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Show Five Are Saved From Piane on Lake schigan Engine Afire and Propeller Gone, Navy Heroes to Rescue in Time. CHICAGO. The navy's valiant Catalina, heroine of many a night patrol off Guadalcanal, was a prize heroine again to five fliers who crashed into the tossing waters of Lake Michigan. One of the clumsy-looking flying boats, her starboard engine blazing and one propeller gone, hit the lake three miles off Winnetka. She Bounced Around. She bounced on the surface, rode out the heavy seas, and gave up her crew uninjured. Ensign Richard Brooks of Louisville, Louis-ville, the pilot who brought her safely down, told his story with an affectionate word for the scarred veteran. "We were patrolling the naval station bombing range at 1,000 feet," he related. "Fire broke out in the starboard engine and I headed her down. "It was too rough to land, but we didn't have any choice. "We hit with a terrific crash," he said. "Then we bounced back into the air and the fire was out. "I thought for a bit we were going under but the old girl rode out the waves like an ocean liner." Saw the Crash. John Muresan, seaman first class, saw the crash from his lookout look-out post at the Wilmette coast guard station and reported it to Harry Hibbert, boatswains mate. Hibbert ordered the station's ; crash boat out. j "We couldn't see the plane at first because-of the heavy seas," Muresan Mure-san said. "Then a couple of marine planes started circling and we knew they were marking it for us. "When we got there the crew was shivering under 'blankets on top of the wing. We passed a line and began be-gan towing her in." Lt. (j.g.) John R. Bicknell of St Elmo, one of the plane's crewmen, was washed overboard as the towing tow-ing started, but was rescued by Brooks. Other members of the crew were Lt. (j.g.) Donald Egly of Petroleum, Petro-leum, Ind. ; Bob Merriman of Chicago, Chi-cago, and Earl Singleton of Springfield, Spring-field, aviation machinist's mates. All were given dry clothing and coffee at the coast guard station. |