SOUTHERN CROSS

Hokitika Guardian, 6 April 1929, Page 5

SOUTHERN CROSS

THE SEARCH PLANES. (Australian Press Association) SYDNEY, April 3. Aeroplanes are to-day continuing lo search the Drysdalc and Fort George areas. Pilot Woods yesterday saw smoke, which, however, proved to emanate from travelling parties of natives. ' A TERRIBLE COUNTRY. SYDNEY, April -3. Three of the Westralian Airways planes have oeeii searching for the Southern Cross to-day. Airmail Hitchcock, who is well acquainted with the country where Smith and i lm are supposed to have been forced down, says that it is impossible to find landing places in‘ ! this huge area, consisting of a frees razor hack ridges. The water in the valleys, lie sass, is infested with alligators. iTie scrub there is full of snakes, and also oi wild blacks. •SYDNEY, Aprli 3. The air liner Canberra, which leli Richmond ’drome to-day at 9.1-, a.m. for WesLcru Australia, to search in the nortii-wes, has wirelessed that it is finding liie visibility on its route to he poor. A gale at Gi.-ulbr.rn has delayed tindeparture of Matlieson’s Aloth fiom there until to-morrow. WIDGEON PLANE NOT GOING. SYDNEY, April 3. Wackott’s large Widgeon plane attempted to start this morning from Richmond aerodrome, but it returned to the aerodrome after reaching one thousand feet of an altitude. This plane is unlikely to participate in the search for the Southern Cross. RELIEF FUND OPENED. SYDNEY, April 5. A Sydney relief fund for the Southern Cross has been started. It will he donated to the provision of >il supplies for the searchers. New Zealand aid is to he invited. The Lord Mayor of .Melbourne has declined to inaugurate a Southern Cross relief fund, saying that thimatter is one for the Government’s attention. SUPPOSED RADIO SIGNALS. MELBOURNE, April 5. Official opinion here discounts the value of the supposed signals lrom Radio Operator McWilliams, picked up by Air George at Heidelberg, though other listeners also have heard faint signals which they an* unable to account for. NEWS OF LAST SUNDAY. AWAITING FURTHER- NEWS. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) SYDNEY, April 5. 'Two ’planes from Wyndliam scoured Drysdalc district to-day and communicated with the monks at tho mission who stated the Southern Cross passed over the station at 11 on Sunday morning and dropped a note at 11.<30, or 2.30 in the afternoon Sydney time. Ulrn radioed he would have to make a forced landing. The ’plane’s signals were heard for another forty-five minutes and tliei* silence. From this it is deducted by radio and aviation experts that the Southern Cross must have been forced down somewhere within a radius ol fifty miles of Drysdalc station. Radio men at the various centres are listening to-night to endeavour to trace the mysterious signals reports by George and others. SEARCH CONTINUES. (Received this day at 10 a.m.) SYDNEY, April 6. Pilot Holden reached Broken Hill in the Canberra last night and leaves at dawn for Alaroo, near Lake Eyre. Two additional machines oi AYesvralian Ainvays will he engaged on behalf of other organisations in the search to-day or to-morrow. Pilot Chater. who left Derby yesterday for Port George -Mission returned six hours later, having failed to reacli his objective owing to strong head winds. Chater found good landing grounds seventy miles from Port George, which will he another base. People there had not seen or heard the Southern Cross. Tim Alinister rtf Defence, Sir William Glasgow, announced lie was prepared to send additional aeroplanes from .Melbourne if necessary.