LOST IN ATLANTIC

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 193, 30 July 1932, Page 7 (Supplement)

LOST IN ATLANTIC

AIRMAN’S THRILLING RESCUE DRIFT OF 1500 MILES SEEN IN THE NICK OF TIME For eight days Stanley Hausner, the Polish flier, sat in the cockpit of a water-logged aeroplane, afloat in the broad Atlantic, says the New York correspondent of the “Daily Express.” He had practically no food. He saw no ships. His only weather protection was a lounge suit, His machine was slowly taking in water, slowly sinking.

In those eight days and nights, during which the wrecked aeroplane drifted 1500 miles right across the ocean, Hausner kept himself alive on six sandwiches, a gallon of coffee and a gallon of water. This is the amazing story which came to light on June 12 when the captain of a British steamer wirelessed that he had rescued the American airman. Within an hour the airman’s “widow,” listening casually to a radio programme, heard the news of the rescue broadcast. Hausner left America on June 3 to fly the Atlantic. A few hours later he crashed into the sea, but his aeroplane remained afloat. He was not picked up until June 11.

There was an extraordinary scene in the little house in Jersey City, in which Mrs. Martha Hausner, tired by the condolences of her friends on the supposed loss of her husband, was listening to a band on the wireless. She was in the home of a neighbour, Mrs. Vitalus, and the two women were chatting when suddenly the band programme was interrupted. The announcer’s voice was heard to say that he intended to read a message just received from the liner Leviathan.

“There, I Told You sol” , Mrs. Hausner leaped to her feet and stood bolt upright, tensely hanging on the next few words. They came slowly out of the loud speaker:—“A message relayed from the steamer Circe Shell states: ‘Airman rescued from derelict Bellanca monoplane. Monoplane left drifting, tail up. Airman requests any passing vessels to salvage aeroplane.’ ” Though the airman’s name was not then mentioned, Mrs. Hausner was satisfied. “There!” she cried, proudly. “I told you Stanley was too good a pilot to be killed!” Hatless, she rushed out into the street and ran through the town, telling everyone she met about the good news. It was some hours before she was found, exhausted by her joyful wanderings. “I knew Stanley,” Mrs. Hausner said, when she had calmed down. “I knew that wherever he was, on land or sea, ho was all right. All those good people kept trying to sympathise with me. It made me a little tired, because, somehow, I knew he was safe. He promised me he would be all right, and I knew he meant it.” Refusal to Abandon Hope. Mrs. Hausner must have been almost the only person in America who had not abandoned hope. She had been praying daily in a local Roman Catholic church for the rescue of her husband. Friends, neighbours and parishioners had been calling on her daily, offering in hushed voices their sympathy in her “widowhood.” She refused to share their fears, but her courageous faith was nearing breaking point when the good news came at last. She had been trying to hire an aeroplane to take her to Newfoundland to organise a search for her husband. The Circe Shell, a tanker, was on her way to America. Her master, Captain Wilson, stated in a radio message that he sighted the derelict aeroplane 50.0 miles off the coast of Portugal. Hausner was exhausted through exposure and lack of sleep and food. He could do little more than wave feebly when a lifeboat lowered from the Circe Shell approached to pick him up. He was unable to give any coherent account of his experiences, except for a few words. He asked that his wife should be notified of his rescue. Then he was put into a bunk, and slept for 24 hours. At the time of the rescue it was too dark for the steamer to attempt to salvage the aeroplane, but later the Circe Shell managed to hoist the machine abroad. Mr. Kuiseppe Bellanca, the builder of the aeroplane, was a very happy man. He explains that a dump-valve device had been fitted to the petrol tanks. In case of a landing on tho water the dump-valves close!, preventing the influx of water and forming air pockets to buoy up tho aeroplane.

Part Played by Fate. The tremendous part which fate played in the miraculous rescue of Hausner is shown in the account of Captain Junies W. Wilson, master of the Circe

Shell. His narrative indicates that had Captain Wilson not deviated from his usual course, had ho been a few hours later, when darkness would have fallen, and had he not taken the trouble to investigate what he at first thought to be a buoy, Mr. Hausner’s fate would have gone down flight history as one more mystery tragedy of the Atlantic. Captain Wilson says:—“The Circe Shell left Antweip bound for New Orleans on June 7, carrying creosote. I decided to deviate from the usual seasonal course ‘the hole in the wall’— Providence Channel —in consideration of tho cargo. I steered to pass between the westernmost Azores.

“It was my usual practice to collaborate with the chief officer in the twilight observations, the chief officer observing to westward and myself to eastward. My attention was drawn on the evening of June 11 by the chief officer to an apparent buoy broad on the starboard bow about four miles off. It might have been a cable or drifting buoy, but peculiar top markings induced me to a closer investigation. The telescope revealed an aeroplane, tail-up, but one-third submerged. There was no sign of life. “The Circe Shell’s engines were put ‘slow,’ and wo approached about one mile. Daylight was falling rapidly. Both the Circe Shell’s engines were stopped, and we closed on the derelict. I was amazed to see a figure that seemed lashed to the machine. The plane heaved on the increasing sea. I blew the siren and the figure moved and waved frantically. Obviously it was not lashed.

Airman’s Dramatic Rescue. , “A lifeboat was ordered away with eager volunteers under the second officer. At a distance of 50ft. he called through the megaphone and the reply came in English: “ ‘l’m Stanley Hausner, save my ship.' “It was feared that the ’plane might submerge at any moment as the sea was increasing. Hausner literally fell into the lifeboat. He was helped aboard the Circe Shell in almost complete darkness and was greeted by practically the whole of the excited Chinese crew 45 minutes after being first sighted. Lurching across tho deck he said to the chief officer: ‘Thanks very much, captain. I have been waiting for you for eight days.” Then he collapsed. “I examined Hausner, and found that except for superficial cuts, bruises and sores there were no serious external injuries. I endeavoured to get a coherent statement, but his exhausted condition indicated that water and food were immediate necessities. At the time of despatching this message the airman is progressing splendidly. He did not sustain any obvious internal injuries. After falling down he was absolutely incapable of even discussing experiences. He was amazingly fortunate as at midnight the weather was hazy, and four hours later there was a dense fog.”