SOUTHERN CROSS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 April 1929, Page 5

SOUTHERN CROSS

flight and landing

OF SOUTHERN CROSS

(Australian Press Association)

SYDNEY, April 16

Writs claiming £20,000 damages were to-day issued on . liohalf of Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith an Lieutenant Ulm against Smith’s Newspapers, Limited. Tlie writs are owing to the publication in the “Daily Guardian,” botli yesterday and to-day, of statements and comments reflecting upon the Southern Crass flight and upon its landing.

STILL NO TIDINGS.

OF ANDERSON’S PLANE

SYDNEY. April 16

Severn! aeroplanes, including Air .Force machines, are now engaged in the search for Anderson and Hitchcock.

So far there are no tidings of them whatever.

ULM’S STORY

JUST ABOUT TO STARVE!

■SYDNEY, April 16. In a further dispatch, Lieutenant Ulm says:— The hour that the Canberra flew over Coffee Royal was one of the most memorable in our lives, for, without exaggeration, yve were just on the point of complete starvation, and were utterly exhausted. Spring tides had covered the mudflats to the south completely cutting off our main food supply of mud snails. The few adjacent waterholes in the fothills were dried up. and we were far too weak to climb

to our best water supply—half way up the Darlimdnrst Hill, and even this was fast drying up. We had a supply of bean weeds handy. but the sun was fast drying even them. Our faces, arms and legs were lacerated by grass and bramble cuts, and tae flies were poisoning these sores rapidly. A painful death by starvation and thirst was not more than three days away. Tt can be realised, in view of the condition we were in, and the awful twelve days we had been through, that we were literally almost insane with excitement on that memorable Friday morning. Before Les Holden flew away, he drooped a note saying that he probably' would return the following day with more food. M e then settled down to some steady eating. To me several outstanding features of this experience are left. Firstly is the knowledge of hou much alui.se the human frame will stand up to without breaking down altogether; and here I pay a tribute to my comrades’ wonderful efforts. None of us are by any means physically perfect. Three of us nominally weight about ten and a half stone each. Yet, at the end of twelve days of almost total starvation, one (Litchfield) is still capable of hard physical woric under the most trying conditions, though even lie could not have lasted more than another two days. Smithy, the smallest of stature and the lightest of us all, caved in only on the night of the eleventh day. Prior to this, he certainly worked the most strenuously of all. His energy was truly astounding. Mac and I were practically on a level. We lasted well up to the ninth day, but thereafter we were physically inaeapable of further real hard work. If we ever have to go through such tr.vug times again. Smithy and I could desire no better comrades than Litcli and Mac. They were splendid. Mac is a horn humorist. He was always cheerful, and ho kept us amused all the time. Some people say that the mouth organ is not worthy of the name of a musical instrument. Well, they have not heard Mac play one. When things were blackest he would strike up a lively tune, and brighten its all up greatly.

The radio was our greatest boon. Every night, after Mac got our emergency aerial fixed, we received Sydney press nows about the search for us. It was heart-breaking sometimes to note how far away the searchers were. Jf we had had the means to, tourn our generators, Mae could have told the searchers on the second night where to find us.

McWilliams to rftfrn

AUCKLAND, April 10

Private advice has been received that T. H. McWilliams, wireless operator of the Southern Cross, that he intends to return to the Dominion for about a week, while the monoplane is being refitted in Sydney.

SEARCH FOR. ANDERSON

NO NEWS YET

(Received this dav at 9. a.m.) SYDNEY, April 17

The Canberra left Derby yesterday to search for the Kookaburra, but having got as far as Hall’s Creek returned to Wyndham to have the radio generator repaired. Holden stated that all tires seen on the live hundred miles covered had been investigated and none revealed any trace of Anderson. Two R.A.A.K. planes arrived at Alice Springs and will search from there. Oapt. Matbeson’s Goulburu Moth is being repaired at Dutchess. Ho hopes to join in the search on Monday.