Sagging Hopes for Airmen

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 643, 20 April 1929, Page 1

Sagging Hopes for Airmen

SOUTHERN CROSS JOINS QUEST

Fleet of Planes Searching

(United P.A.—B y Tel&grapli—Copyright J Received 10.25 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. THE hope of finding Anderson and Hitchcock alive is dying . Admitting that there was not more than a remote chance of finding the men alive, Air Force officials propose to continue the search.

Leaving Alice Springs, the Kookaburra carried only three bottles of water and a packet of sandwiches. Seven airplanes will search to-day, including the Southern Cross. Three Air Force machines arrived at Alice Springs yesterday afternoon. A Queensland plane equipped with wireless also joins the search to-day. The Southern Cross leaves Derby at daylight for Wyndham. The monoplane was given an overhaul yesterday. An Amalgamated Wireless report says the Southern Cross flew from Derby yesterday at noon to Wyndham, to commence at the earliest moment a search for Anderson and his mechanic, Hitchcock, who are still missing. In a special interview at Derby, Squadron-Leader C. E. Kingsford Smith said: “Although we, of the Southern Cross, said to each other, ‘We must eventually get out of this all right,’ nevertheless I knew from my own personal thoughts, that we were all fearful that the only thing found would be our dilapidated old bus and some bones. “When we were sighted,” he says, “Litch. and I, with tears in our eyes, hugged each other, and said, ‘God bless old Les Holden.’ ” WERE FLYING BLIND SMITH ON THE FORCED LANDING TEN MINUTES’ FUEL LEFT Reed. 9.5 a.m. PERTH, To-day. Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith, before departing from Derby, told a brief story of the Southern Cross forced landing to Colonel Mansfield. He reiterated a number of the points disclosed in Flight-Lieutenant TJlm’s diary, and went on to state: “We were flying blind for several hours before being forced down. When we were over the Port George Mission we had about an hour and ahalf’s supply of petrol left, so we dropped a message asking in which direction Wyndham was. The reply was made in figures on the ground, namely, 150 miles, and a man pointed in an easterly direction. “We thereupon flew in that direction for approximately 50 minutes. Then, realising that the petrol was insufficient to get us there, we turned back for 25 minutes, still in rain, low clouds, and bad visibility, and being

unable to sight the mission. We landed safely on a soft grassy swamp with approximately a ten minutes’ fuel supply. “Our position was somewhat obscured from the rescuing planes, and owing to weakness and damp fuel we were unable to make big fires. We were, however, always comforted by Mac’s efforts, receiving the Sydney radio stations, which told of the attempts to find us.” BLACK TRACKERS FAIL Press Association WELLINGTON, Friday. Wireless broadcast messages received late this evening from Sydney stated that the Flora Valley Station had reported having seen two black trackers, who had been en route since April 8, and that neither had seen or heard of Anderson’s airplane. Rumours were still being received that a machine had been heard in that vicinity. A message from Wyndham stated that the Kookaburra was last heard of 150 miles from Alicetown. It was announced at Sydney that the Government was making special arrangements for a search.