Survivors Tell 
FU. 
Of Heavy Raids 
By Japanese 
Two Colonists 
On Line Islands 
Killed In Attacks 
By Planes, Subs 
Six hungry, thirsty, almost 
naked survivors from Baker and 
Howland islands were rescued by 
a U. S, destroyer in the Line 
Group two weeks ago today, it 
S a Honolulf, d w the i 7 / 1 '™- PreSS planus was no. 
thw;,-,,. '■.*_ n i gnt ' T' 8 was there having been no word from 
No Landings Made 
Official sources had no com¬ 
ment yesterday but the fact that 
a U. S. destroyer made the rescue 
without opposition seems to prove 
that the islands remain United 
States possessions. The survivors, 
who are now in Honolulu, also 
said there were no Japanese land¬ 
ings made while they were there. 
The U. S. destroyer, it was 
learned, arrived off Howland at 
daybreak Jan. 31 and investigated 
from a distance of about five 
miles, since the situation in the 
islands was not precisely known, 
the ^r Cati ° n t0 c °" firn J 11,34 them since before Dec. 7. A land- 
the islands remain m the posses¬ 
sion of the United States. 
The rescue was effected after 
Japanese planes and submarines, 
over a period of nearly two 
• months, had bombed and shelled 
the islands, killing two of the 
W. Population of eight. 
% Tar destfoyer-mede the msouMi 
Arom the tiny Pacific pinpoints 
southwest of Hawaii despite a 
heavy, shark-infested surf, 
through which two of the men 
were forced to swim. The survi- 
Yu™ , reveaIed that practically all 
the buildings and equipment on 
| both islands were destroyed 
Howland, they said, was at¬ 
tacked on Dec. 8 by two flights of 
twin-engined enemy bombers 
(Continue d on Page 2,Col. 1) 
ing party then went ashore and 
returned with two survivors, 
Thomas Bederman, radioman, and 
Elvin Matson, assistant weather 
observer. 
Both are employes of the de¬ 
partment of the interior. Neither 
was injured. All the buildings and 
equipment on the island, how¬ 
ever, were destroyed and the 
water supply was virtually ex¬ 
hausted. 
The destroyer then proceeded to 
Baker island, about 35 miles 
southeast of Howland. It arrived 
there and began investigating 
about mid-morning, after which a 
rescue party was sent toward 
shore, but no attempt was made 
to land through the heavy surf. 
Boat Breaks Up 
“Two Bakerites came out 
| -through the surf in a small, two- 
an eyewitness of the rescue re- 
sported here. “Then one returned 
and picked up another survivor, 
but when the third trip was about 
to be made, the craft broke up in 
the surf, leaving one mad still 
ashore. 
“An expert swimmer among the 
survivors already rescued there¬ 
upon swam back to shore with a 
life-ring attached to a line. This 
was given to the last man, who 
. was a poor swimmer. After some 
difficulty, the latter was induced 
to venture among the sharks, and 
was hauled out to the boat/’ 
All buildings and equipment cm 
(Continued from rage i) 
which made two attacks, dropping - man boat fitted with an outrigger,” 
from 50 to 80 bombs, after which 
two planes machinegunned the is¬ 
land. Considerable damage was 
done to all structures, they said, 
and Joseph Keliihananui and 
Richard Whaley, employed there 
by the department of the interior, 
were fatally injured. 
Howland island was shelled by 
a submarine on Dec. 10, and at¬ 
tacked again from the air on Jan. 
5 and Jan. 24. Baker island was' 
shelled on Dec. 10, and attacked 
from the air Dec. 28. Additionally, 
a four-engined bomber made 
reconnaissance over* the island 
Jan. 5 and 24, but dropped no 
bombs. 
fpaker were also destroyed the 
l survivors said, except for t^e 
iJJghthouse and rain-shed. Evac¬ 
uees from both islands lacked all 
personal effects and were almost 
• entirely without clothing. The 
ship’s welfare stores and fee crew 
members, however, fitted them up 
Jwith spare qlothing. 
The Bake? island survivors are , 
Waiter Burke, radioman, “Blue” 3 
'M&kua, James Coyle and James { 
'Pease, weather observers. None 
was injured; all are interior de~ f 
partmerit employes. 
Heard War On MM to ' : 
K Howland island survivors, one 
reported, first learned of the hos- ; 
tflities when listening to a Hono- ; 
lulu newscast on Dec 7. The next • 
day, however, the wm w m force- : 
fully brought horn* them by • 
two flighty ef twin-engimd bomb¬ 
ers, which dropped 50 !■> #0 bomb*. 
, after whirh two plan^f peeled off 
.from the formation and made t 
three separate machi®egun at¬ 
tacks. 
On Dec. 10 they sighted a sub¬ 
marine off the western shore of 
Howland, which remained about 
half an hour. It returned six hours 
later and shelled the structures 
©till standing on the island, com¬ 
pletely destroying the govern¬ 
ment house. It fired 25 to 30 shots 
within two hours. 
The island was left undisturbed 
until Jan. 5, when a four-motored 
bomber came over and dropped 
four bombs. On Jan. 24 another 
four-engined bomber app eared 
and made two direct hits in the 
camp area. On Jan. 27 and 28 
unidentified planes circled the is¬ 
land but the inhabitants avoided 
being seen by them because of the 
recent bombing attacks. 
Submarine Appears 
A Baker island survivor said 
they first learned of the hostilities 
pn Dec. 7 by radio from Howland 
island. They were not attacked, 
however, until Dec. 10 when a 
small submarine appeared about 
100 yards off the west shore and 
opened fire with a three-inch gun, 
destroying the main buildings. The 
sub fired almost 30 rounds as, it 
circled the island in the ensuing 
two hours. 
About 5:30 p.m. the same day a 
large submarine appeared and 
opened fire on Baker .Hand with 
about 15 rounds, destroying all 
the remaining structures except 
j the rain-shed and lighthouse. It 
remained in the vicinity about 35 
minutes. 
A survivor of Baker said a four- 
engined bomber circled the island 
about 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 and 
bombed but missed any possible 
remaining targets, after which the 
island was machinegunned. On 
Jan. 5 and 28, four-engined bomb¬ 
ers circled the island but dropped 
no bombs. 
Formerly Brittoh 
Howland and Baker, as well as 
Jarvis island, were formerly un¬ 
der British protection but the 
j United States claimed them in 
1935 and the Coast Guard cutter 
Itasca landed “colonists” in the 
1 spring of that year. Howland and 
j Baker have been used as weather 
(stations. Howland in particular is 
| considered a potentially important 
stepping stone to the southwest 
Pacific. It has an airfield which 
was lengthened and improved in 
1937 in preparation for the Ear- 
hart flight. However, Miss Earhart 
failed to reach the island, disap¬ 
pearing while en route from Lae, 
New Guinea. 
