Evening star., 1947-10-16
Cutter That Rescued
50 From Plane Takes
Aboard Stricken Sailor
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Associated Pres,
NEW YORK, Oct 16.-The Coast
Guard cutter Bibb, speeding toward
Boston with SO persons rescued
from huge ditched flying boat in
mid Atlantic, performed another
mercy mission at dawn today by
removing an i'll seaman from
sister cutter.
The Bibb advised Coast Guard
headquarters it had taken aboard
seaman stricken with appendicitis,
Jessie E. Jarvis of Portsmouth, Va,
from the cutter Duane. He was
reported in good condition after
an open boat ride through heavy
seas from the Duane.
Seas were so rough, the Bibb said,
that it was impossible to take in
the open boat after Jarvis and the
boat crew were hauled aboard. The
empty small boat was being towed
by the Bibbs, whose arrival time
in Boston now is uncertain because
OF rough weather.
Duane Takes Weather Station.
The Bibb previously had fought
An heroic battle against heaving
seas to remove the passengers and
crew of the giant plane, the
Bermuda Sky Queen.
The Duane has relieved the Bibb
of its weather station duties.
Capt Paul B. Cronk, skipper of
the Bibb, headed his ship toward
Boston to land the rescued persons
who, he reported, were none the
worse for their narrowing expert
ence.
The airliner. its fuel supply de-
pleted, was forced down in the gale
whipped North Atlantic Tuesday
Using RATS and lifeboats, the Bibb's
Seamen removed the planes occu-
pants in what naval circles hailed
as one of the seas great rescue
operations.
In a radio broadcast from the
Bibb, Capt. Cronk said last night
that he and members of his crew
sort of have the feeling that we
are coming out Of nightmare"
Il didn't want to tell you in yes
terday's (Tuesday) broadcasts, but
I can tell you now that yesterday we
weren't really optimistic. / didn't
describe the sinking feeling in the
pit of my stomach seeing that plane
plunging down into the sea and
wondering how. if at all. we were
going to get those people out of there
and when she was going to break
up or blow up and go to the bottom y
Flying Boat Sunk.
After the rescue, the abandoned
flying boat was sunk by the Bibb's
guns as a menace to navigation.
Meanwhile. the Civil Aeronautics
Board said in Washington that it
was investigating the flight of the
plane, operated by American Inter
national Airways, to determine
whether it violated a new regulation
prohibiting international air pas
senger operations by noncertified
carriers.
The regulation prohibits passenger
operation between the United States
and foreign countries by other than
scheduled air lines, except for char
ter flights. Whether the plane was
on charter trip en- route to this
country had not been determined
definitely, the CAB said, although
an official of the line had said pre-
viously in New York that the plane
was under charter
In London where newspapers
voiced demands for an inquiry into
the near disaster, the Ministry of
Civil Aviation disclaimed any re-
sponsibility, declaring through a
spokesman that under provisions of
the International Civil Aviation Or
ganization the decision to conduct
an investigation lay with the coun-
try in which the aircraft is registered
In this case" the spokesman said,
that is the United States" Brit
ish newspapers asked whether the
plane had sacrificed fuel load for
pay load"