Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-09
Sunken Naval Ship
Yields More Bodies:
80 Survivors Listed
BY the Associated Press,

BY the Associated Press.
CAPE MAY, N. j., Jan. s.-Coast
Guard crews brought ashore addi-
tional bodies today from the sunken
Navy patrol ship ST. Augustine, while
from infirmary cots survivors told
OF heroism and rescue at midnight
from tumbling icy seas.
Thirty of the dead were identified.
naval officer said. and 30 survivors
OF the Thursday night sinking had
been listed at the Cape May Coast
Guard station infirmary.
At the Admiral Hotel, a Joint
Coast Guard and Navy board of in
quiry opened an investigation of the
collision of the patrol craft and a
merchant vessel which the Navy has
not identified. The 4th Naval
District at Philadelphia said earlier
clear weather prevailed at the time
Of the accident, but both ships were
blacked out"
The st. Augustine, once a $780,
600 pleasure yacht, sank in the At
lantic Ocean so miles southeast of
here and in the general vicinity of
the sinking on February % last year
OF the Navy destroyer Jacob Jones
with heavy loss of life.
Names of Dead withheld.
Names of the st. Augustine dead
will be withheld until their next of
kin have been notified, the officer
said.
Work Of rescue crews was him
dered by high seas, 38-degree water
and darkness, men at the infirmary
said. But a new device recently
added to naval equipment helped
tremendously, they added. Red
lights attached to life belts, they
explained, guided Navy and Coast
Guard rescuers to many men who
might otherwise have been lost in
the darkness.
AS the former pleasure yacht
Noparo sank, said 1s-year-old James
Belford Of Clymer, Pa, the mast
toppled. Belford, a radioman third
class, said he chung to the spar as
it passed him and later climbed from
the icy water into q raft with four
other men.
But, before he left the ship, said
Belford, he heard an uninjured
sailor say, Here, you need it more
than I do as he passed his life belt
to A. j. Frizzel. ID, a seaman second
class from Chicago who had been
badly burned by escaping steam.
Sailor Disappears.
Belford said he did not see the
sailor again, but Frizzel was taken
from the raft with him.
AS the raft tossed on the rough
seas a sixth man clambered aboard.
He was Robert E. Lee, Is, seaman
first class, from Versailles, Mo-, who
said papers were in the Nays New
York office authorizing his commits
sioning as Navy chaplain. Lee led
the men in prayer as they huddled,
wet and cold. Rescue came within
10 minutes of the sinking, said Bel
ford.
Seaman Second Glass; James
Piros, %. of Scott City, Kans., said
he came within inches of being
rescued soon after the sinking, but
as Coast Guards reached out, a
wave swept him away in the inky
black night. For an hour and
half he floated in the water, sup
ported by life belt, before he was
pulled into a boat.
Rescue came to 25-year-old JOS
eph Silvia of Portsmouth, R. l., as
he lapsed into Inconsistencies, he
related. Silvia, an electricians mate
second class, said he felt himself 60
ing down for the third time, then
the next thing I knew was on a
raft"
Heavy seas roared over the decks
OF rescue craft, sweeping men over
board. Among them were James
Anabila of Jersey City, N. j., and
James Blust of Tawas City, Mich,
who were picked up and brought in
with members of the st. Augustine
orouy