Only Ten Miles to Go

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 648, 27 April 1929, Page 11

Only Ten Miles to Go

PARTY NEARS TRAGIC SCENE Smith Welcomes Full Inquiry (United P.A. — By Telegraph — Copyright) Received 9.10 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. THE latest advices from Wave Hill state that the ground party led by Lieutenant Eaton is within 10 miles of the Kookaburra plane in which Flight-Lieutenant Keith Anderson and Mr. R. S. Hitchcock went to their deaths.

The air-liner Canberra reached Bourke last night. Pilot Brain, who found the Kookaburra, arrived at Brisbane after a trip of 4 hours 10 minutes, thus beating by 10 minutes the late Lieutenant Anderson’s Sydney-Brisbane record. Interviewed at Narromine, Squad-ron-Leader Kingsford Smith said he flew the Southern Cross as low as 15 feet above the Kookaburra. All the members of the crew, were quite definite that it was Anderson’s body under the wing. From appearances he had been dead many days. Smith and Lieutenant Ulm expressed delight that the Prime Minister had ordered a full inquiry into the circumstances attache/1 to the forced landings of the Southern Cross and the Kookaburra. Captain Matheson, in the Goulbourn Moth, also arrived at Narrowmine. He stated that had he not been marooned at Duchess he would have been flying over the route taken by the Quantas plane at least eight days before its arrival at the area for search, and would probably have sighted the Kookaburra in time to bring succour to its crew. ® A complaint comes from Perth that the Reparation Department has already stopped Mrs. Hitchcock’s pension. The Prime Minister, Mr. Bruce, who is inquiring into the matter, says he understands she is in needy cir-

cumstances and he will see that no injustice is done to her. The Federal Cabinet met yesterday at Canberra and considered arrangements for an independent inquiry Into the forced landings of the Southern Cross and Kookaburra. The proceedings at the inquiry will be open to the Press.

SOUTHERN CROSS

PLANE AT NARRAMINE SYDNEY, Friday. The crew of the Southern Cross left Bulloo in the monoplane at 7.45 a.m. to-day for Sydney. They encountered fierce dust storms and a cold, biting head wind. The machine landed at 1.40 p.m. at Narramine, 300 miles north-west of Sydney, where she will remain until to-morrow. The local population, also crowds of people from adjoining centres, gave the crew a cordial welcome. Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm were wearing flying uniforms and the other two men wore khaki. All had sombrero hats. Their other clothing was left at Wyndham. The air liner Canberra arrived at Long Reach, Queensland, yesterday, and is due at Bourke, New South Wales, to-morrow afternoon.