TOSSED IN GREAT STORM

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 376, 9 June 1928, Page 1

TOSSED IN GREAT STORM

PLANE FIGHTS WAY THROUGH TERRIFIC WEATHER Riding triumphant on the wings of the Storm, the Southern Cross pressed on all last night. She was tossed by great winds, and fought her way through terriffic weather, as the scream and buzz of her transmitter told. Between 4.40 and 7.45 p.m. yesterday listners for signals from the plane heard nothing. Then at 7.45 p.m. the plane’s position (510 miles from Suva) was given, and a message stated: “Bad weather. Blind flying. Raining.” Silence again; then at 9 o’clock came a graphic report. “We did not want to worry anyone while in it, but now we are about out of it, we will tell you that for the past two hours we have been battling with the worst weather of the whole flight at a height of 7,500 ft to 10,000 ft. “There have been exceptionally heavy rain and bumps, giving us several

CROWNED with success and with great fame, the Southern Cross flyers reached Brisbane this morning from Fiji. They were welcomed with wild enthusiasm by a vast crowd. On this last lap of their epic flight from California, they fought their way through terrific storms, but pressed steadily on through the black night toward their goal. The names of Kingsford Smith, Ulm, Lyon and Warner will shine for ever in the story of man’s conquest of air and ocean.

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian Press Association)

drops of over 400 ft at a time and generally a series of mean tricks by the elements. On this last stage Smithy and I are not through, but as soon as the moon comes up and blind flying ends for the night, will eat and have a spot of our emergency ration of whisky; too cold to write more. We have no gloves; will send later. Cheerio.—Ulm.”

The plane’s position was latitude 21deg. 47m south, longitude 170 deg lm east, which was 620 miles from the starting point. During the storm,

the speed was reduced from 96 to 76 miles an hour. At 9.15 p.m. the flyers reported they were ISO miles from the coast of New Caledonia and 90 miles north-east of Walpole Island. Rain-squalls were reported ahead at 10.30. IN STORM AGAIN A report at 11 p.m. gave the Southern Cross’s position as latitude 22 degrees 45 minutes; longitude 167 degrees 34 minutes, equivalent to 83S nautical miles from Brisbane. This position was just off the Isle of Pines, at the southern extremity of New Caledonia, and approximately 965 statute miles from Brisbane. Almost half the distance had been covered. Half an hour later came a brief message: “Plane in storm.” A broadcast from Brisbane, relayed by IYA at 1 a.m., stated that the airplane was all well and within 700 miles of Brisbane. Its speed was about 75 miles an hour. The position then reported was latitude 23 degrees 15 minutes; longitude 166 degrees 21 minutes, this being 80 nautical miles (about 90 statute miles) beyond the Isle of Pines. A message addressed to Honolulu was: “Seven hundred miles to go. Cheerio. Pass it on.—Warner.” 550 MILES TO GO At 1.30 a.m. the words: “Receiving bad. Flying low. Call later,” were heard. From 1.30 until 2 a.m. the transmission key of th,e Southern Cross buzzed continuously, indicating that the Southern Cross was being blown about and badly swung by high winds. At 2.16 a.m., the following message was picked up: “Southern Cross, position latitude 24.02 south, longitude 164.12 east.”

At 2.18 a.m. a private message was sent to America reporting “All 0.K.” At 3.30 a.m. the following message was received: “Position here at 3 a.m., latitude 25 degrees 25 minutes; longitude 162 degrees 43 minutes; 550 miles from Brisbane.”

The radio station at Wellington was keeping in touch with the movement of the Southern Cross, receiving hourly reports of its position. At 1 a.m. the plane was 708 miles from Brisbane, and in a head wind. By three o’clock the distance from the goal was reduced to 555 miles, by four to 489 miles, and by five to 408 miles. The Secretary of the General Post Office has received the following message from the radio station, Wellington: 8 a.m: The following has been received from the Southern Cross, addressed “Sunflight, Sydney”:

“We are nearing the Australian coast now in good weather after a rotten night. We have been tossed off our course so much during the

night that I shall not be surprised if we are quite a distance from Brisbane when we strike the coast, unless Mr. Warner can get some radio bearings. Cheerio, Signed, Ulm, Southern Cross.” The Awanui wireless station supplies the following report of the progress of the flight: “At 9 a.m. the Southern Cross states, ‘One and a-half hours from Brisbane; speed 74 knots; altitude 1,000 ft; revolutions 1,530; visibility excellent.’ ” At half past nine the following message was received from the Southern Cross:— “If my calculations are correct we should laud at Brisbane between 10 and 10.30 New Zealand time or between 8.30 and 9 a.m. Brisbane time. These last few hours always seem the longest. Both Smith and I are just aching for a smoke. We are flying at an altitude of I,oooft, and the visibility is excellent. We are doing 74 knots and the engines turning at 1,530 revolutions. We are just strolling along.—Ulm.” The Secretary of the General Post Office reports that the following message from the Southern Cross was picked up by the Wellington radio station at 11 a.m.: “Sorry to be late in arrival at Brisbane. Last night’s storm blew us so far off the coast that the land first sighted was south of Baliina. We’re on our way up now.— Ulm.”