STORY OF DISASTER

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 50, 28 August 1922, Page 7

STORY OF DISASTER

'AT-; THE ■ OF/ THE 'SM&; *

DAYS OF SUN-SCORCHED AGONYi /■-\,. i . .. ■

(Rec«ivtd 28th August, 8 :t.m.) LONDON, 26th August.

'A four thousand word meEß»gCfronV Chittagong gives details of the adven-i i tures of Captain Malms and. Captain : Macmillan. After leaving Calcutta, they , met mansoonal storms and.: heiwyV'^in, =1 and were compelled to change" their ' route from direct to Akyab to-:.t«ward» Chittagong. ■ Suddenly the ehj[ihe.\sWip-' > ped, and the machine landed '.on:; a. { heavy sea, and the waves, breaking,; right over (her, smashed one oil the ribs'' of the elevator. They managed to start.; the engine on a gravity system and., started to ta^i back in the direction of Lukhidiagar, and ran aground on ,themud a mile from the island. "J, ,:""':'".'.

I They had left Calcutta" without .br^k-*----fast, and the only Bupplies <in- board were two gallons' of water, V tinvbf toffee, some cigarettes, cigars; i a^!t';t!ifee: i boxes of matches. Late in the, day natives from the island brought a small' iijar of mjlk. Conversation was impossible, neither side understanding the-' language of the other. Storms of heavy rain throughout the' night soaked' everything, and every effort to get the machine off.the mud was futile. Next day the natives brought more milk,: and the day following they were accompanied by an English-speaking,r,.iiatn»^\'i>y.'. whom the first message was settt to'•Calcutta. There was no improveinsnt in th« weather and everything was 'waterlogged. '■ ■:...-■• V;- - L ;..-:v--'" , :

, The pair tinkered up the'-engine arid, the storm bio-wing out on \ the fourth morning, at midday they got all the mud on the. rising tide, and resJwtecl th# . flight to Chittagong. Bnt, fiite«n-r«fp- ~ utes later, the engine again '.failed - and the machine dropped wily into, the »c» out of sight of the'land. It ,wm decided to taxi to Chittagong, sixteen niiles aw»y, but a heavy tide delayed piwjgreM, and the/party was still out of aigjjjt Ipf/land wKen the petrol gave out. The crippled engine had a perilous list to starboard,' and, fearing it would tnrn turtle, Captain Macmillan scrambled several times from -the port-wing, wheVe the aviators had taken refuge, into the cockpit, and T" brought up the only remaining gallou of water, their kit, and the cinema with their records, to'help to keep a balance. The aviaiorsi rigaed a sail made from § shirt and a piefe oi canvasV "■■'" .', ■ STEAMERS WHICH PASSED BY. Sitting- twelve feet above the water, they twice;saw steamers in the distance.. _ They finished their drinking water ..the same night, and, it becoming evident that the machine could not stay upright long, they jettisoned everything' heavy. Gradually the-seaplane submerged, "and finally turned turtle. The men scrani-; • , bled on to...the unmibmerged float." Shortly after another storm .occurred., The «es> rose and broke over tbem, and' the floats made, ominous spunc!g_aftif. the • machine were going -to ■ ytaxs~" The.) waves were running- ten feet high.- -They:t drifted without control throughout th«t night, and next morning land was sighted, but they were neyer near enough to '■ ■ signal or swim ashore, particularly as , they knew the sea /was infested with ■ sharks and crocodiles near the shore./ ITien they were caught by an under-: current- and drifted out of sight of land again. They hoisted their distress signal v and continued drifting at ihs mercy of the wiik^ and tide. > " CAUGHT BY WHmL]POOL, By now both' were sun-scorched, blys* ' tered with heat and eiAaust?d for-lack of food and water. Next: they .'.encaiuir tered a tide whirl, : and : were • gwnnjf round and round, a heavy tea pouring over them, so that they had to* • hang' on with' tooth and pail. The whirlpool^' detached portions of timber from the broken-backed fuselage. Cutting clear of' this, they tossed throughout the* night. Hopes were raised -only to b* again quelled by the %ht« n c,i a distant vessel and a lighthouse. Tb% collects! papers from their ' pockets 'and madedistress signals, bitf.' theyVere of no avail. One vessel came wi,thil\ three--Suarter? of a, mile and then turned., and! ' lie lights faded out. Drenched i and: shivering, the aviators huddlsd' close together for warmth. When the mornifl? broke they sighted the island,of Sand-, wip, four miles distant. The sea calmedj. a little, and a shower of rain_ somewhat relieved their thirst. They flived'bekvw and found that the wreckage was still holding together, the empty petrol tanks, which were their, real- salvation, being ,- still buoyant. . .';/. ■-■"•'C'C

HORRIBLE DISAPPOII^PMpT,,,; : Slowly they drifted tow wds j and suddenly saw the sails ol s£, windjammer, The aviatori hoiste^1 a-d.i«-tresa signal and the yesielfMne w.ithia half a mile, then turned and t headed away. While they. ;were hardly abl« to stand owing to the agony of their swollen limb'; exhaustion, and thirst, th» . aviators frantically waved' \ns frxift * pißtol. The story adds: "Two men oa', the poop of the ship ran forward as.«h» came abreast up. Th«y. «iw u», undoubtedly, and were poisibly terrified, thinking we were ghost* or viiiani.'""11* mercy never let them know ythat we f«l> when they sailed away." . .■■'."; i.\;> SAVED BY SECOND BOAT^S Three mil«s from&»udwip livemachin* branded on a mudshc*!. After three hp«re waiting! with spr»ybpis»kißg over them and the heat'torturing their swollen and sporched bodies, » Tijfe^latint^l flighted Malm waving. * dist»i»BS l;flag^ and MacmiJJan hia troasera, ; Both ,wer« shooting and attracted the.'?(tttentit>!ft "t'i what proved to be* the lamjcli Jtarijthea,. in which Commander Cumming ww» v g<».; ing to Jjukhidia on the. strength of thfe i# I port that they were stranded there A 1 i dinghy wag sent and took them abroad the Dorothea. Commando!! Camming welcomed them with the woid: "Thank God I had another look .at yo«.. I thought you were fishing 'stakes and 'th*' serang> said you. were only niitive fiih«C« men..?. The Dorothea tried to tow, tK* machV^ jog, yart(!d.',;;.i, ■■.*';.