PREPARED FOR DEATH

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 332, 18 April 1928, Page 9

PREPARED FOR DEATH

Atlantic Flyers" Grim Resolve

BARON HUEHNEFELD’S APPOINTED TASK

THAT the Atlantic flyers were preparing to face death, when the frozen land of Greenley appeared through the mists, is revealed in detail news which is trickling through from the storm-hound island. The exhausted men had decided that Baron Huehnefeld should shoot his companions and then himself when the situation became hopeless.

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) ' (Australian P.A.—United Service) Reed. Noon New York, Tueseday. It is becoming daily increasingly difficult to obtain authentic information regarding the Atlantic flyers. This is principally due to the fact that a storm is still raging along the entire Labrador coast, and this seriously delays communications. Moreover, the little Point Amour radio station, which is the nearest to them, has been deluged with business for several days, and messages to and from the flyers are still piling up. In the meantime, the reports which do emanate are frequently most conflicting. For example, one received to-day stated that the flyers had landed on a small ice-covered pond, with little damage, which did not include the under-carriage, and that they would be able to resume the flight on Wednesday; while another report declared that they had landed on icecovered ground, not a pond, and that the plane had dragged a considerable distance, damaging the under-carri-age and necessitating extensive repairs, wjlich could not be completed within five or six days. However, definite details are expected when Major Fitzmaurice reaches civilisation. Because of further conflicting reports, it is at present uncertain whether Major Fitzmaurice is actually approaching civilisation, or whether he has returned to Greenley with Duke Schiller, the Canadian airman, who flew to the island. According to one source. Major Fitzmaurice and Captain Schiller took off from Natashquan this morning for Murray Bay. In this event they should have arrived already, but it is suggested that bad weather may have compelled them to descend at Seven Islands. However, a dispatch received by Mr. J. Gobeil, superintendent of the Canadian Government Telegraphs at Otawa, states that Schiller and Fitzmaurice returned to Greenley instead of proceeding to Murray Bay, and picked up both German flyers and the Canadian airman, Mr. Louis Cuisinier. He is now reported to be proceeding to Murray Bay with the entire Bremen crew. Thus it is apparently impossible to determine the actual situation until the Schiller plane makes its appear ance. A DESPERATE STATE A message from St. John, New Brunswick, says a wireless story of the flight of the Bremen was received by the newspaper “Times-Globe” from a Labrador mission station. It said the Bremen crew were nearly exhausted when they landed, after losing hope of reaching the land. Baron Huehnefeld was prepared to shoot his companions if the worst came to the worst. All were modest in reference to the feat. STORY FROM A NURSE The “New York Post” has published a story from »a nurse at the Grenfell Mission, 16 miles from Greenly. She states that the Bremen is still in the pond where it landed, with the axle of the propeller damaged but it has been hoisted up on tanks. She states that Baron Huehnefeld was prepared to shoot himself and his companions before they found Greenly in the fog. The flyers carried as luck symbols

a silver doll, a black pig, and a shamrock leaf. The “Post” also reports that a plane arrived at Greenly from Murray Bay yesterday, and is now returning for spare parts. A late message from Seven Islands, Quebec, says that Schiller and Fitzmaurice had arrived tfiere for Natashquan, and had departed for Murray Bay. ‘‘THANK GOD!” The Grenfell nurse, Miss Ferris, stated that Baron Huehnefeld left the plane upon arrival and proceeded to the lighthouse for dry footwear. He was suffering from cold and refused to eat until his companions left the plane. His first meal was biscuits and fresh milk. The baron still feels the cold and wishes to reach New York. Herr Koehl does not complain. Commandant Fitzmaurice stated that Ireland was warmer. The first words of all in different languages were “Thank God.” Herr Koehl celebrated his 30th birthday last Sunday. Baron Iluelinefeld kisseS the hand of the first Canadian woman to obtain his autograph.

WAR-TIME STORIES

Irish comrade, Major Fitzmaurice, joins.”

KOEHL CAUGHT BY FRENCH THRILLING EPISODES (Australian Press Association) Reed. Noon. PARIS, Tuesday. The “Petit Parisien” reveals how Herr Koehl during the war time came down In his own lines, which the French instantly captured. He was caught, but was as silent as an oyster till an Alsation officer posing as a German prisoner trapped him into disclosing the most important fact that the Germans timed to be in Paris on June 15, 1918, and would make a final attempt to break through on the Compeigne—Crepy-en-Valois sector.

A Berlin message says the newspapers there are giving prominence to a thrilling episode in the war-time career of Herr Koehl. He was t V leader of a bombing squadron on the Western Front. Single-handed he blew up an ammunition dump, but later he was obliged to descend eight miles from Paris owing to his machine being damaged by anti-aircraft gunfire. However, he managed to destroy the machine and avoid those who hurried, to the scene. For three days he made his way through hostile country pretending to be an American airman. He was then arrested by a British officer, but he escaped in a stolen motor-car. President Hindenburg has received a message from Herr Koehi and Baron von Huehnefeld, saying: “With God’s help we achieved the first east to west Atlantic flight in a German airplane. We made, an intermediate landing at Greenley Island. Accept our respectful greetings, in which our