LONG OVERDUE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 40, 16 August 1937, Page 9

LONG OVERDUE

SOVIET POLAR FLYERS

BELIEVED DOWN ON OCEAN

SEARCH BY PLANES

(United Press Association—By Electrlo Teleprraph—Copyright.) MOSCOW, August 15. Concern is felt after 15 hours of silence by the Soviet aeroplane, carrying a crew of seven, which set out on a non-stop flight across the North Pole to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is believed the plane has been forced down on an icefield in the Arctic owing to ice accumulating on the wings. The ice-breaker Krassin has been ordered to explore the Caps Barrow area with three aeroplanes. It is known that one of the four engines failed soon after the plane passed over the Pole. (Received August 16, 9.40 a.m.) FAIRBANKS, August 15. The Soviet flyers were 10 hours overdue at 4 a.m. (New York time) on Saturday. They were scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m. (New York time). Not a word has been received from the-plane since it advised by wireless that it had passed over the North Pole. A disjointed radio message, "No bearings. Having trouble with waveband," was picked up 28 hours after the report that the plane had passed over the Pole. This is the only sign of life from the flyers, who are belieyed to have been forced down in 1200 square miles of frigid! ocean between the Pole and Point Barrow, embracing, mysterious blind spots in which two previous trans-Polar Soviet planes have lost touch with listeners for hours at a time owing to interference with wireless transmission.' There are no serious fears, but a number of planes, including three bearing Russian agents, are searching from Fairbanks. The brotherhood of the air is exemplified by the departure of Mr. James Mattern for Fairbanks from Los Angeles at 9.30 p.m. on Saturday in an effort-to repay an act of mercy to M. Levanevsky, pilot of the Soviet plane, who led a rescue party in aid of Mattern when he cracked up in Siberia lin 1933.