SOUTHERN CROSS DOWN

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 74, 1 April 1929, Page 9

SOUTHERN CROSS DOWN

FUEL SUPPLY HUNS OUT

CREW AMD 'PLANE SAFE

United Tress Associaliou—J3y Electric Tele>

graph—Copyright. (Kcccivcd Ist April, 10 a.m.)

SYDNEY, This Day.

The aeroplane Southern Cross, which, with Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm as pilots, and Messrs. 11. A. Litchfield and T. H. M' William, as navigator and wireless operator respectively left Sydney on Saturday at 10.40 a.m. for Wyndham, N.W. Australia, en route for London, was forced down two hundred miles from its objective, owing to petrol supplies giving out. The country iv the district is densely wooded And hilly, but the landing was safely effected in the vicinity of Drysdale Mission Station. The crew and machine are safe. It is expected to be Wednesday or Thursday before petrol supplies can reach the 'plane.

For some time, prior to the landing there was no news of the Southern Cross, which was expected to reach Wyndham between 9 and 10 o'clock on Sunday morning. The only definite knowledge then was that at 12.20 p.m. tm Sunday a wireless message from the 'piano stated that petrol was running out, .and the flyers were coining down.

When the Southern Cross left Sydney several hundred people were present, and gave the airmen a cordial send-off. The monoplane, carrying 800 gallons of petrol, rose slowly in the heavy atmosphere, but once aloft it soon disappeared north-westward, accompanied some distance by Air Force Moths.

Before the start each mail made a brief speech, which was permanently recorded. Captain Kingsford Smith expressed confidence that they would win through and achieve something towards linking up the Empiro air communications. The Uight was purely of a business nature, he said, and no attempt at record-breaking was intended.