MISSING AVIATORS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 80, 14 January 1928, Page 6

MISSING AVIATORS

SEARCH BEING CONTINUED. APPARENTLY A SIGNAL. SMOKE IN TARARUA RANGES. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, January 13. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Office to-night received the following message from the postmaster at Rongotea:— Mr Stringer, foreman of the State Forest Service, reports that smoke is issuing from the Tararua Ranges, approximately behind Levin, and. is apparently a signal, not a bush hre. The postmaster at Rongotea later eupplemented his message with the fol- . lowing:— i Mr Stringer reports that the fire is apparently in the foothills, 42 de- ! grees magnetic bearing from the 1 mouth of the Rangitikei Riyer. He 1 feels certain it is not a bush fire. i IN THE TARARUAS. MANY SEARCH PARTIES OUT. WELLINGTON, January 13. Public feeling that the missing aviators have landed in some remote portion of the shaggy ranges which fold in on each other from Trentham to the Rimut'akas and Tararuas is still strong, and in view of the fact that an aerial survey of the terraces is being undertaken by the Defence Department, members of the Tararua Tramping Club have acceded to tbe public desire for a search' of the ranges, and many parties are out. It was their first intention to hold themselves in readiness should their services be called upon, .but the fact that Mr J. Rawnsley, who ie a tramper as well as an aviator, is accompanying the searching 'plane, knows the country thoroughly, and ie capable of giving exact directions for an aid .party to reach any given.spot, made it desirable that the oarties should go out on to the scene ready for eventualities. Parties of trampers are out from Levin, Greytown and Masterton. Members of the Tararua Tramping Clubare searching from Otaki, Kaitoke and in the Akatarawa-Wbakatiki district, in the district between the summit and Wairarapa Lake, in the Orongorongas, Tauherenikau Valley and in the country round the summit of the Rimutaka Road, etc. A party is out from Feathereton to search the high country in the direction of the Tararuas, and another party has gone to Kapakanui, a high peak at the back of Reikeio-: rangi; „ . . _ A party of Rovers (Senior Boy Scouts) is searching some portions of the high country in the Rimutakas and Mungaroas. There must be in all over one hundred men out at the present moment. The aim of the searchers is to reach high locations, from which large areas of this exceedingly difficult country may be scanned. It is expected that a large number of parties will be out for at least two days. MASTERTON, January 13. Two parties left Masterton . this morning to search the Tararuas for. the airmen. They are equipped with three days' provisions, alpine tents and stoves and will explore the ridges from the Summit range until Sunday night. A third party of soldier settlers from Naoumu settlement left to search the Waiorongomai and Orongorongo districts, where it was reported a 'plane had been seen on Tuesday night. THE SEARCH BY SEA. VISIBILITY GOOD. WELLINGTON, January 13. The Minister for Defence (the Hon. F J Rolleston) received the following wireless message this afternoon froni Commodore Swabey: "H.M.S. Dunedin passed through lat. 33.20 south, long. 169 40 east at a quarter past nine tins morning and is steering 210 degrees at 24 knots. The weather is perfect for the search at present, with a calm sea and a maximum visibility. Un reaching the latitude of Cape Farewell we intend to search t» the north and west of the present area. lhe Diomede has been directed to be at lat. 37 degrees south, long. 171.30 east at daylight on Saturday, and to search an area between that position and lat. 38.20 south, long. 169.40 east of Cape Egmont." . The last radio report to be received from the tug Toia, which is searching for the missing aeroplane in the vicinity of Cape Egmont was at 5.J0 p.m. yesterday. She was then 62 miles west of Cape Egmont and stated that light southerly winds and a .considerable : swell were being experienced, but i visibility was good. The chief telegraph I engineer has advised that the Toia was {in communication with H-M.S. Dunedin at 8.36 a.m. to-day.

•PLANE NEAR PORIRUA.

MASTER MARINER'S STATEMENT. SYDNEY, January 13. The master of the steamer Kaiwarra, in a wireless message to the "Sun, reiterates' the statement that he saw an aeroplane at 11 o'clock on Tuesday night. The machine was then circling in the vicinity of Porirua. It was iw sight for three or four minutes, and then disappeared behind a cloud, flying eastward. The Kaiwarra at this tune was near the Brothers Light in Caok Strait. KAIWARRA'S STORY SCOUTED.

WELLINGTON, January 13. It was officially siated to-day that five coastal ships, including the Inaha, the Breeze, the Kapiti, and the Hawera were steaming at intervals from Gape Terawhiti and Kapiti Island between 9.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday, and more than one of these vessels saw the Karwarra bound from Wellington to Sydney, which reported seeing flares dropped between Paekafca- : riki and Stephen Island, but .although 'they were all keeping a good look-out they saw nothing indicating the presence of an aeroplane, and their masters scout the story altogether i In connection with beliefs that the

! aviators may have been picked up by ■a vessel if they were forced into the sea, it is stated that not a single ship is known to have been at sea between Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday that has not since arrived in port somewhere or other, or has been in communication by radio. One shipmaster expressed the view that the weather conditions were such as would take the airmen well to the southward of their proper course for Wellington. He suggests as an alternative to coming down at sea a landing somewhere in South Westland, where there are many beaches on which it is> possible for a plane to descent unobserved. He and others consider it wrong that the airmen were not possessed of the means to send out a radio signal in the event of a mishap, with some indication of their approximate position. WAS THE AEROPLANE SEEN? MANY REPORTS RECEIVED. WELLINGTON, January 13. Though searchers on the Tararuas and at sea have given negative reports so far, the authorities are receiving further reports of happenings on the night when the Tasman flight should have ended. Several reports are corroborative of the machine being in the vicinity of Cook Strait. The postmistress at Manakau received tliis morning the following communication signed by Messrs' R. B. Kilgour and E. Eilgour:— "We do hereby declare that on the night of January*'lo, at about 11.45 p.m., we distinctly heard the drone of an aeroplane passing down Waitohu Valley. Our attention was drawn to the matter by a number of calves in a small paddock close to our house stampeding and roaring." Waitohu Valley is situated between Manakau and Otaki. The postmistress adds: Mr Kilgour is quite reliable. His farm is some three miles from the main road, and not subject to motor traffic. The Chief Postmaster at Wanganui telegraphed to-day: "Am advised that Campbell and five others at Maxwell saw an .aeroplane at 8.40 p.m. on January 10. I expect Mr Campbell here shortly to make a sworn statement, when I will confirm."

The police have received a written statement from Mr C. A. Kiddy, a resident of Horokiwi Valley, near Petone. He and his family watched for the aeroplane ;and had the wireless report that it had been seen from Stephen Island. After this they saw a red glow toward Cook Strait which kept fading and brightening. It was travelling toward Trentham and was ten miles away. They did not see the outline of the aeroplane nor hear the engine. As the machine appeared to be due west of his bouse and looked as if it was travelling along a range of hills going backwards and forwards, MiKiddy'lit ai.gbrse fire as a guiding signal He had the glow in view from 9.15 till 10 o'clock.

PETONE MAN'S STORY. LIT FIRE TO HELP AIRMEN. WELLINGTON, January 13. Certain that he saw .the monoplane from a hiU at 9.15 on Tuesday evening, a Petone man named Charles A. Kiddy lit a fire to give the airmen their bearings. In a sworn statement, Kiddy says: "I was on top of the Horokiwi road, looking out for the aeroplane. From where I was I could see the Strait and the outline of the South Island. My wife and brother-in-law were also watching. We were also running in and out of the house., listening; to the wireless description of the flight from Trentham. ,' "W« heard on the wireless that the 'plane had been sighted off Stephen Island. We then went out to keep up the watch, and saw a red glow fading and brightening up, and appeared to be travelling toward Trentham. It would he about 10 or 12 miles away from where I was standing. I could not hear any sound of the motor. "The machine appeared to be due west of my house, and looked to me as if it was travelling along the range of hills, going backwards and forwards. , . "il had the glow iu view from about 9.15 p.m. to 10 p.m. I did not see the outline of the 'plane. "I made sure it was going to pass over my place, and I set fire to a patch of gorse to give the aviators the line of where tliey. were. "I am of the opinion; that if it was the 'plane I saw it crashed in one of the gullies near the coast-line. As I saw it tacking lip and down the range, I thought they were looking for a place to land."

RAS LWAYMAN'S STO RY. WANGANUI, January 13. Mr William Henry Winter, of Maxwell, called at the post office and made a sworn statement regarding seeing the aeroplane, as follows : "I was at my residence, about two miles from the sea at the Maxwell railway, on January 10.. I saw an aeroplane for two or three minutes, losing sight of it at 8.35 p.m.. by my watch, which was correct. "I am a tablet porter. My wife and three children, aged sixteen, fourteen and eleven, also saw the 'plane, which' was some distance out to sea, and appeared as a dark: streak travelling fast, and was very clear against the bright sky when first seen,, the sun having set very shortly before. '"'lt was heading for about Paekaka*riki, and we lost sight of it as it passed * background of dark cloudy We have iecn aeroplanes pass our place both ways on former occasions, but always, nearer than thi& one.. "I realise how important this state--ment may be in view of the search no>« being made for the airmen." Mr Winter; when interviewed, was positive that what he saw was not},a bird nor a flock of birds, because- the object was travelling too fast, and he Was too familiar with the difference. The 'plane was too far away to enable the observers to hear its engine. Immediately after seeing the "plane, he communicated with the district traffic manager of railways at, Wangamii and reported the matter.