Evening star., 1946-09-23

member one time she kept going
like a banjo-plink, pink. pink
A 24-hour ban on interviews with
any of the survivors has been i'm
posed by DR.. James Payton, super
intendent of the Sir Frederick
Banting Memorial Hospital here.
Capt. Samuel P. Martin, who
headed the rescue squad which
treated the survivors for four days,
was modest about his part in TIE
heroic operation.
II didn't do anything, but just
what We we're told to do" said Capt.
Martin, an Army medical officer,
weary from more than 100 hours
work aiding the injured and paving
the way for their evacuation by air
to the hospital here.
Capt Martin said he had ordered
the evacuation of the victims in the
order dictated by medical necessity
Many Sleepless Hours.
He and members of his rescue
squad went sleepless for many hours
after going into the wilderness
Thursday by rubber boats, and un-
doubtedly saved the lives of some
of the Is. s.s...
Rudy Revil. New York musician
and composer who survived the
crash with burns on his face and
both hands. told an air transport
command officer about the crash.
when the plane arrived over
Gander the pilot was informed that
we could not land due to fog and
rain" he said. I'VE began to leave
the area and / did not know where
We were going.
The steWardess informed us of
the fact, but it wasn't long after
ward that the plane hit the ground
Plane Began to Burn.
1.-The plane began to burn i'm
mediately. Not many were able to
get away. I cannot seem to re-
member what happened for long
time. When my senses began to re-
turn I noticed my hands were badly
burned. After the plane crashed,
living was like a nightmare"
The final day of the rescue op-
erations was climaXed by two mis-
haps as the last of the survivors
were being brought back to Gander
The first occurred when United
States Coast Guard Catalina flying
boat blew a tire as it landed. The
pilot kept the plane under control
however, and no one was injured.
Later in the day a twin-engine
Royal Canadian Airforce Dakota
crashed and caught fire during a
take-o None of the 10 occupants
was hurt.
Survivors Are Praised.
1t Gus Kleisch of the Coast
Guard, veteran in rescue efforts
in the North, who made eight trips
in the helicopter to bring survivors
out, had praise for the victims.
There wasn't a whimper from
: any of them,' he said.
The Coast Guard faced the task
of evacuating 81 Newfoundlanders
who made their way through
streams and brush after the wreck
age of the plane was located. They
reached the crash scene Saturday
1t. Kleisch, whose wife and g.
year-old daughter Judy live in Gin
cinnati, said that on his first land
ing at the plateau the wheels OF
the helicopter sank into the oozine
muskeg to a depth of inches and
and the operation had to be delayed
until a ply showered down a load
of timbers which were used to make
a landing platform.
At the lake the rescuers had tC
place the litters aboard a rubber
life raft and wade out 100 feet into
water chest deep in order to reach
the Catalinas, which could not lei
down their wheels on the beach be.
cause of the soggy terrain.
| Girl Comforts Parents.
i One of the first survivors evac-
uaked was attractive Suzanne Mar.
tin, 19-year -old daughter of JOSEPH
Martin, Belgian consul general al
Bogota. Colombia.
Mr.. and Mrs. Martin were wait.
ing on the air strip short distance
; from the hospital when theil
daughter was lifted from the plane
She had salvaged some cosmetic:
from the crash and her face wa:
in contrast to most of the othel
feminine victims.
| She greeted her parents with &
radiant smile, but her mother burs
: into tears when she noticed ar
injury to her daughters eye.
Now don't worry, everything vii
be all right she comforted hel