THE GREAT FLIGHT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10285, 21 May 1919, Page 5

THE GREAT FLIGHT

ATLANTIC CROSSED HAWKER IS MISSING. A SEARCH PROCEEDING. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Australia? and N.Z. (,'ablo Association. (Received May 20, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, May 19. The Admiralty reports:—Hawker's machine has been found 40 miles from Loop Head (Ireland). His body has not been found. A vigilant watch for Hawker is being maintained on the Irish coast. News was received from him at 8 o'clock on Monday morning, New York time (18 hours alter he left Newfoundland;. COMPELLED TO DESCEND TO THE SEA. Limerick revived a wireless message at ".30 that Hawker was compelled to descend to the sea 100 miles off Nincle Bay. He was evidently heading for' tho Shannon Estuary'. Official confirmation was laoking at 9 o'clock.

(Received May 20, 5.6" p.m.) LONDON, May 19. The Admiralty announces that a Sopwith machine came down 40 miles went of Loop Head, at the mouth of tho Shannon, and that all ships have been advised by wireless. There is no information as to whether the pilots were rescued. INSUFFICIENT PETROL CARRIED. LONDON, May 19. It is officially stated that Hawker was carrying sufficient petrol to last until 7.30 p.m. The Air Ministry, at 8 o'clock, had not received any news, and Hawker was five hours overdue. Mrs Hawker is awaiting her husband's arrival at Brooklands. Strong westerly winds are blowing in Ireland. Naval salvage parties are held in readiness. The Sopwith Aeroplane Company has received a wireless message from Hawker stating that he was flying 150 miles from Ireland. His petrol was nearly exhausted, and he would be forced to land in Ireland. PARIS, May 19. Mr Lloyd George has received a message stating that Hawker flew over Waterford, Ireland, at 4.30 p.m., and was en route to England. LONDON, May 19 (7.50 p.m.). Anxiety is growing regarding Haw ker'a fate. Mr Sopwith, however, is confident, and says that the absence of messages is not surprising. Grieve would not be likely to want to talk if he was satisfied with the course. Hawker had insufficient petrol to carry him to Brooklands, and must land in Ireland. Mrs Hawker is equally confident, and attributes the absence of news to Haw-' ker's determination not to assist the Americans by reports of his progress. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.

(Received May 20, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 20. The Admiralty has ordered many vessels to proceed to sea to assist in the search for Hawker. No success was reported at 11 o'clock last night. The search was continued all night. Admiral Tupper, at Queenstown, in a message early this morning, states: The earlier report concerning the descent of a Sopwith. 'plane forty mil&e off the coast is now considered unreliable.

When Admiral laipper received a wireless message' that Hawker had gone dawn, he dispatched a wireless message to a warship at sea to proceed immediately to search the area around' the position lor a radius of tEirty-eight miles. QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.

(Received May 20, 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, May 20. In the House of Commons, on a motion for the adjournment, Captain W. E. Elliott asked whether the Government had any information regarding Hawker.

Colonel Wilson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Shipping Controller, replied, "None whatever." Oa>ptain Elliott condemned the Government's inaction. Tho House and country would feel that the Government had been lamentably remiss and desperately oareless alike of the country's honour and of, the life of a very gallant gentleman. Mr J. W. Pratt, one of the Lords of the Treasury, replied that he did not see how the Government could be heLd responsible. He could only promise to convey to the Government what had been said.

Captain Wedgwood Benn asked whet steps the Government had taken to assist Hawker during his flight by tho provision of pilot or rescue ships. No reply was forthcoming.

LATEST INFORMATION

NO NEWS OF HAWKER,

EXRESSIONS OF REGRET AT BRITISH NEGLIGENCE.

AtmtraUan and N.Z.

Cable Association.

(Received May 21, 12.30 a.m.) LONDON, May 20. The not result of inquiries in official quarters show that no news of Hawker has been received since ho loft Newfoundland.

Considerable regret is expressed that he was left to do tho journey unaided, and contrasts are made with American accounts of how the naval American dispositions worked like clockwork day and night. Until the Azores were sighted, tho airmen were able to see destroyers' star-shells 40 miles distant. Occasionally a fog came up. and was the only source of trouble, but this was serious while it lasted, and emphasises the difficulties of Hawker's track along a far worse route. Few events in recent years have so stirred the imagination of Britain as Hawker's and Giieve's great adventure. If existing fenrs are, unhappily, realised, tho death of tho aviators will be regarded as n national loss. The prospect regarding their rescue overshadows all other topics, 'fa ATLANTIC FLIERS' GUIDE A NTW INSTRUMENT.

A new instrument to help nirmen navigators to find their way across the ocean, the working of which has been kept secret, was to be used by British

competitors for the "Daily .Mail" ■£lo,ooo prize for tho first to fly tne Atlantic. ~ , , "We look to the sun, the pole star. and a clear horizon to fix our position, said a competing pilot, "and then with the, new instrument, which is something like a sextant, we can say to within twenty miles wheru we are at any time lof day or night. By means of a navigating machine, which is really a ready reckoner for turning the readings on tho sextant: into plain lacts upon the chart, and an aerial compass which I am fitting with a nautical card, I think wo will 1.0 able to steer a fairly accurato courtiß. , "A 'course and distance indicator and a 'directional' wireless installation will provide a check lor our calculations. Not the least important of our nistrumenU is a chronometer watch. i "Passing ships will be asked to aijrna l Itheir position, and we can then calculate ours by means of a 'bearing plate. Ships on the main traffic routes will also bo asked to 'make smoke' from tho tunnels at the end of every watch—that is 8 a.m., noon, and i p.m. This is a simple matter for tho stokehold crews, and an oil-burning vessel would leave a patch in the sky which we could seo. for sixty or seventy miles. "In cloudy or misty weather we shall be dependent entirely upon our directional and short wireless sets, and any sudden wind from north or south in a hazy sky would drift the machines many miles off the correct course without our knowing it. We are looking to the extraordinary endurance of our machines, 3200 miles, to get us out of trouble of this kind."

Major J. C. P. Wood, a keen young airman, who has flown over 10CO hours during the war, and who is to compete in ;a. Short-Holls-Royce machine, with Captain C. C. Wyllie, said he was providing a complete set of controls for the separate cockpits to be occupied by Captain Wyllie and himself. "We Bhall each have four-hour watches in the day and two-hour watches at night or in bad weather," he said. "Conversation will be , carried on by a telephone, which forms part of our headgear. Our clothing will be electrically heated, and provision will be made for getting something hot to drink. As the usual position of a pilot is somewhat cramped, we have made part of the control gear detachable, so that it is just possible for us to stretch ourselves straight out, which we expect will be the only relief we shall get during the journey, as wh»n one of us is controlling the machine the other muift be giving undivided attention to the wireless apparatus and navigating instruments."

THE MISSING N.C. 3

AN UNCONFIRMED REPORT.

NEW YORK, May 19.

The Navy Department announces that N.C. 3 was sighted seven miles from Ponta Delgada. The crew has been rescued, and the seaplane is proceeding under its own power. The resumption of the flight of N.C. 4 to Lisbon has been postponed, aa the seaplane was directed to assist in the search for N.C. 3.

A later message states that the report that the crow of the N.C. 3 hava been saved is unconfirmed.

HANDLEY-PAGE MACHINE

CIRCUITS BRITAIN IN THTRIf HOURS' FLYING.

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, May 12.

A military Bandley-Page aeroplane, with a crew of nine, has made a record circuit of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in thirty hours of flying during four days. The average speed, was. sixty-six mile's por - hour,- aiid.V the' average run 450 miles, a day. The wea.ther mas unfavourable -throughout the flight. When the pilot failed to locate an aerodrome near Belfast, the aeroplane made a remarkaible landing on Messrs Harland and Wolff's wharf, in spite of heavy wind.