ALL HOPE ABANDONED

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 305, 16 March 1928, Page 1

ALL HOPE ABANDONED

Hinchcliffe 24 Hours Overdue Lord Inchcape’s Daughter in Plane By Cable. — Fret* A.s*ociation. — Copyright. Received 10 a.m. NEW YORK, Thursday. CAPTAIN HINCHCLIFFE and the Hon. Elsie Mackay are now more than 24 hours overdue on their flight from England to America, and virtually all hope has been given up, despite the rumours which are still coming in of the plane having been heard seen at isolated points. It has now been established definitely that Lord Inchcape’s daughter accompanied the airman.

The secrecy under which the flight was attempted defeats the calculations of those who might have gone to the rescue. Aviators doubt the value of sending relief planes. According to a message from Portland, Maine, coastguards at Biddefordpool station on Thursday afternoon were investigating an unconfirmed report that a yellow object and two persons, possibly the Adventure with Captain Hinchliffe and Miss Elsie Mackay, were seen on Stratton Island off Old Orchard Beach". One report stated that the watchers could unmistakably see the yellow object and two persons, who seemed to be waving through the mist. The coastguardsmen returned from Stratton Island and reported that there was no trace of the Adventure.—A. and N.Z.

LAST-MINUTE DECISION MR. SINCLAIR’S STORY LONDON, Wednesday. It has now been definitely established that the Hon. Elsie Mackay, daughter of Viscount Inchape, accompanied Captain Hinchcliffe on his flight. The latter’s friend, Mr. Sinclair, today arrived at Mrs. Hinchcliffe’s house at Purley. thus finally disposing of a rumour that there were three persons in the plane. In an interview to-dav, he said it was only two hours before the departure of the airplane that Miss Mackay decided to fly with Captain Hinchcliffe. Continuing, he said: “My work has been to superintend the

equipment and prepare the machine in which I originally thought I should be flying. I had been .working lor a fortnight to get ready and had not slept lor the last four or fire nights. The rest of the party arrived on Monday, but I was so busy placing stuff on board the plane that I did not notice the repeated talks between Miss Mackay and Captain Hinchcliffe. “I only know that suddenly at two o’clock on Tuesday morning I was told I was not to fly. We had been up all night making preparations. We went to the airdrome in Miss Mackay’s car. There everything was in readiness. I shook hands with them, and the next thing I remember was waving good-bye to the plane, which had started. Now I am waiting anxiously, but I am lull of hope. “Captain Hinchcliffe mentioned many times that he would, if possible, push on to Philadelphia. I think it is likely the machine slipped through the watchers at Newfoundland in the log. They have petrol enough for 45 to 50 hours’ flight, so they can still keep going. We found it impossible to make any calculations as to the time the trip would take. That would depend upon the strength and variation of the wind. “Captain Hinchcliffe said he was confident he would be able to pick out a landing place at St. John by the lights of the town. If that were impossible he would push further on. There was no sleep on Monday for our party. We stayed up talking and preparing rations until the decision was reached suddenly at 2 a.m. That is the whole story.”—A. and N.Z.-Sun. f TJj? name of Captain Hinchcliffe"s Gordon previously .cabled as Sinclair