty heavy handed peace
maker at times.
The waterless afternoon in equa-
torial heat seemed to take some
thing both physical and mental out
of our company. The water we had
had undoubtedly helped to keep life
in our bodies, but it did little to
ease our soaring thirst.
AT the prayer service that night
amid the rolling swells, Bill Cherry