Evening star., 1949-08-15

Survivors Taken to shannon.
Other survivors were being
taken to Shannon. From there
those able to travel were to con-
tinue their trip in another plane
The original schedule called for
the Skymaster to put down at
Shannon, Gander, Newfoundland
and Windsor Locks. Conn. Trans
oceans home airport, on the way
to Caracas, Venezuela.
Pilots Of TWA planes which
helped in the rescue were Capt
Charles Adams of Franklin
Square, Long Island, and George
Arburthnot Of Levittown, Long
Island.
Miss Nichols was the second
woman to be licensed by the
United States Government to fly
transport plane. She has been
pilot since 1922. She set a
women's transcontinental record
from New York to Los Angeles, a
women'S altitude record of 28,743
feet and a speed record for which
she raced a high wing monoplane
at 210.6 miles an hour. She left
the United States July 8 on a
round-the-w world flight in connec-
tion with the United States Com
mittee international Children's S
Emergency Fund.
my greatest regret" she said,
lis that I lost my notes in the
crash"
They were notes gathered on
her tour in behalf of the fund.
Miss Nichols arrived in Rome
Saturday afternoon with a party
Of American students making a
round-t -the-world tour.
A company spokesman in Rome
said she had originally planned
to stay in Rome for a few days
but changed her mind and decided
to catch the Transocean plane
and go back to America.
The big Skymaster was on the
Rome to- Shannon leg of its hop
and overshot Shannon Airport.
The pilot radioed he was lost and
running out of gasoline. The
British fishing trawler Stalberg
raced to the scene.
Capt. Bessey, lost and nearly two
and a half hours overdue. had
been trying to nurse his meager
gasoline supply until he reached
land under the escort of another
American air liner. His engines
started cutting out and he in
formed his escort he would have
to ditch the plane on the sea.
The plane put down near the
Aran Islands, Is miles of the
west central coast Of Ireland at
the mouth of Galway Bay. Galway
is about Is miles away.
The airliner was due at Shan
non at 1880 am. British Summer
Time $3.50 pm, EST, Sunday
night. An hour and a half before
the plane was scheduled to land
the control tower here lost radio
contact with it.
Other Aircraft Alerted.
All aircraft in the area were
alerted to be on the lookout for
the missing plane.s@.sa
Shortly before 4 am. the pilot
of a British Overseas airliner re-
ported he had sighted the lost
plane flying 80 miles out at sea,
west Of the Irish coast.
At about the same time, a
Trans World airliner, bound from
Shannon to New York, arrived
on the scene.
Capt. Bessey radioed he was
lost and running out Uf gas.
Capt. Adams of the TWA plane
radioed back: Follow me-" He
swung around and started back
for Shannon, with the Trans
Ocean plane following.
Fifteen miles from land, Capt.
Bessey reported his engines were
beginning to cut out.
"I'll have to ditch it," he told
Capt. Adams.
Capt. Adams followed him down
to within 800 feet of the water,
where he ran into a cloud bank.
Capt. Bessey continued on down
and bellied the big Skymatser to
a landing on the water.
Capt. Adams dropped flares to
light the area and returned to
Shannon. where he unloaded his
passengers and prepared to lead
the rescue search.
Meanwhile, the Stalberg reached
the scene of the emergency land
ing.
Ruth Nichols No Novice
In Plane Crash Escapes
Ruth Nichols. Rye. N, Y, one.