ADRIFT IN TEIE ENGLISH CHANNEL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 211, 25 May 1918, Page 8

ADRIFT IN TEIE ENGLISH CHANNEL

AIRMEN FOUR DATS WITHOUT" FOOD. From its London office tho American Committee of Public Information has re. ceivcd the following story of hardship and endurance on the part of two avia. tors:--Ensign Stone, ol tho Naval Kesorve, who was supposed to have ueen drowned, has. arrived in London alter having been five weeks in hospital. With a companion he clung for 80 hours, without food or drink, to tho underside of their seaplane's pontoon in the■ English Channel, when the engine would not work. The sea was rough. They released two pigeons witli a message indieiitin,; their late. The seas smashed the triplanes, which settled, and turned the machine over.

In the course of an interview, Ensign Stone Baid: "We tore the fabric to reduce the impact of the waves, but the tail vas 6inashed and the box tilled with water, raising her upright. We capsized, but climbed over tho nose to the underside, of the pontoons. Wo capsized again, but again climbed up. I tried to crawl aft for the emergency ration in tho observer's seat, but was unable to do so, nnd barely escaped being carried down with the tail. I'or over three days we wore washed by the waves, with nothing to eat or drink. Our urine circled ef.ch other to prevent our being tossed overboard. Thirst swelled our tongues. Whan a light rain wet the pontoon we lapped i;p the moisture, but the salty paint was ■nauseating. Our Unite wero numb. Two tins of biscuits from a torpedoed ship floated past, but we were too weak to swim. We hauled up a third tin, -.vhich was filled with tobacco. We eaw -listi-nt convoys, and waved our handkerchiefs vainly. On the second night we spie'd a masthead light. Hearing our shouts tho vessel circled 100 yards away, then disappeared, the master evidently thinking he was within range of a feachi;rous> submarine. On the next afternoon,a seaplane passed over without seeing us. Wo sighted and signalled a trawler on thu evening of the fourth day, but weie too weak to btand. The trawler threw out life-preservers, which we were too weak to grasp. A boat was lowered. ,- Ensign Stone's companion lost six toes through gangrene.