The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-21
HelicoPters Flown North To Survivors Two Americans,
 IS BeIeions, One
 Chinese Live

Gander, Mild, Sept. 21-UP)- Eighteen persons, IA of them in- jured seriously, huddled in an emer- gency camp at Dead Wolf Creek, p miles southeast of here in the rugged Newfoundland bush country today awaiting the arrival of two helicopters to carry them back to civilization
 They were the survivors of the Belgian trans Atlantic airliner which crashed on a heavily wooded mountain slope early Wednesday morning while coming in for an in- strument landing at fog -shrouded Gander Airport.
 ,Twenty-siX persons, including four Americans, perished in the crash, the worst disaster in the history of transatlantic aviation.
 Two Americans Survive
 The dismantled helicopters were flown here from Floyd Bennett Field, N. Y, and Elizabeth City, N C., in two Army C-54 transport planes, prototypes of the giant air liner that crashed. Among the crews of the helicopters were two veterans of the dramatic rescue of Canadian flyers who crashed in the wilds of Labrador in May, 1945
 The first C-54 landed at Ste phansville at 5:58 A. M. (EDT) and the crew immediately began the work of assembling the helicopter. Stephansville is on the west side of the island about 150 miles from Gander. The plane had to land there because fog and rain reduced the ceiling at Gander to zero. How ever, a weather forecast said the fog would lift early and the ceiling throughout the day was expected to be at least 2,000 feet.
 All of the survivors, including lO men and eight women, were Bel gians except three, a Chinese boy and two Americans, Miss Helen Ruth Henderson, AT, an executive of the Girl Scouts of America, New York City, and Rudy Revil, 30, composer, New York City. How ever, six other survivors listed New York City addresses.
 The two StewardeSSeS were the only members of the crew of six to survive.
 It was not known which of the survivors were injured seriously. The rescue party reported by Walkie-tal radio that IA of them were stretcher cases. Some of them were badly burned Others were suffering from broken bones and severe internal injuries, the report said.
 Eight Able to Travel
 Only eight of the survivors were reported able to make the overland journey back to Gander and the Coast Guard ordered the helicopters flown in to evacuate the others.
 Help reached the pitiful handful of survivors in force yesterday after noon, nearly 50 hours after their plane plunged into the forest near 1,700-foot Mt. Peyton. Many of the more seriously injured had lain where they were thrown by the crash, with only the meager aid those with less injuries could give them.
 Thirty-five men, including veteran Woodsmen, U. s. soldiers and med ical officers and two Indian guides, were among the rescue party. An advance party of three men had contacted the survivors Thursday night.
 Medical supplies, including sleep ing bags, food and clothing were dropped by parachute yesterday from Coast Guard PBY Flying boats.
 Scene Jungle Like
 The scene of the crash is in the most desolate and most densely for ested area of Newfoundland. The heavy forest is so thick that rescuers had to hack their way foot by foot through the underbrush with mach etes to reach the wrecked plane
 Another rescue party of 30 men was stranded on the South Gander River after it was forced to give up trying to cut it's way overland to the scene A cold, drizzly rain that sen tem- peratures plunging to the low forties added to the discomfort of the sur vivors last night Rain also was fall- ing at Gander Field and a heavy fog reduced visibility to zero. However, the weather was expected to clear up today by the time the helicopters arrive.