GOAT “STOWAWAY.”

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 50, 27 January 1938, Page 3

GOAT “STOWAWAY.”

FLYING-BOAT DOMEDY

ELEY 7 EN HOURS IN AIR

SYDNEY, Jan. 20. . Best of the many stories told in Darwin of the experiences of the British flying-boat squadron since it left Plymouth six weeks ago concerns a goat. . . , -i The goat unwittingly was carried 1100 miles from Calcutta on the outside of the hull of the boat in winch Air-Commodore Goble travelled ns passenger, Swept down the Hoogll, the animal became tangled m the mooring gear on tho flving-boat. YY lien a dawn start was made for Akyab, the goat ivont too. In the air the crew heard a steady thump, thump on the hull, and tore up the floor boards m a desperate effort to locate the causeThe goat, however, Avas not discovered until the boat reached its destination after 11 hours. Some days later when the boat met. with slight trouble and lagged behind, tho Squadron Commander sent a signal asking the reason, and adding: “Presume you arc carrying a dead bullock this time.”. On another occasion a boat was obliged to come down on tho water to investigate an ominous sound, Avluoh appeared to be coming from one engine. Both engines were thoroughly overhauled, and the technical officer of the squadron and Squadron-Leader Feather, second in command were called to investigate. No explanation could be found, and the machine eventually took to the air again. It flew for an hour before it was discovered that the worrying bum bad. sprung from a mouth organ belonging to a member of the ship’s crew. The mouth organ had become lambed in a ‘.‘port of the boat, and the rush of air had done the rest. At three ports of call in the Persian ■Gulf it was found that stores and supplies.for the boats had not arrived, and small impoverished Arab villages were scoured for food for 40 hungry men in the five flying-boats. All tho available poultry in one village was purchased, and the scraggy Arab fowls were so tough that they had to be skinned before they could be eaten.