Evening star., 1952-04-12
Crash Pilot Held
For QUESTIONING
In Puerto Rico
Early Release Seen;
II Safe, 81 Dead
Or Among Missing
BY the Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April
Juan police barred Singer
Jane Froman from the bedside of
her pilot husband, Capt. John C.
Burn, for several hours today but
finally relented and permitted her
to see him. He is one of II sur
vivors of a Pan American Airways
plane crash at sea yesterday in
which So persons perished.
Police had kept her away on
orders of District Attorney Zoilo
Dueno Colon, who questioned
Capt. Burn about yesterdays
tragedy just outside San Juan
harbor. The district attorney
limited Capt. Burn would be re-
leased shortly. but gave no reason
for ordering him held incom-
Capt. Burn, propped up in bed
at Presbyterian Hospital, said he
was feeling good but still very
much upset about the crash.
The singer told reporters after
seeing Capt. Burn today: II am
very happy. I don't know what
our plans will be in the future" "
Meanwhile, the search contin-
ued for 80 of the planes Easter
holiday passengers still missing in
the shark infested Caribbean, al
though the Coast Guard said there
was practically no hope" they
still were alive.
13 Bodies Picked Up.
Thirteen bodies were picked up
near the scene of the crash, three
miles outside San Juan Harbor,
putting the toll of presumed dead
at So.
A near miracle saved the II
who escaped alive after the plane
plunged into 10-foot waves yester-
day noon and broke in two. Capt.
Burn and his four fellow crew.
men were among those saved.
According to eyewitnesses, Capt.
Burn was something of hero in
yesterdays crash. He helped
launch four life RATS before the
forward section of the big four
engine plane sank, and urged
every one to put on life preservers.
A few minutes later, he was seen
in the water, holding a baby in
one arm and an elderly woman
IN the other, and struggling grimly
toward one of the RATS. A res
cuing Coast Guard seaplane pulled
all three aboard, but the woman
and the child died within a few
minutes.
A similar crash, when Capt.
Burn saved Miss Froman after
plunging into the TaguS River
near Lisbon, Portugal, nine years
ago, fostered their romance and
marriage.
Victims Mostly Puerto Ricans.
Miss Froman's singing career
and flying romance are the sub
ject of a current movie, with a
Song in My Heart" which she saw
with her husband in New York
last Tuesday.
Most of the dead and missing
were Puerto Ricans. Seven of the
81 passengers and all five of the
crew came from the United
States-New York, Pennsylvania,
Minnesota and Ohio.
One whole family of Puerto
Ricans was wiped out. The
father, Pedro Brignoni, As, of
Brooklyn, N. Y, had flown to
San Juan to bring back his wife
and six children after a two-year
separation.
One baby was saved-but be-
came an orphan. He is Marx
Van Daalen. His parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. Leo Van Daalen of st.
Paul, Mimi, both are missing
Missing also are Mrs. Max Jenef-
sky of Dayton, Ohio, and her son
Jackie, 2. The body of her daugh-
ter, June, 4, was recovered.
All of Crew Survive.
All the crew survived. Besides
Capt. Burn they are First Officer
William Thomas Hutchins, 80, of
Peckville, Pa; Third Officer Jack
R. Laubach, "a. of Bloomsbury,
Pa; Purser Alfred Perez, 80, and
Steward Rene Torres, both of
New York City.
The survivors included Mrs.
Novetah Davenport of Hastings
on Hudson, N. Y, a leader of the
national Girl Scout movement in
New York. Her family had no
immediate information on her
condition. They said she had been
visiting relatives in Puerto Rico
Ten other survivors were iden-
titled as Augustine Rosade, Sal
vador Ayala, Emilane Cruz, En-
rique Garcia, Juan Nieves, Alanlde
Pereira, Gloria Rosario, Victoriana
Riera, Media Rivera and Roblede
Zoila.
Mr.. Pereira, who listed a New
York address, said he noticed a
motor was giving trouble. then
felt the plane hit the water.
II heard cries, lots of cries." he
said.
II searched for a young lad
Juan Cruz Nieves, who was ac-
|companying me. and saw him be-
ing carried out by an American.
|. II heard Capt. Burn ordering
the passengers to put on lifebelts
(See PLANE, Page A-3)