The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-07-04
RESCUE OF CHS
FROM new GUINEA
By DON CASWELL
United Press War Correspondent

United Press War Correspondent
HOLLANDIA, Dutch New GUM
ca, July 1.-(Correct)- W.D-The
seven week expedition to rescue
three Americans from mile-high
lost valley in the interior OF New
Guinea ended without a casualty
today when the rescue party lead
er and three paratroopers W e
snatched from ''Shangrl-La"
aboard a glider.
Lanky, grinning Capt. Cecil E.
Walters, Portland, Ore, landed his
glider safely on the Sentani IT
strip here and was greeted by two
of the trio whose rescue he direct
ed-Wac. Cpl. Margaret Hastings,
Owego, N. Y, and 1t. John B.
McCollomb, Trenton, Mo.
The third and last survivor, Sgt.
Kenneth w. Decker, Kelso. WASH,
was recovering in hospital from
head injuries and burns suffered
on May 10 when an army transport
with "a persons aboard crashed IN
the towering Oranje mountains 130
miles south of Hollandia.
Walters, his six-foot-four frame
topped by a huge feathered and
tusked headdress given him by ma
tives of the lost valley, stepped out
of the glider with the last three
of the paratroopers who staged the
perilous rescue mission with him
Master Sgt. Santiago D. Abranica,
Los Angeles, Calf, Tech. Sgt.
Rogue M. Velasco, San Francisco,
Calf, and Tech. Sgt. Hermenegl-
do R. Gaelic, Sacramento, Calf.
Seven other paratroopers W h o
participated in the operation also
were on hand to meet them, along
with Col. Ray T. Elmore, COM
mandant of the 322nd troop car
rier wing and overall director OF
the expedition.
Pretty, 98-pound Cpl. Hastings
ran to the glider door almost be-
fore it stopped rolling and Abreni-
ca laughingly tossed baby wild
pig into her arms.
She was still wearing bandages
over her burned ankles, but with
fresh hair-do, new clothes and
bright red nail polish she was hard
ly recognizable to the men who
had helped save her
Col. Elsmore, whose home is in
Menlo Park, Calf, and who is
credited with discovering the hid
den valley on a mapping flight last
year, flew in a weather plane to-
day to observe the closing chapter
of probably the biggest search
mission undertaken in the Pacific
war to save three lives.
The wrecked transport took off
from Hollandia last May 10 with
"a officers and enlisted Wacs
aboard on a routine orientation
flight to, acquaint them-au men,
bers of the Far East Air service
command-with the territory they
were to have worked in.
Entering the hidden valley, the
plane ducked suddenly into a g.
600 foot mountain peak, killing
18 men and women instantly. Three
others died within "a hours and on
ly three survived.
The plane was located on May
Is, and two Filipino Medical Corps
man parachuted into the valley on
the 18th. They. set up a base camp
and hiked up into the mountains,
reaching the wreck on May Is. On
June 10, the survivors were brought
back to the camp on the valley
floor.
Walters told the United Press he
was convinced no other white man
had ever been in the valley. He
believed the valley discovered by
the Archbold expedition before the
war actually was another located
some miles farther north.
Several things indicate they (the
valley natives) had had no con-
tact with whites" he said. 1.-The
Dutch and Australians told me
the universal peace gesture in ap-
preaching natives anywhere IN
New Guinea was waving leaves
and grass. They didn't recognize
it
Here is nothing to indicate tney
ever saw a white man.
"It's not exactly Shangri-La' NC
added, "the natives seem very nap,
by, laugh a lot of the time a' ~
live comfortably but primitlvely -,
absolute filth. They never WASH
themselves and never SWIM.