MISSING AIRMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 August 1928, Page 7

MISSING AIRMEN

ALLEGED WIRELESS MESSAGES

APPEALS FOR AID

Australian Press Assn—United Service.) (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

NEW YORK, August 23

A Chicago amateur radio station reported early on Friday morning thatit was in communication with the missing plane “Greater Rockford,” which gave its position as fifty miles off Newfoundland. The Radio message received from the “Greater Rockford” plane stated: “Failure of the old feed forced the plane down on Sunday. Food supply running low.” . The operator, Harris, who received the message, is confident that it is a bona fide message. A message from Toledo, Ohio, states' that Joseph Williams, an amateur radio operator, declared that he had been in direct communication with the Greater Rockford flyers for ten minutes. They said that they were stranded on a small island north of Newfoundland, and they needed assistance ' badly.

APPEAL CONFIRMED.

(Received August 25, 10 a.m.) NEW YORK, August 24.

A Brooklyn amateur radio operator reported at noon to-day that he communicated with a station reporting itself as the missing Rockford monoplane, confirming the communication interpreted at Chicago. To-day’s message reported: “On island 50 miles north of Newfoundland. Food supply low. Send help.”

EXPERTS SCEPTICAL.

(Recd. August 25, 11 a.m.) NOW YORK, August 24.

Messages signed with the call letters of the- plane Greater Rockford, the authenticity of which is doubted, were received eaidy to-day by amateur operators in Brooklyn, Chicago, New York and The messages asked for immediate help, and said the plane was on an island fifty to one hundred miles north of Newfoundland, where no such island can be located.

Experts state that the plane would be unable to send such messages with the' available instruments.

A later message received here, similarly signed, was weak and halting. It asked for aid, and was apparently sent with a B battery.

TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE.

SYDNEY, August 24.

A plan is on foot for the establishment of a passenger and mail air service between Australia and New Zealand, according to Mr Brundam, representing the Dornier Wahl Flying Boat Company, who has sent a letter to Mr Brindsmead, Director of Civil Aviation, seeking his opinion in regard to the possibility of securing a mail subsidy for a company starting such a service.

The planes would be all metal flying boats, equipped with four, six or more British engines. All of the licensed engineers and crew would be British. The capital would be a quarter of a million sterling, and would be British and Australian and New Zealand capital with probably som,e support from the Dornier Wahl Company, the proportion of which would be subject to legislation. Three crafts at least would be used each being equipped with wireless direction finders. The load would be fifteen passengers, or the equivalent in mails and freight.

A GERMAN OFFER.

(United Service.)

LONDON, August 24.

A German company’s proposal to the Commonwealth to subsidise the Australian and New Zealand flyingboat service has aroused interest in London. The Imperial Airways always understood that the Australian companies desired control at their own end of the Anglo-Australian-New Zealand services. If the Australian companies are not prepared to avail themselves of any government subsidy, no difficulty would be offered to London organising an All-British service for Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania. Any claim that flying boats possessed, a cruising range of two thousand miles, carrying fifteen passengers, could easily be tested by standard practice in England, or Europe, where planes with fifteen passengers, or the equivalent in freight, had to re-fuel every five hundred or six hundred miles. Some of the longer German routes carried fewer passengers at higher fares.

AUSTRALIAN’S ESCAPE.

SYDNEY, August 25

Frederick Rowe, 38, was testing an aeroplane over St. Peter’s suburb, when his W.H.5 machine developed a tail spin towards the earth from over 2000 feet. He succeeded in flattening the machine out only thirty feet from tho earth, when it crashed heavilv and completely wrecked. He escaped with a black eye and lacerations. s ' ' ' Rowe exclaimed to a. spectator-help-er: “I am the luckiest man in the world,” and lit a cigarette. He is now in the hospital.

SOUTHERN CROSS.

PERTH, August 24

Rain last night soaked the Oaklands Aerodrome, and as a. result Kingsford Smith is doubtful if they will be able to start on the eastward flight tomorrow. AIR.

SHIP’S MAILS EXPEDITED.

PARIS, August 23. The lie De France saved two days on the eastward trans-Atlantic mail service by means of the aeroplane she carried. This plane shot into the air at a speed of sixty miles an hour when 150 miles west of the Scilly Islands. Despite bad weather the scheme worked excellently, the plane refilling at Cherbourg, whence it proceeded to Paris. An extra charge of twenty per per letter is made. The scheme will be applied to other French liners.