MISSING AIRMEN

Hokitika Guardian, 22 May 1929, Page 5

MISSING AIRMEN

NO NEWS YET. BRAIN’S HOPES. t (Australian Press Association) , ADELAIDE, May 21. There is still no news of Moir and Owen, though some hope persists that they may have landed somewhere on the North-West Coast. Captain Brain, who found the Kookaburra, believes this, and .s anxious to go in search of them. EAST INDIAN ANXIETY. SYDNEY, May 21. The Amalgamated Wireless Coy received a message from Koepang stated that Moir and Owen carried only a small supply of provisions, and had no collapsible boat, but bad sufficient benzine for 20 hours flying. WELTEVR.EDEN, May 21. The greatest anxiety is felt for Moir end Owen. The Government wireless service here is trying its utmost to get iiDo touch with all the outlying posts on the way to Australia. The authorities do nob believe a report that Moir and Owen landed at Atamboewa or any other place in the Archipelago, because in that case they undoubtedly would be informed by now. RADIO QUERIES ItESULTLESS. SYDNEY, May 21. The Amalgamated Wireless Ltd. in response to the Federal Government’s request, got their Darwin station to communicate with Koepang and Dilly, regarding tlie missing aviators, but those places had no fresh news whatever. The steamer Malabar found no trace of the aviators, and lias resumed her voyage. No reply has been received from Atamboewa about the aviators. THE MEN’S RELATIVES. SYDNEY, May 21. Mrs Moir and her daughter are still hopeful that their son and brother, who was about thirty years of age, will be found alive. They live just outside Sydney at Canleyvale. Owen’s father lives at Warrnambool, in Victoria. He has not seen his son, who is aged 27 years, since last September, when, lie left home to make arrangements for the England to Australia flight. SIR KEITH SMITH’S VIEWS. ("Received this dav at 9. a.m.) SYDNEY, May 22. Sir Keith Smith has received a cablegram from Koepang stating that when .Moir and Owen were over Koepang on Saturday, they were flying in a north-north-east direction, which was almost at right angles with that which they should have taken if coming to Australia. Sir K. Smith, is of the opinion there is still a chance of the flyers having, owing to tlieir slow speed, that they were making efforts to land somewhere in Timor, other than at Ambowea, possibly on the beach, in which case it would be some time before they were discovered or got in touch with communication.

ENGLISH INTEREST. 'Received this day at 8.30. a.m.) LONDON, May 21. In a special interview to the Austra-. lian Press the Vickers expert, Captain Acklnnd, said the Vickers Bellore did not carry a collapsible boat or tilesaving suits. Asked whether in the event of landing in the sea, the machine would float Captain Acklarid said the , live hundred gallons petrol tank was not fitted with a quick emptying device and was unlikely to he empty when they came down. Perhaps it would be half filled, in which ease it would give the machine sufficient buoyancy to float ■for twenty-four hours. This, of course, pre-supposed a smooth sea, and that it was undamaged in a forced descent. Ackland is puzzled at the story ol using a smaller propeller, because when they crashed at Nersanmtnih he sent out a spare standard size and was never advised that they had to pick up an emergency propellor. r l ho paragraph was only possible of explanation if both standard ones were damaged in incessant rainstorms, necessitating the acquisition of another en route, hut this was not mentioned as would have been expected, in any of Moir’s despatches London wards. Newspapers here are following the search with sympathetic interest, publishing maps showing the peril of tho last lap. Advices ex-Batavia are of the opinion that if he landed anywhere in the Archipelago, the Dutch air authorities would have been informed long since. VICKERS ASSIST SEARCH. LONDON. A lay 21. Vickers have cabled Sir Keith Smith asking to associate them in the search for the missing airmen with authority to expend £2,000. VICKERS’ STATEMENT. (Received this (lav at 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 21. Vickers stated officially that there is no truth whatsoever in the report that the Vellore was furnished with a propellor of smaller diameter than usual, or otherwise experimental. Moir carried two. one on the engine and the other aboard tho aeroplane. These were identical in diameter and all other respects, with the exception of the fact that the spare, which was used in the last- stages of the flight had one degree more pitch, for the reason that propellors of the pitch which were suitable to temperate conditions revolve too last in the tropics.