AVIATORS MISSING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 77, 11 January 1928, Page 5

AVIATORS MISSING

SEARCH FOR THE MEN. AEROPLANE ON THE COAST. CRAFT LEAVES CHRISTCHURCH. WELLINGTON, This Day. In connection with; the missing airmen, it is announced that an aeroplane will leave Christchurch this morning for Trentham, which will be made the base. From this point the 'plane will search the coast as far as possible in 4he hope of picking up the missing men. BEACHES TO BE SEARCHED. WEST COAST OF SOUTH ISLAND. WELLINGTON, This Day. !The aeroplane to search for the airmen has a flying power of 4£ hours, but carries no wireless, and will have to ; come back and' report if it sees anything. The Harbour Board's tug Toia, which carries wireless,, is being sent out to assist in the search. The Telegraph Department is communicating with outlying settlers in the South Island to search beaches suitable for landing, in case the aviators were driven out of their course and hare landed in some remote spot. The Telegraph Department says it is notable that in all big flights wireless fades as the destination is approached, and therefore the fact that no late signals were observed' does not necessarily mean anything. No indication can be given as to where the men were, even when the last wireless 1 message was received at 5.22 yesterday, but as they had been 12$ hours in the air, it is estimated that they must have been somewhere about 300 miles from the nearest point of New Zealand. CAPTAIN BUCKLEY GOES NORTH. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Captain Buckley left the Wigram aerodrome at 1.20 in a DEL 'plane for Trentham, to sei-rch for the missing airmen.

NOT SEEN BY THE ARAHURA. NELSON, This Day. No officers on the Arahura report having seen the aeroplane. Captain Weldman, of the Arahura, reports that the weather was very hazy from Wellington to Stephen's Island, specially overhead, and lie is certain no aeroplane was seen from his vessel. From. Stephen's Island to Nelson all was very clear. There were two officers on the bridge and ,two lookout men, and not one saw any signs of the aeroplane. Captain Wildman says the visibility was not good all through the Straits. Some stewards and passengers reported seeing an aeroplane when the vessel ■was rounding Jackson Head about 11 p.m., but this is ridiculed 1 by all the deck hands. The steward who first thought he saw the aeroplane stated this morning that it was low down between the vessel and Jackson's Head, and was passing quickly eastward. The Captain states this was obviously the light of a scow passing at the time and was never reported as anything else by himself, his officers, or any of the deck hands. WANGANUI, This Day. No trace of the missing 'plane was seen by the coastal steamers, Inaha, Breeze and Kapiti, which arrived here 'this morning, or by the Arapawa, from Onehtmga.

MAY HAVE PASSED NEW ZEALAND. DANGER IN CLOUDY WEATHER. DUNEDIN, This Day. Mr Victor Carmine, a friend of Lieutenant Moncrieff, with whom he tried to organise a fight over two years ago, is at present here. He expresses the opinion that the aviators have flown past New Zealand, which would take *nnly 30 minutes to pass over. If the weather was cloudy, the rockets and flares probably would not be seen by the aviators. Mr Carmine, who is a wireless expert, stresses the need for an expert wireless operator for such ventures. Had the "Ao-tea-Roa" carried one. there would have been no danger of astray, because he would have heen able to determine pretty well the 4Ma«e# fTom the various stations.

THE TASMAN FLIGHT NO TRACE OF CRAFT FOUND PREVIOUS ACCOUNTS DISCREDITED Lieutenant J. R. Moncrieff and Captain C. Hood, who left Sydney for New Zealand at 5.14 a.m. yesterday (New Zealand time) in the monoplane, " Ao-tea-Roa," are missing. It was reported last night that the monoplane had been sighted off the west coast of Wellington. When they did not arrive at the expected time, it was assumed that they had been driven out of their course and instead of landing at Trentham had reached some portion of the South island. So far, however, no news of their being sighted, or of their landing, has been received.

THE WATCH AT FOXTON. DRONING OF ENGINE NOT HEARD FOXTON, This Day. After sunset, clouds obscured the sky toward Westland south from the ocean beach, interfering with visibility. A continuous look-out was kept, audi later in the evening flares were lit along the beach. Reflection of these at intervals on the clouds lead people inland to think it was the 'plane. No one appears to have heard the droning of the engine, which should have been distinctly heard had the machine passed inland. One party of watchers still maintain that they saw the light of the 'plane heading from sea toward Foxton, turn north and disappear in a cloudbank. The sky during the evening was overcast. PREVIOUS REPORTS DISCOUNTED

WELLINGTON, This Day. No news whatever of the missing airmen had been received up to 8.4.5 a.m. Mr A. McNicol, of Dannevirke, (one. of the trustees of the flight), is communicating with the master of the Arahura, who rep—ted that he sighted the 'plane in the Straits last night. The officials are unwilling to offer any suggestions! as to what has become of the men. Various reports from the Wairarapa and other places of hearing the machine last night are now thought, to he prohably incorrect. ANXIETY FELT IN SYDNEY. HEROES OF PIONEERING WORK. (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. When the false news was received that the aviators landed at Wellington people at various entertainments where the announcement was made rose and cheered. News of their landing is now awaited with the greatest anxiety. The "Morning Herald," in a leading article, says: "It requires little imagination to picture the demonstrations of relief and joy in New Zealand." It says "Lieutenant Moncrieff and Captaini Hood were pioneers. Their effort has been a great spectacle. They are heroes and they have added the name of New Zealand airmen to the roll of airmen who have opened ways for the world's air routes of the future. Australians may join with New Zealanders in pride that no stranger pilot has been, the first to fly the Tasman, for the British flying boats which arrive here this year might well have won that honour. The advent of quicker and closer connection between the two Dominions can do nothing but good. The airmen's observations '~in i-oute should contribute materially to a decision upon the expediency of aerial mail across this Sea."

, ANXIOUS WAITING. EXCITEMENT IN ASHBURTON. WIRELESS MESSAGES RECEIVED. Wireless sets' were in full commission in Ashburton last night, and many people listened-in to a< broadcast from Trentham Park racecourse, where the monoplane, *'Ao-tea-Roa," was to have landed, and as the rumours and official messages came through, they provided some thrilling moments, the hours of waiting being anything but tedious. Outside the "Guardian" office, where messages were posted from time to time, a crowd assembled at 7 o'clock, and went reluctantly away at midnight, when it appeared that the aviators would not be landing at Trentham that night. Operators at the Telephone Exchange went through a busy time, calls being many andi frequent. The following gives an idea, of the sequence of the messages received regarding the progress of the flight, as broadcast from Trentham:— 10.40 p.m.—The announcer stated that never before had Trentham' Park looked as it did then, with scores of motor-cars with their headlights turned on to the landing-ground, and with flares blazing, while a rising moon bathed the valley in light. 10.52 n.m.—The crowd begins ' to cheer and motor syrens to hoot.—A false alarm. 11 p.m.—The 'plane had been sighted flvine: over Foxton .at 10.10 p.m. This time was later altered to 10.30 p.m.) 11.25 p.m..—An unofficial report stat-

ed that the machine was over Porirua shortly before. 11.35. —The sky over Trentham beban to cloud over after having been 'clear all day, adding to the difficulties of a landing in the dark. 11.40 p.m.—The crowd at Trentham was estimated to be 2000, many having given up hope of seeing a landing, and returned to Wellington by the special trains running. 11.45.—Reports of the aviators having been sighted, a train arrived back at the ground, while many cars were hurrying to the scene. Midnight.—Mrs J. R. Moncrieff/wife of the intrepid leader of the night, spoke to listeners-in. "I want to state," she said, "that I have every confidence in the safe arrival of my husband." She went on to praise the sportsmanship displayed by the crowd at Trentham that day. She hoped that before long they would all hear the arrival of the monoplane. 12.12 a.m.—A message had been received from the steamer Arahura that she had sighted the 'plane over Jackson's Bay, 29 miles from Wellington, at 11 p.m. 12.17 a.m.—Word was now to hand that the lighthouse attendants at Stephen's. Island (near Farewell Spit) had had the machine under observation for an hour and a-half from 9.40 p.m. This lent colour to the report from the Arahura.

12.42 p.m.—An unconfirmed report stated that the machine had flown over Featherston and the Rimutaka Mountains. 12.57 a.m.—Three people together reported from Martinborough, three reported independently from Featherstone, and one from Kaitoke, that they had heard the machine over these places. The Defence Department was making arrangements to send up rockets. 1.22 a.m.—The Wellington wireless station reported that the 'plane was observed flying over the Rimutakas. 1.35 a.m.—The first rocket went into the ground. 1.36 a.m.—The second rocket exploded—more noise than flare. 1.38 a.m—The third rocket exploded. "This must be Guy Fawkes night," said the announcer. "It is more like a cheap fireworks display." 1.40 a.m. —A new set of rockets was obtained, and these were sent up successfully. 1.41 a.m.—Rumour reports the machine at Lyall Bay (Wellington). 1.43 a.m.—Rockets being fired in rapid succession. 1.47 a.m.—The sky begins to clear again. 2.30 a.m.—No further news* having been received, ,the station closed, the announcer expressing the opinion that the monoplane had landed in some inaccessible place, and that the aviators were awaiting a return of daylight to complete the flight.