The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-03-01
PLANE MISHAP
CAUSE UNKNOWN
Yankee Clipper Skipper
Unable to Explain Trag-
edy Costing "a Lives
BY JOE ALEX MORRIS
United Press Foreign Editor

UNITED Press Foreign Editor
New York, March 1--tUP)-The
\ clipper on which I was coming home
from an assignment to London
landed on the Tagus river at Lis
after her sister ship from New
bon last Monday night few hours
York, the Yankee Clipper, had
rashed there with loses Of "a lives,
II had been raining and the Pam
American dock was crowded with
workers III oil skins. We were
landed quickly, hurried through
customs. and taken to hotels, with
out being told Of the accident
Later I went to the United Press
bureau downtown where Adolfo
Dan osI, the manager, was at work
on the story.
BY hecking with ST. Joseph's hos
pitol. we obtained The names Of
about u Of the passengers and
crew, including the skipper r. o. D.
SulllVen, who once had taken me
Safcly through eight hours Of severe
storms over the Atlantic, and Jane
TTonaan, whom I had known since
chi.dhood. Also aboard was my
lNGissOuri university classmate, Ben
Robertson, q talented and sensitive
breporter on his way back to the war
front for the New York Herald
Tribune. He was lost In the Tagus
Next morning Darosa and I
walked up the steep, crooked street
TO st. Joseph's hospital. The direc-
tor admitted me to room IN which
|were Miss Froman and two other
Hwomen passengers. Her black hair
was touseled and her face bruised
but her smile was almost gay as she
held out her left hand. Her right
arm was In q cast and her broken
right leg was propped up beneath
the sheet. asked her what had
happened. :. .,
Il actually don't know" she said.
Ian I remember was O terrible
bump. Then was under water. ]
don't know how I got out but about
that time the old instinct to live
came out strongly. Finally popped
aup to the surface. =.
She said the first mate helped
Eher to safety.
Attendants came into the room to
move Miss Froman TO private hos
pital.
"My clothes are still piastered to
me-" she said. They just cut on
enough Of my dress to get me
patched up"
Down the corridor I turned into
Eaa,llivan,s room. The big skipper
kay with one Drawn arm across his
yves. ais face was drawn and his
voice was little more than q
"osn you say what happened
I,kipper?"
s,ut," ne said grimly.
I asked him II there was o storm
f,r any lightning. had TO lean
s,lou. to hear his answer. There
vas a little thunder" he said. mot
much"
ne grimaced as II each word was
hgony. I asked II he had suffered
Any broken bones.
@No." he said, in Q choked whis-
Der. There's nothing broken but
my heart"
From any other man that might
nave been theatrical. but you knew
hat sullivan was revealing only his
true feelings.
the cause Of the crash remains
I,ncertain. witnesses ashore gave
conflicting accounts. 1t was agreed
hat the clipper was about to land
lluring q light thunder storm. Sui
ivan had brought 1t In low over
Ihe river - some witnesses said
bout 100 feet-and seemed 70 De
turning in close to the Pan-Amer.
can docks. Apparently as ne
Turned, the ship plunged to the wa
Ter and sank rapidly.
Some witnesses said q flash ra-
her like lightning enveloped the
blame. Others reported an explo-
hon and IRE but the diplomatic
nail recovered from the sunken
Ihip was not burned and II was re-
borted that the wreckage indicated
here had been only two small flres
which may have broken out after
he ship hit the water.
Entirely unofliclally, other ava.
|ors pointed out that rain ut dusk
Inlghk have impaired visibility maxi
IN e dlfllcult Cor the pilot TO Judge
~ distance 10 the water. There
no might have been some me.
hanlcal mlshap such as Q tammed
|Iap that caused the plane 70 side
10 when turning, low over the wa
az. But al suggestions are purely
peculatlve,
Yrom LIsbon 10 the United States
nere was not an aviator who knew
ulllVan who would believe he could
lave been at fault.
tive hours after ] said goodbye
him at the hospital, was back
the airport. As our plane iilted
anwlg from the water, locked
hck lnsb aIma ut could 600 only
- sellers " feiNR1W eufFln9 into