WOMAN FLYER MISSING.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20099, 1 December 1930, Page 11

WOMAN FLYER MISSING.

OOPJS practically abandoned. Jjgg KEITH MILLER'S PREJIONITION OP DEATH. CONDITION OF THE AEROPLANE. „„ sa association bt ELECTBIC . xxLIGBAPn-COPVMOHT.) fßec««d November 30th, 5.5 p.m.) HAVANA November 29. , nremonition of death. Which She J aside through fear of being a coward, haunted Mrs Keith feht from Havana to Miami. Prac'•jf all has been abandoned ot i safety. Search parties, in six -due* from here and from Miami for hours over the Mexican Stfd Florida Keys, without hndtiace Friends here have acthemselves of not having preher, forcibly if necessary, from the flight against which there in the poorly-conditioned JJtae, the extremely rough 3Lr, and mental haZard hisg over water. Tm> aeroplanes which left tnis afterto l«»» Mr. c«tb Miller returned to-night withKwnlt As the hours passed and the aeroplanes from here "fuiami (Florida) failed to find a «te rf Mrs Keith Miller on the usual S course from Havana to Miami, nation experts believe that she has C tart. She took off Friday morn--wainst bad weather conditions and the advice of other flyers. It k«itf that she set a course without Spring for the strong cast wind, ,bich might have forced her into the Galf of Mexico. . . , «1 do not know why it is. but something tells me lam going down, she niTbefore the take-off. "I have had dat feeling since I crossed from Florida. Somehow or other I cannot tittle it off." ghe called the aeroplane an unairlorthj crate, explaining that it was i conditionally licensed ship, which die had rescued from the junk pile ud reconditioned. "I am trying to j pot myself over as a commercial Sot," she stated. "If I make a flight liie that in an old ship without the , neal equipment, it ought to be easy to get some company interested in Bag me as a regular pilot." Many acquainted with her here had remarked at her preoccupation and comments of not being able to eat or sfeep properly. She commented that vial worried her most was lack ot hlinrt flying instruments, or turn and >»wTr indicator. Mrs Miller said: "Frankly. I cannot afford one.' Referring to the latter instrument, iriation officials after returning from lite search declared that not even a tout seaplane could have stayed »Soat. Mrs Miller had a collapsible rubber boat, bat she had expressed ( Aoabt about her ability to inflate it. Since going to the united States in iostraha three years ago. Mrs Y&B had acted as a demonstrator 4imU aeroplanes and amphibians, siH been instrumental in popular aviation among women. Jawase from Pittsburg states jfc flntain Lancaster, who accompM Hrg Miller on her flight three ;tm tRO from London to Australia, aid tbt he thought she had been taiej torn at sea. He expressed ik hi that the most be afloat some*tai between Cuba and the Florida tout is the collapsible rubber boat lWrjk- she carried. Bites of Mrs Miller's PittsburgHwm light expressed the hope that »nif&i hare landed somewhere in JWk Mr John Liggett, one of the backers •f Xh Miller, left by passenger aeroto riy to Miami to assist in the for the missing airwoman.

NEW YOBK, November 28. A EBttge from Miami states that an leroplanss have left in search of Sa Keith Miller, who took off from ana (Oaba) for Miami, this morning, ■PW flying conditions, and who is hours overdue. 2wißa_ also reports that two including an amphibian, have wt# join in the search for the missi later message states that a PanJf™®® Airwaya aeroplane returned afternoon from a three hours' ■to* oyer Miami and Key West, withany trace of Mrs Miller. Campania de Aviacion, Cuba, has SaMm * WO aero P' anes in search of JJUUDctj along her intended route, as nt? Te acreaa ed. Base at Key West is also . to Miller apparently left Cuba on a ■ coarse, straight for Miami, : allowing for the wind, the ; j which is indicated by the : ' 4 Pan-American Airways J"*** to-day made a second flight : js to Havana in an hour and re P re sentatives state that hows' petrol supply, have changed her I * route. TO JOURNALIST. .November 30th, 5.5 p.m.) YOEK, November 28. Wb'?' 8 * r .° m Havana states that that Mrs Miller to reach MiamL A re . Mid tw v neWßpa P cr in a Btate * ? e Baw Mrs Miller on rs* *«aa . Bhe bim that t if the weather toS!' 4 oth erwiae she would fjji f.5^ 1 as * ar as possible. She ftS flight and the Waited B(,» nie B ' le as reached difficult point where com "

TRANS-ATLANTIC MAIL SERVICE. UNITED STATES CALLING FOR TENDERS. (Received November 30th, 5.6 p.m.) "WASHINGTON, November 29. A definite step toward the inauguration of a trans-Atlantic air mail service was taken by the Post Office Department to-day. Bids are to be called for to be opined on December 29th for the air mail route from New York by Norfolk (Virginia), or Charleston (South Carolina), and then by Hamilton-Bermuda and the Azores or some other practicable route to n point in Europe, to bo designated by the Postmaster-General (Mr W. F. Brown). The return journey is to be made over the same route. The contract is to run for ten years, the period beginning on June Ist nest year. FAST MILITARY MONOPLANE. SUCCESSFUL TESTS MADE. (Eeceivod November 30th, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, November 28. The Sydney type, the largest and fastest all-metal military monoplane flying boat, 65 feet long with a wing span of 100 feet, and accommodating 16 persons, has been successfully tested at the Blackburn works. The machine, which has an effective range of a thousand miles, is fitted with engines developing 1500 horse-power, and a speed of 120 miles per hour. The monoplane will be used for reconnaissance. FIRE ON DO.X. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE CAUSE!?. (Received November 30th, 5.5 p.m.) LISBON, November 29. A fire which occurred on the Do.X. destroyed the left wing. The fire was due to a spark from the auxiliary battery. The crew, aided by local firemen and Portuguese firemen, saved the aeroplane from total destruction. Repairs to the left wing will take several weeks, but it is not expected to prevent the machine starting on tlie Atlantic flight in January. FOUR CHILDREN KILLED. TRAGEDY WHEN AEROPLANE LANDED. (Received November 30th, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 29. When landing his aeroplane in the dusk on the ice of a small lake at Edmonton. W Sherlock, of Commercial Airways, swerved to avert running down some children who were playing, and the machine crashed into some gas drums, behind which seven other children were playing, but were not seen. Four were killed and three were seri.msly injured. The passengers and airman were severely shaken and the aeroplane wrecked. ABANDONED AEROPLANE IN FOG. FLYER'S PARACHUTE DESCENT. SAN DIEGO, November 28. Gerald Nettleton, aged 20, who was trying to establish a new trans-Contin-ental air record for juniors, ran into a fog, and got hopelessly lost, so he stepped off his monoplane at 10,000 ft altitude and floated gently to earth with a parachute. The machine crashed a mile from whore he safely landed. Nettleton said: "The weather was so soupy with rain and fog that I could not see 10 feet. My instruments froze, and there was nothing left but to jump, so I levelled the machine, cut off the switch, closed the throttle, and rolled out of the door. I fell for several minutes, and did not see the earth till it was 200 ft away. That is how bad the weather was."