ON FOOT AND BY PLANE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 633, 9 April 1929, Page 1

ON FOOT AND BY PLANE

Search for Southern Cross

POLICE AND NATIVES CO-OPERATING

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) f Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Reed. 10.4 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. THREE West Australian Airways planes and three from 1 New South Wales are on the search for the Southern Cross and tne four airmen, who have now been missing- for nine days in North-Western Australia, as well as parties of North-West Mounted Police and natives. No word is expected from the land searchers for some days.

rpHE air liner Canberra, piloted by -*■ Captain Holden, arrived at Wave Hill radio post office in the Northern Territory yesterday, and later reached IWyndham. Lieutenant Keith Anderson, who left Richmond yesterday in his Westland monoplane, the Kookaburra, to join in the search, has arrived at Maree, South Australia, from Broken Hill. Air-Pilot Tracy and Captain Jolly hopped off quietly from the Mascot airdrome yesterday intending to fly by the Queensland route to join in the search. Tracy knows thoroughly the country where the search is being made. The citizens’ Southern Cross Rescue Fund now totals £5,000. The Government of New South Wales gave £I,OOO. FOOD, GUNS AND PETROL

According to a Press Association message from Christchurch, a wireiess broadcast from Sydney, picked up

of a river. Thick weather prevented them from taking any accurate observation. They steered north-west and soon after ii a.m. turned south-west. At 11.26 they reported that they had only enough petrol for another hour and a-half in the air. They continued south-west in the hope of landing on a beach.

Just before mid-day the Soutnern Cross passed over a mission station. By dropping a note they discovered that they were 150 miles due west of Wyndham. They turned round, but at 12.15 p.m. they wirelessed: “Do not think we can make it.”

Finding that to attempt to reach Wyndham was hopeless on their slender supply of petrol, the airmen evidently went about again, for one of the last messages said that they were heading south-west again. There was no sign of a habitation anywhere. At 1.45 p.m., very soon before the