PLANE OVERDUE

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20273, 16 August 1937, Page 7

PLANE OVERDUE

THE SOVIET AIRMEN. FLIGHT OVER NORTH POLE. CONCERN FELT IN RUSSIA. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrlgh MOSCOW, August 15. Concern is felt for the safety of the Soviet airmen who took off on Thursday on an attempt to fly over the North Pole to Fairbanks, Alaska, en route to New York. No news lias been heard of them for 15 hours. It is known that one of the four engines of their machine failed soon after they had passed the Pole. The aeroplane is in command of M. Sigismund Levanevsky, the Soviet ** ace,” and has a crew of seven. It is believed that the machine lias been forced down on an Arctic icefield owing to ice accumulating on the wings. The ice-breaker Krassin has been ordered to explore the Cape Barrow area. The vessel will take three aeroplanes to assist in the search. Five hours after the machine was due at Fairbanks for refuelling, it had not arrived, and considerable anxiety began to be felt. It was scheduled to reach Fairbanks at 6 p.m. on Friday (New York time), but no other word lias been received from the aeroplane since a wireless message was sent saying it had crossed the North Pole. It is believed that the machine encountered storms, but the weather at Fairbanks was ideal. ONLY SIGN OF LIFE. MYSTERIOUS BLIND SPOTS. DISJOINTED RADIO MESSAGE. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. (Received August 16, 11.5 a.m.) NEW YORK, August 15. A message from Fairbanks, Alaska, states that a disjointed radio message, reading : ”No bearings, having trouble with wave-bank," picked up 2S hours after the report was received that the plane had crossed tlie North Pole, was tiie only sign of life from tlie Soviet fliers. It is believed they have been forced down in the 1200-miles frigid ocean between the Pole and Point Barrow, embracing mysterious blind spots in which two previous trans-Polar Soviet Planes lost touch with listeners for hours on end owing lo interference with the wireless transmission. There is no serious fear, hut a number of planes, Including three bearing Russian agents, are searching from Fairbanks. Brotherhood of the Air. Brotherhood of the air is exempli- | fled by the departure of Mr James (Mattern for Fairbanks from Los Angeles at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday, in an | effort to repay the act of mercy by Levanesvsky, who led the rescuers to : Mattern when the latter crashed up in Siberia in 1933. On August 1 tlie Department of Commerce granted the famous American round I lie-world flier. James Matlern. permission to attempt a transPolar flight lo Moscow. Tiie permit i stipulated that I lie flight should be , made early in 1938. ARRANGEMENTS FOR RESCUE. ICE-BREAKERS AND AEROPLANES. ACTION BY SOVIET AUTHORITIES. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. CopyrlgQi. (Received August 16, 1 p.m.) MOSCOW, August 15. The authorities are making elaborate arrangements for the discovery and i rescue of the missing Soviet plane. They are despatching icebreakers and aeroplanes to the Polar regions.