CLOUSTON THOUGHT HE WAS "FINISHED"

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 66, 19 March 1938, Page 7

CLOUSTON THOUGHT HE WAS "FINISHED"

ALTERS CHOKED. "Most Anxious Time I Have Ever Had." RECORD MISSED. United Press Association.—Copyrlg-ht. ! (Received 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, tliis day. The New Zealand airman, FlyingOfficer A., E. Houston, who took off from Grawoscnil at 8.20 on Tuesday night in the repaired Comet aeroplane in a new attempt to break the record between Britain and New Zealand, arrived at Darwin at 5.55 p.m. yesterday. His time was 7 hours 35 minutes outside Scott's record to Darwin. "I am afraid Scott's record lias us Jieaten," he said in an interview. "Refuelling arrangement* cost us valuable time along the route.'' "After leaving Singapore we ran into t blinding hailstorm and the stones just pelted down. While we were flying over the Timor Sea we thought we were finished at one stage, and I believed we were destined for a watery yrave. The oil filters choked and tlie oil pressure fell with alarming rapidity, hut we managed, to get through. It was the most anxious time I have ever had and I think I'icketts felt as L did." The "Daily Telegraph" says Mr. Houston has changed his plans and is not going to New Zealand owing to the necessity of his returning to England earlier than originally planned. On arrival in Sydney he will have » long sleep. He will then check over ais 'plane and leave to-morrow for Darwin, whence he anticipates leaving for England on Monday morning.

The airman left Allahabad for Singapore, but landed instead at Penang at 3.05 p.m. on Thursday (Greenwich mean lime), as lie feared a shortage of petrol, and the weather was bad. He rested for jeveral hours before leaving for Singapore at 5.4.1 p.m. He arrived at Singapore at 7.54 p.m. and left again for Darwin at 8.48 p.m. on Thursday. Clouston is expected to reach Sydney this afternoon. THREE KILLED. R.A.F. , 'Plane Crashes Into Hillside. TRAGEDY IN ENGLAND. (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, March 18. Tearing through a email wood, and leaving behind'it a trail of broken trees and debris, r Royal Air Force 'plane erashed in flames down a hillside at Corfe Castle, Dorset. The three occupants were'killed. FOUND UNINJURED. H. F. Broadbent Landed on An Island. AEROPLANE DAMAGED. (Received 10 a.m.) SYDXEY, this day. A Qantas aeroplane searching for Air. H. F. Broadbent, the Australian airman whose non-arrival at Darwin 011 his flight from England had caused alarm, fouid him on the beach of Torren Island, off the coast of Flores Island, sorth-west of Timor. Radio stations in the Dutch East Indies reported that Mr. Broadbent had been seen on Wednesday over Rambang and early. on Thursday morning over 'Waingapu, on Sumba Island, flying in an easterly direction, and later lie was returning in a westerly direction about 3.45 a.m. Two Dutch naval and six military aeroplanes and a Government steamer set out in search of the flyer. Advice has now been received in Sydney that Mr. Broadbent was found uninjured on Torren Island, but the •eroplane was damaged, the chief damage appearing to be a bent propeller. A Dutch official and a few natives were with him on the island. His machine was on rising ground, about •00 yards from the shore.

Mr. Broadbent is aboard a Dutch Government vessel. He will endeavour to fly his machine to Sydney, but it Will possibly take a few weeks. SEARCH ABANDONED. Missing soviet aviators. (Received 1.30 p.m.) AKLAVIK, March 18. The Soviet has abandoned the search for the seven Russian aviators who were lost while attempting: to fly from Moscow to Fairbanks, Alaska, en route to New York, via the North Pole in August last year. Sir Hubert Wilkins, who is returning to Xew York, expressed doubts as to whether the flyers had •rossed the Pole. "SMITHY'S" MOTHER. DEATH IN SYDNEY. (Received 9.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. _ The death is announced of Mrs. Catherine Mary Kingsford Smith, mother of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, at the age of 81 years. ARCTIC EXPLORERS. WELCOMED IN MOSCOW. MOSCOW, March 18. A tumultuous welcome was accorded tlie Arctic explorers to-day. Thousands "f workers, accompanied by bands, marched to the station carrying banners and flowers. The leader, M. Papanin, delivered nil address in fhe station square and then went to the Kremlin for the'final celebrations. •*