Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954), Monday 14 April 1952, page 1


FIÉtY-lWO ÄiSf: i }M MME CRASH

Disaster Off Puerto Rico Rescue Party Fights Sharks

NEW YORK, Apr. 13 (A.A.P.). - Fifty-two people : ¿lied yesterday when an airliner carrying 69 crashed into

the sea off Puerto Ri«>. Thirty-nine of the dead were trapped and drowned in the plane when it tried to crash-land in a high sea and broke in twp.

The bodies of the dead, including five children of one , family, now lie in 3000ft. of water. The body of a sixth in-

fant has already been taken from the sea.

So far, there are only 17 known survivors, and 13 bodies have been taken from the sea. These are those of vic- tims who were able to get free of the plane before it sank.

Sharks attacked rescuers as they were trying to save people who escaped from the plane.

' PILOT WAS SCREEN STAR'S HUSBAND

The plane, a Pan-American Airways DC-4, wis carrying 69 people, most of-them Easter tourists, from San'Juan (Puerto Rico) io Central America, to New York.

The plane crashed in bril-liant, sunshine ll minutes after taking off.

Among the survivors is the pilot. Captain John Burn, hus-band of screen and radio star jane Froman.

Burn met Miss Froman when he rescued her from the sea after an air crash off the Lisbon (Portugal) coast in 1943.

MOTOR CUT OUT '

Miss Froman had both' legs ? Broken in that crash, and Burn,

? hough himself suffering from an. injured back, kept.her afloat in the darkness until help

esme.

? Miss Froman flew from New York to 'be at her husband's bedside tomorrow-their fourth weddin*^ anniversary.

In ^yesterday's crash, one motor Veut out soon after the take-off,' and the' other failed after Captain. Burn had turned $Ȋk to"the 'airport

""-"-If he could have remained airborne on the two remaining engines for another three min-utes he would have reached safety.

In an. effort to save, as many fives as possible. Burn "bellyCepped" the entrance to San

tifonn^ harbour.

.It broke, in two' when lt hit ge water and sank in two or

ree minutes.

-Before the plane sank.- those In'it managed to launch-four life rafts.

Some of those saved were clinging to these when, picked

up.

"The family which included

tile five drowned children were travelling on the plane because special arrangements had been rivoe to enable them to do, sb. ' Their mother and father, Puer'o Ricans who had Been

laving in New York- for ¡two

years, died wita them.

I 4USSCUE BOATS SET OCT

rThe children were four girls. ¿ged 2. 4, 6 and 12, and a boy aged 14.

.When the fanûly -reached the airport it appeared that the group would hive to separate, with three going on another Elane.

But arrangements were made for the family" io- travel to-gether.

Rescue boats and amphibian pp»i«« left shore to rescue sur-

vivors. .

: Rpscuers left Good . Friday services and solerrtv observ-ances when tî-e call for helo was fished through the city by radio.

INTGHT SEARCH BY FLARES

. Coast guard planes. and a eaiitor us'ne flares and search

lishts. searched fruitlessly for

irr-r» no°sible survivors last r'-u'.

One of the first bodies taken from the sea was that of an infant.

When . Captain Burn, was rescued he was keeping afloat a passenger, Senor Salvador Ayala. '

Ayala said many passengers were trapped in the'plane as it - sank.