NO TRACE OF AIRMEN

Evening Star, Issue 19765, 16 January 1928, Page 5

NO TRACE OF AIRMEN

SCRUB FIRES-NOT SIGNALS SEA SEARCH ABANDONED [EXTRAORDINARY TO PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, January 15. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department lias been advised by the Postmaster at Levin that a party searched the Mangahao Valley and traversed the ranges to the top of Mount Dundas (5,000 ft) and found Bothing. The weather was bleak, and owing to dense fog and sleet the country further back could not be explored. The postmaster at Westport reports that the beaches between Westport have been searched and several mystesiour happenings investigated without result The stretch between Oparara and the Heapy River will bo reached on Monday. The postmaster at Nelson in arranging for a search between Kahauranga Point and the Pfttarau River. The master of the schooner Fairburn, which passed close to the coast on Wednesday, said he saw nothing of the airmen. He thinks that the fires reported are bush fires and not signals.

BAD SEARCH CONDITIONS [Per United Press Association,] WELLINGTON, January 15. There is nothing to report concerning the missing airmen. Weather conditions are making a thorough search impossible, the high places being completely enveloped in mist. It is windy, and there has been a good deal ot rain. The rumor that a ’plane was seen in the Otaki district on the hillside is now discovered to bo unfounded. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department has received the following additional messages relative to the reports concerning the missing aviators :

At 7.5 U on Saturday evening the postmaster at Shannon reported;— “The police interviewed Mr Robbie, who states that the smoko was from a scrub fire on his property, there being no other fire in his locality.’’ At 10.30 on Sunday morning the postmaster at Dannevirke wired:— “The police state that lat-> last night a. resident of Dannevirke reported that lie and his family saw smoke on the Ruahine ranges in the direction of Ruaroa at 6 o’clock on Wednesday morning, which appeared to be signals. He did not rcoort earlier, as he expected he would he ridiculed. This morning several residents of Ruaroa report they can discern some object on the ranges which is unfamiliar. A party of six or seven set out at 10 a.m. to investigate. The police are also starting for the scene.” At 10.30 on Sunday morning the chief postmaster at Nelson reported : “ Collingwood reports that, concerning the fire, investigations show it has no connection with the missing aeroplane.”

SIGNAL GALLS UNSATISFACTORY [Special to tub ‘ Star.’] AUCKLAND, January 14. Considerable dissatisfaction at the arrangements, made for reporting the progress ol the Aotcaroa was expressed by tne wireless operator of the Union Company’s steamer Kairanga, which arrived this morning from Melbourne. The Kairanga left Melbourne yesterday week for Auckland, and when notified by wireless that the flyers had left Sydney, the officers worked out the respective positions of the aeroplane and the ship. They calculated that if the aeroplane kept to her course at a speed of one hundred miles per honi it would cross the course of the Kairanga between sixty and seventy miles ahead. Allowing for variations in speed and in the aviators’ course, the officers of the Kairanga expected to sight tho ’plane, but no trace of her was seen. The wireless operator, however, was asked by the Sydney station to listen in for communications from the ’plane, and he spent all his spare time at his short-wave set the advice from Sydney. however, did not inform him what sort of signals ho was to expect from the ’plane, and he was listening for Morse or telephonic communications. It he had been told what the ’piano would be sending out he could have distinguished its signals from the other noises, and the vessel would have known where to have looked for it.

WARSHIPS RETURNING

[Pek United Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, January 15,

Tho Minister of Defence (Mr F. J. Rolleston) received a message from Commodore Su a bey on Saturday night to tho effect that an area or 2,400 square miles had been searched by the three ships, Dunedin, Diomede and Toia, without the discovery of any trace of tho missing men or their aeroplane A later message stated that a heavy sea was then running, which would effectually destroy before daylight on Sunday any wreckage that might still be afloat, and that any further search at sea was considered useless. In v‘ew of this the Minister has agreed that the warships should return to' Auckland, and that the Toia should return to Wellington.

ANOTHER REPORTED SIGHTING

[Pek United Press Association.]

WELLINGTON, January 16.

The police have received instructions to search for the aviators even in the most remote parts of their districts. A pig hunter on the high ridge between Orongorongo anl Lake Wairarapa savs he _ saw a ’plane overhead on Tuesday night, and heard the drone from it. He noticdd a dull red glow, as from the exhaust. HO DOUBT OF LAST SIGNAL [Pan United Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, January 14. Mr R. J Baggs, who was detailed by the Telegraph Department to pick up the signals from the airmenj says he has no doubt that the signals received from 5.12 to 5.22 on the day of the flight were from the ’plane. They were first picked up on a wave-length of 33.35 metres, and no commercial stations were sending on that wave length at that time.