AVIATORS IN PERIL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2364, 21 January 1915, Page 6

AVIATORS IN PERIL

j adventure near turkish [■;-;;'■■:..-:'.:- ; posts' - A REMARKABLE RESOUE. ;■■' (From Captain O. E. W. Bean, •Offloial ! Reporter,with the Firsb,Australian ■ . Force.) ''. ~. .' 'Cairo, January. 8. oruiser -watching a certain paTt of ['■ the, Turkish' coast line sent out a sea- < f™ 19 11 a French pilot and! Captain i Stirling, of the Plying Corps, as obßeri ;ver. The "plane" flew ever a wide, i rocky desert into a valley shut in by 1/ nigh, barren mountains. It was found iv Turkish posts existed in the dis--1 tfriot. The seaplane rose amongst the \liills, but when twenty miles inland, and i - !at. a, height of 6000 feet, the engine stop- !. ped. ,The situation was precarious, as ;-'.'-~» : seaplane cannot land safely except in !'. : ;water. A patoh of sand was visible far I jbelow amongst some rocks, and tho f (Frenchman steered for it. He. made a J [magnificent volplane towards the earth, j ]ond turned off the magneto in order to ; i prevent fire._ He then banked l up the ' 'machine against the wind, soas to check i (its speed, and finally, striking still air, ! (tho seaplane fell : swiftly towards the I Ksand. , , '.;! 'The moment the floats touched the t raand the tail of the machine was thrown ; up. The Frenchman was hurled clear, ;■", "but Captain Stirling was .pinned down. i ;with his'legs bent over his spine. Petrol i ; soaked his clothes, ears and hair, but ;■: {(fortunately did not catch alight- He '■' (called out to the Frenchman, but the ; latter did not reply. Presently Stirling j called again, and the r :; istunned Frenohman to his senses. He i" iextracted Stirling,, and the twostarted j. jto return, the Frenchman leaning. on •■'..■( Stirling- . I ! After they had covered four miles in ■ four hours, the Frenchman complained ;: fof internal pains and was. forced to | Lgive up. Stirling gave him half a choco- \: \Jato and all the water he had, and then J,., went on alone. He walked 16 miles in Ififour hours. The country was bristling with rocks, and Turks were often in view. A horseman with a dog, who was Hscouting out from his party, approached to within 100 yards. Stirling lay in the , Shadow of a bush. The horseman jtop- | ped and shouted to a distant party. i Stirling thought" he had been discov- ;. ered, and orept back tdong a rocky j ledge to a marsh. | . j • When night came on her orept through I (the Turkish camp fires to water, being : fidesperately thirsty, but expecting, mo!;.'|ihentarily to be seen. Finally he reach*' |. W the coast, only to find that the j." Acruiser had gone. The captain, knowing ! fthat an accident had happened, as the [ Aviators were hours overdue, had put to | jsea. Stirling slept in a hiding place, \ : [and when he woke it was still dark. He ; [heard the cruiser returning, and called ■ out. Those on the; cruiser heard him, ?- and flashed a searchlight. Stirling ap- !'.. peared,; and was Taken off. A strong : party, with' guns, searched for the Frenchman till morning, but failed to }■ 'find him, and gave'up hope. -,-";••■■; i The captain felt an intense conviction I; that the airman would'-yet be found, ;■'... and he urged a return to search a particular portion of the beach. ( He turned f., the ship back, and when the point was p reached he flashed a light. The beam showed up some huts on the rocks near the 'shore. From one of these staggered ''■'■ the figure of the' Frenchman. ;•; i: •_. The story, which is unquestionably : ~ true, is one of the most wonderful in 'the history-of aviation. '