The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-11-07


 ton coast this morning by three vessels at the scene.
 But four other crewmen were feared lost when their Iifeboat overturned during rescue at- tempts. Three others had died in the boiler explosion which touched off the fire that swept the ship.
 With three dead on the Walton, this left six unaccounted for and perhaps still in lifeboats or on rafts. Planes and ships continue the search.
 SEATTLE, Nov. 7-lR-A Jap anese merchant ship pulled 12 sur vivors of the ill-fated American freighter George Walton from the storm swept north Pacific early to- day and moved on to rescue 25 others riding bobbing lifeboats up- wind from their burning and sink ing ship.
 An explosion and fire aboard the freighter late yesterday killed three members of it's crew and drove the others to lifeboats to await rescue from commercial and Coast Guard vessels converging on the distaster scene.
 The Japanese freighter Kenkon Maru the first to reach the strick- en ship, battled rough water and strong wind through most of the night to rescue 12 seamen in lifeboat nearest the Walton. Seven were taken aboard shortly before midnight and the others rescued about four hours later.
 All were weakened by cold and exposure.
 The third assistant engineer on the ship was listed as William G. An- drews, with daughter, Hpeal, at --s -- :. : :, ,.-....zsa,s, Alaska.
 Meanwhile, four other vessels were speeding toward the scene, 300 miles west of the Washington coast.
 But, 18th District Coast Guard officials at Seattle said, rescue of the remainder would not be easy. The tersley worded message from the Kenkon Maru which reached the scene at 10:30 pm, Pacific Standard Time last night, said:
 T steer very hard in rough sea so still not pick up men. Still try ing" But a short while later, it reported seven of the 37 men were rescued, chilled and weakened by exposure to the cold Pacific air ard wind.
 A Coast Guard flier returned from a flight over the accident scene with the word that the en- tire mid-secticn of the Walton was afire.
 Flamas enveloped the super structure and the vessel was list ing to port and settling" the pilot reported shortly after am.
 The pilot said three lifeboats were in the water and all the boats showed signs of life. One lifeboat was known to have flares.
 A new storm moving in from the western Pacific threatened rescue operations with added hazards. The Weather Bureau raised storm warn- ings at a.m., from Tatoosh, Wash, the nearest land point east of the scene, to Astoria, Ore. South to southeast winds ranging up to 40 miles per hour were forecast.
 The George Walton radioed for aid at o'clock yesterday afternoon, reporting it's engine room and crew quarters swept by flames which fol- lowed an explosion.
 Three men are dead and one seriously burned" came the fran tic message from a radio operator who was driven fro minis quarters every few minutes by the smoke and fumes. He finally had to fol- low the other crewmen Overside, carrying portable radio which sputtered out it's last appeal for help shortly after 5 o'clock.
 Meanwhile, the Kenkon Maru, a slow-moving ship turned from it's course sixty miles away after pick ing up the sos. Wallowing at six knots in a rolling plunging sea. it steamed directly to the George Walton.
 There Coast Guard rescue plane dropped flares to guide it to the flaming ship, even though the plane was running perilously low on gas after 5 hours of shepherding the bobbing life crafts with it's radar screen.
 Then it started home, coming in on it's fumes" as the pilot reported.
 From other directions came the Greek steamer Katherine and the American John Murray Forbes.
 Two Coast Guard cutters, the Wachusetts and North Wind were dispatched from Seattle with med ical crews. They should arrive this afternoon.
 The RIGA radio-marine station at Bolinas, Calf, said it intercepted