SEARCH FOR FLIERS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 183, 5 July 1937, Page 7

SEARCH FOR FLIERS

MRS PUTNAM’S ’PLANE. MAY HAVE OVERSHOT GOAL. MORSE SIGNALS HEARD. (United Press Association—Ry Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received July 5, 10.15 a.m. HONOLULU, July 4.

The coastguard of Pan American Airways reported faint radio carrier signals at 7.10 in the morning (Eastern Standard Time) probably from Mrs Putnam’s ’plane, which is thought to have been forced down in the sea in the course of the flight from New Guinea to Howland Island, but they could not be identified.

A Howland Island message states that the cutter Itasca has departed from there in order to investigate Mrs Putnam’s position as reported by Los Angeles amateurs. The Itasca had previously made a search from there based on the theory that Mrs Putham had overshot Howland Island.

Although the skies are overcast and the Itasca’s progress hindered by rain squalls and choppy seas the crew were confident that they would find the fliers. They expected to reach the search area before daylight. A later message states that the Itasca picked up a strong Morse signal on Mrs Putnam’s frequency.

RADIO MESSAGES

RECEPTION CONFIRMED.

Received July 5, 10.15 a.m. LOS ANGELES, July 4. Mr Mantz, a friend of Mr G. P. Putnam, husband of the missing airwoman, announced that he had confirmed the reception by four amateurs of radio messages from Mrs Earhart Putnam on Saturday morning. He said that all four had received identical messages, giving her position, longitude 179 degrees,- latitude 1.6. Mr Mantz added that this position would place the fliers at about 120 miles due west of Howland Island and just north of the Equator. A short-wave radio receiver picked up an S.O.S. message in which a woman’s voice repeated Mrs Putnam’s call letters. The voice frequency was identical with that employed in yesterday’s messages.

WEAK SIGNALS HEARD. SHIPS RUSH TO THE RESCUE. SAN FRANCISCO, July 3. The cutter Itasca, which started to search for Mrs Putnam after ti.e reception of a message from the ’plane that they had half-nii-hour’s fuel, reported: “It is believed that the airwoman missed Howland Island, due to sunglare. Coastguard officials think she may have flown north-west and may he found within 100 miles of her destination.” Radio signals picked up from her ’plane indicated that the petrol supply was nearly exhausted when she was about half-aii-hour’s journey from Howland Island. It was thought that, without its load ot petrol, her machine would float indefinitely, except in extremely rough weather. Mrs Putnam carried emergency rations sufficient for several days.

It was reported in San Francisco early to-day that Mrs Putnam had been rescued by a British vessel, but this report was later announced to be without foundation. Among the vessels searching for her is the British cruiser. Achilles, which picked up the first S.O.S. from the ’plane. The Itasca also identified weak, early morning signals as coming from her ’plane, hut they were so weak that the operator was unable to determine their location. The Navy Department at Washington has received a request from Mr G. P. Putnam for naval aircraft and vessels from Honolulu to carry out a search for his wife. An amateur radio enthusiast at San Francisco is reported to have picked up faint signals on Mrs Putnam’s frequency. The impulses were sputtered as if a hand generator was. being used and the set had water in it. The airwoman is believed to he floating midway between Honolulu and New Zealand. The search is most difficult, since her tiny ’plane could lie seen only from a very short distance in daylight and not at all in darkness. The Itasca sent up smoke signals before darkness and then utilised flares. Lookouts are posted at every vantage point watching out for an answering flare from the ’plane. The last signal received from the ’plane indicated that its posit J.n was 300 or 400 miles off the coast ot Howland Island. All ships and stations have been instructed to listen on 3105 kilocycles for anv signals from the ’plane The United States Navy has ordered the Lexington to prepare to join the search. It will take the vessel six or seven days to reach Howland Island, and then she will release seaplanes for a systematic search. The Colorado, carrying three seaplanes, is rushing from Honolulu to Howland Island. Mr Putnam requested the Oakland radio board to sent hourly requests for liis wife to signal by radio whether she is on land or afloat, whether north or south of the equator. An open telephone line to Washington kept President Roosevelt informed of developments in the search. The President said the navy was doing all in its power to locate the fliers. Miss Ruth Elder, who was forced down at sea in 1927, said: “I feel in my heart that Mrs Putnam will lie rcsuced. I know exactly how she feels floating around on the Pacific with the sun beating clown on her as she prays there is a ship nearby.” Mr Putnam expressed the belief that the radio calls indicated that the fliers had landed on a small island and were running one motor at a time to generate current for radio transmissions.

The two fliers were well provided with rations. They have sufficient condensed food, malted milk tablets and chocolate to last several weeks, and also an outfit which manufactures drink’ng water by condensing the human breath, and a two-man rubber raft, flares and a bright orange kite.

A snow and s'nnt sterm almost unprecedented in the South Pacific, turned hack a navy rescue ’plane and eausqd consternation among - officials, who said it greatly reduced the changes of a rescue. The Pearl Harbour base intends to send another ’plane when the weather clears. HAZARDS OF THE SEARCH. Received July 5, 10.15 a.m. HONOLULU, July 4. Captain I. T. Harvey, commander of

n navy seaplane that was forced to turn hack from the search for Mrs Putnam after battling with a weird tropical storm for two hours 400 miles east of Howland Island, said: “There is little hope that Mrs Putnam and Mr Noonan would have survived if forced down under the conditions I and my crew of seven encountered. I have been (lying for eleven years but have never faced such adverse weather. It was most amazing; we were near the Equator, yet the snow and sleet were terrific and we were forced off our course 250 miles in an attempt >o get to Howland Island. The controls froze and once wo feared we would he forced down.”

CRITICISED BEFORE START

ARTICLES WERE SUPPRESSED

Received Julv 5, 8.5 a.m. NEW YORK, July 4

There is a strong feeling in America that Mrs Putnam’s flight should not have lieen made on the ground that it was needless and extremely unlikely to contribute anything to aviation science. Several prominent pilots had piepared a strongly-worded article condemning the flight prifir to her take-off, lint were forced to suppress it. Hie official attitude was made plain several weeks ago when a Bureau of Air Commerce executive included Mrs Putnam’s flight in the category of freak flights that were dangerous, _ useless, and more likely to harm aviation than help. Aviation officials regard it as increasingly evident that the day of pioneering ocean flights by individuals has passed. There was a time when such flights were needed to forms the public,. attention on the feasibility of linking the continents by air, hut now the emphasis is strongly upon safe, efficient and well-planned commercial or Government ventures.