MISSING AIRMEN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 219, 16 August 1937, Page 7

MISSING AIRMEN

FEARS FOR SAFETY. NO NEWS FROM SOVIET ’PLANE. MAY BE IN FRIGID OCEAN. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) ■ Received August 16, 10.5 a.m. NEW YORK, Aug. 15. A Fairbanks (Alaska) message states that a disjointed radio message reading: “No hearings; having trouble with wave-band,” picked up 28 hours after the report that the ’plane had crossed the North Pole, was the only sign of life from tlie Soviet fliers. It is believed that they have been forced down in the 1200 miles of frigid ocean between tlie Pole and Point Barrow (on the north coast of Alaska) embracing the mysterious blind spots in which two previous trans-Polar Soviet ’planes have lost touch with listeners for hours on end owing to interference with the wireless .transmission. There is no serious fear, hut a number of ’planes, including three bearing Russian agents, are searching from Fairbanks. The brotherhood of the air is exemplified by the departure of the American airman, Mr James Matteru, for Fairbanks from Los Angeles at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday in an effort to repay the act of mercy by M Levanevsky, who led rescuers to Mr Mattern when the latter cracked up in Siberia in 1933.

ENGINE FAILURE. EARLIER REPORT. MOSCOW, Aug 15. It is believed that the Soviet aeroplane, carrying a crew of seven, which set. out on a non-stop flight across the North Pole to Fairbanks, Alaska, has l>een forced down on an icefield in the Arctic owing to ice accumulating on the wings. The ice-breaker Krassin has been ordered to explore the Cape Barrow area with three aeroplanes. An earlier Moscow report said concern was felt at 15 hours’ silence of the Arctic fliers. It is known one of the four engines failed soon after passing over the Pole. A message from Fairbanks stated that the fliers were 10 hours overdue at 4 a.m. New York time on Saturday. They were scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m. New York time. Not a word had been received from the ’plane since it wirelessed it had crossed the North Pole. It was believed the plane encountered storms, but the weather at Fairbanks was ideal.

Two successful flights have recently been made bv Soviet airmen across the Norm Pole. The first ivas by tlie airmen, MM. Chakalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov, who attempted to fly from Moscow to San Francisco, but were forced to land near Vancouver, Washington, owing to a broken oil line. The fliers landed on June 20 at 12.30 a.m. (Eastern standard) after 64 hours in the air The aviators on the second flight were M. Gromov, Major Yumashov and M. S. Daniline, who made a non-stop flight to within 90 miles of Los Angeles. The total distance flown was 6668 miles; they thus beat the long-distance record of 5657 miles held by France.