LOST AIR-LINER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 80, 16 January 1936, Page 5

LOST AIR-LINER.

EVIDENCE OF RESCUE EFFORTS. SEEKING CAUSE! OF DELAY. United Press Association —Copyright) (Received. This Day> 9.55 a.m.) , ALEXANDRIA, January 15. The inquest into the death of victims of the City of Khartoum was resumed, and the evidence was directed to discovering why there was not an earlier rescue. ~,..-.

Mr McMeeking (acting-engineer and superintendent on the night .of the disaster) said he heard at 8 p.m. that the City of Khartoum had not yet landed.- He and Mr Hough (station superintendent) went to the landingstage to see if there was any sign of the 'plane. They returned' to the office, where Lieut—Commander Micklethwait, of the destroyer Beagle, was waiting to meet passengers from the 'plane. He asked Lieut.-Commander Micklethwait to put to sea. It was then 8.15 p.m. The Commander-in-Chief of the British Fleet gave permission at 8.52 o'clock and the Beagle set out at 9.35 p.m., having been delayed in order to obtain information from an Imperial Airways 'plane which had just arrived. This evidence, combined with that cabled yesterday,when it was stated that the 'plane's nose-light-was seen at 7.15 o'clock, shows that approximately 2i hours elapsed between the accident and the beginning of the search'.