MUTILATED MESSAGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 630, 5 April 1929, Page 1

MUTILATED MESSAGE

Was it From Missing Airmen ? WEATHER AT WYNDHAM IMPROVES SEVEN planes will sweep both the coast and the hilly bush country around Wyndham in an endeavour to find some trace of the Southern Cross and the four airmen who disappeared completely after passing over the Drysdale Mission Station on Sunday. Two planes are already searching and five more are on their way north. A mutilated wireless message picked up in Melbourne seems to indicate that Kingsford Smith and his crew are alive and endeavouring to get into touch with the outride world. The words, “Smith will try again in the morning,” are reported to have been heard by the listener. (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) ** (Australian and N.Z. Press Association)

Reed. 10.48 a m. SYDNEY, To-day. rrHERE is still no sign of the miss--1 ing Southern Cross. The West Australian Airway’s plane returned to tVyndham last night, having made a turther search of the Drysdale district without result. the second West Australian plane has not yet reached the Port George Mission country. Fresh searches will be made to-day. Four airplanes were expected to leave Sydney early this morning to aid in the search. They are the air liter Canberra and Wing-Commander Wackett's Widgeon (which were unable to leave yesterday owing to the boggy state of the airdromes), a Port George plane, and the Goulburn Aero Club's Moth. The Canberra left the Richmond Airdrome at 9.15 this morning. The plane will fly to Western Australia and then up the north-west coast. An influential committee was formed in Sydney this evening to prosecute efforts to find the Southern Cross and its crew. A Wyndham message states that the weather conditions there are improving, and the landing ground is drying quickly. A plans left yesterday afternoon to explore both sides of the Cambridge Gulf, and to go as far Inland as practicable. The Forrest River and Drysdale missions have been asked to send

out natives to inquire ot the natives in the Drysdale and Port George country for any information concerning the Southern Cross. Another West Australian Line airplane will leave Perth to-day to join in the search.

HEARD IN MELBOURNE

MESSAGE OF HOPE DISJOINTED WORDS AND STATIC (A ustralian and N.Z. I’reas Association) MELBOURNE, Thursday. An experienced wireless enthusiast, Mr. V. George, of Heidelberg, a suburb of Melbourne, thinks he picked up a message from the Southern Cross airmen. Mr. George was listening on a wavelength of 34 to 35 metres at 9.15 last evening, when amid the static what appeared to be a mutilated message came through which read: “Smith will try again in morning.” Some indecipherable words followed, and then “ . . .peller turn men eating wild fowl.” The message then faded badly. Mr. George thinks it came from someone with a very little power using an ordinary receiving valve as a transmitter.