AIRLINE CRASH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 88, 15 April 1941, Page 5

AIRLINE CRASH.

PLANE HITS TREES.

SIDE RIPPED OPEN.

SURVIVOR'S VIVID STORY.

(By WILLARD COPE.)

ATLANTA, Ga., February 28

Those significant, characteristic things ®en do and say in moments of high drama, lighting the scene with swift flashes, were recounted here to-day and to-night by survivors and rescuers to Reconstruct an Eastern Airlines' plane Cash just after midnight in a pine *oods near Candler airport, in which six died and six other men and one *ornan were grievously hurt. Responsibility weighed heavily on t-ddie Rickenbacker, World War ace and president of the line, for, caught though , was in the wreckage, and in great pam front a crushed left hip. smashed Jib* and deeply gashed head, he called °«i, ot ' lPl ' passengers several times: jj 0 Y sorry this happened to you

«<n , (,Ueilt 'y. a ' so, ' 1C shouted warnings, vV°'i t li{:ht any matches," for the * ln gs, broken fuselage and crumpled wees were wet with gasoline. And when ten or more pilots, stewards mechanics from Candleir Field finally reached the scene and extricated the ictims, Rickenbacker—th« last to go ®Ut through a passage hacked from one " le plane—told the workers: i k boys are doing a damned good /">• That's the wav." More metaphysical was H. A. Littleale, assistant managing editor of the . ew \ork Times," whose spinal column believed broken, but whose wife *caped with much slighter injuries. Said wttledale, lying inside the cabin dazed, him 11 tW ° tarl " bo - vs cra wled in to help!

k. rgow I believe in angels."

The clearest account came from J. S.j Rosenfeld, New Orleans business man.j who was thrown clear and not badly hurt when the giant twin-engined ship, flying on its proper radio beam in the fog, hut too low, took a left bank iuto a tall pine and then mowed down a row of them as it crashed over and plunged circularly downward. Said Rosenfeld:

"It was very hot in the plane and iti ca.used me to wake up. I was inj pyjamas and unloosened my safety beltl and got out of rny berth. I called forj the steward. I wanted him to open the ventilator to get a little air in the ship because it was so hot and stuffv.

"The steward came and opened the ventilator for me. Then he moved off.

"I recall vividly hearing the plane strike the top branches of trees. The lights went out. The next thing I knew, a side of the ship had been ripped off and the plane crashed over 011 one side. I was tossed clear of the plane, going right out the side that had been ripped open.

Told Stories to Keep Up Spirits,

"I don't know how far I was tossed. While I never lost consciousness, I certainly was dazed and badly shaken up. I saw the wrecked plane. I heard loud [moans and groans from the ship and around the ship. It •was pitch dark. It wasn't a nightmare; it was just a dream. I groped around a bit, for I found I could walk, although my legs and back ached horribly. I saw two or three moving shapes. I couldn't see very) well and called out. I- heard Roy Sewell's voice crying, 'Who's that?' I knew Sewell and answered back: 'It's me, Roy—Jessie Rosenfeld. I didn't know 3'ou were on this ship.' Sewell called back: 'This is Sewell, of Bremen.'

"I made my way in the dark toward Sewell's voice. He had apparently ibeen tossed clear, too. Near him were Brady, Feinberg and another man. I never did find out who the other man was.

"Feinberg seemed to be hurt worse than any of the others. He moaned and called out: 'I'm about all in. I'm about all in.' We tried to cheer him up. Sewell seemed badly hurt, too. No one was strong enough to move around much. I told Feinberg to lean his back against mine. I

! "All during this, I heard the groans and moans from the ship, and cries of 'For God's sake, help!'

It was bitter cold. Sewell wa? fully ' [clothed, but I was in my pyjamas. We | huddled together. Someone suggested that we talk, to keep our spirits up. I told a story. We talked about fichingand other things. I reckon two hours! passed. Meantime, groans and moans died down from the ship. It was the I injured losing consciousness. "Rickenbacker was swell. He kept! repeating, 'I'm sorry this had lo happen! |to you boys.' Then he warned us again' j about fires, fearing spilled gasoline | around the wreckage, and said. 'SOlllO- - body go for help.' j ''I groped to the plane to get a blanket i I for Sewell. I stooped forward and felt! a bit of cloth. It was Brady's trouper' leg. 1 pulled him out of the wreck. Wei made our way to the others. Brady joined us in the talk. He told a storv, 1 too. ' j Stumbles Into a Ditch. "I was feeling fairly strong. We could | see lights of automobilies in the distance, j and figured we were near a road. I hail no slio«s, so I asked Sewell for his. r' said I'd try to get some help. Sewell's shoes were too big for me. but they i covered my feet all right and I started' off. I stepped along pretty gingerly, I going in the direction of the road. j "I heard dogs barking, I came to a little houfe. I think it was the shack j of a negro. I called out, 'but got 110 answer. I kept on going. Then I; stumbled into a ditch. I tried to clamber out of it. but it was too slick. There I I was nothing for me to do but wait until; daylight. I remained in the ditch until the first streaks of dawn made it possible, for me to see. j "There were some branches jutting from the sides of the ditch—it was more] like a ravine—and I grabbed these and climbed out. I began to "walk again! across the fields. I came to a ■white! man's house. I told him there had been I a plane crash and I wanted to phone fori ihelp. He 'had a car and we got in it andl drove to Morrow. I phoned from a storej there. "Ambulances came, and we directed: them to the wreckage. One of the| ambulance? took me to the hospital. Ii was scratched and bruised, but otherwise all right. "I hope to £0 back to New Orleans by plane. promised me a reservation." i CrieU; as Conrad loved to show, brings it out.—"Auckland Star" and N.A.N.A. j