NOT YET FOUND

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 242, 26 July 1935, Page 6

NOT YET FOUND

THE MISSING AVIATOR.

WEATHER DELAYS FOOT

PARTIES

(Per Press Association). HASTINGS, July 25

With some slight improvement in the weather this afteronon, lour aeroplanes from the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast Aero Club’s grounds were able to go out about 2 o’clock in search of the missing airman, Mr Hamisli Armstrong; but no trace was found. The foot parties were unable to venture out because of misty weather, which made the task too dangerous.

It is now nearly five days since Mr Armstrong set out lor Hastings, and hopes of finding him appear to be remote. The indications at the moment are that the weather will become worse rather than Letter.

Pilots and tramping parties are standing by in readiness to seaxcli the hills surrounding Messrs Gardner and Yeoman’s mill at Whakarara. The weather there is bitterly cold and wet, with the snow line much lower than usual.

According to Mr J. Cato, of Takapau, the Whakarara sawmill hands who heard Mr Armstrong’s aeroplane and caught a momentary glimpse of it are unshakeable in their belief that it crashed on the Ruahines. They discredit entirely any suggestion that the machine crossed over the ranges to the other side.

Mr Cato reported that the weather along the ranges was hopelessly. bad to-day. Tramping parties were waiting, ho said, to go out again as soon as the weather clears, but it would be foolish and dangerous to attempt any search on foot at present. No one who had not been in that country could realise with what rapidity mists developed. Even the most experienced bushinen and Hampers ran a grave risk of being hopelessly lost in uncertain weather. He was convinced of the worth of searching at a point which his party so far bad been unable to reach, because of the roughness of the country, which was intersected by ravines and streams; but as soon as conditions became favourable another attempt to penetrate to that point would be made from another direction.