KINGSF’D SMITH MISSING

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 November 1935, Page 7

KINGSF’D SMITH MISSING

WIDE SEARCH STARTED LAST SEEN BY MELROSE [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT."' "' ■ t SINGAPORE, November 8. Anxiety is felt for the non-arrival of Kingsford Smith who has been in the air sixteen hours, the petrol being insufficient, for that period. He is four hours overdue. It is generally believed he is forced, down somewhere between Bakyap and Malaya. An Imperial Airways liner near Penang reports a storm in that vicinity. Melrose arrived at 2.25 p.m. He is overhauling his engine and expects to leave for Sourabaya to-night. Broadbent passed over Singapore at 1.42 and dropped a message saying he was making a night landing at Batavia. ■’

BATAVIA, November S. Broadbent arrived at 6 p.in. and left for Koepang.

. - FORGED, DOWN ON-SEA?- - • (Received November 9, 8 a.m.) , SINGAPORE, November 8. Melrose, interviewed, said he saw a plane, which undoubtedly must-have been Kingsford Smith’s, pass two hundred feet above him at 2 a.m. to-day, over the Bay of Bengal, 150 miles from land. Melrose saw a flame in the darkness, seemingly coming from Smithy’s twin-exhaust. It is believed that Smith has been forced:down on the sea between Rangoon or Akyab and Victoria Point. Singapore is sending out wireless SOS to all ships to keep a watch. A squadron r, bombers, at present up country, have been ordered to prepare to leave for the search. LATER. Darkness brought no news of Smithy, and Melrose is joining the Royal Air Force search to-morrow. Hope is not abandoned, because there are many desolate spots where airmen might have landed, and be unable to contact with civilisation. SEARCHING THE BAY. (Recd. Nov. 9, 10.30 a.m.). SINGAPORE, November 8. Two flying boats will set out at dawn to-morrow to search the Bay of Bengal between Rangoon and Victoria Point. Melrose said that when Smithy passed over him in the Bay of Bengal, his speed was double his own, which was 110 miles an hour. Smith’s altitude was between eight and nine thousand feet. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING ? (Received November 9, 11 a.m.) THE HAGUE, November 8. The Dutch flyer, Ever Vandyck, just arrived from the East Indies, said h.e met Smith at Athens, and warned him that gales had been raging for more than a week in the Akyab region. Personally, he had the greatest difficulty in getting through. It was almost impossible to cross the mountains. As Smith hqd to cross at night, the slightest engine trouble would place him in jeopardy. Vandyck’s theory is that Smith’s machine has been struck by lightning. TAYLOR’S CONFIDENCE. SYDNEY, November 9. Captain P. G. Taylor expressed confidence in Kingsford Smith and Pethybridge being still alive and well, whether they were down on land or sea. He based these views on his knowledge of local conditions and the plane’s capabilities. He -said that the plane would float indefinitely. EMPIRE TRANSPORT. RUGBY, November 7. The first stage in the revision of the Empire air transport programme, with a view to improvement in the -present-time schedules, increased frequency of services, and the conveyance so far as is practicable of all first-class mail by air, was complete ed by an agreement reached between the Governments concerned, as to the general lines upon which the air service to South Africa will be operated, after the expiry of the existing arrangements in 1937. The main through bi-weekly service in each direction will be operated by flyingboats, via Egypt and the Sudan to Kisumu, and thence via Mombasa, Dares Salaam, Mozambique, Beira and Lorenzo Marques to Durban. It is hoped that the time between London and Durban will be reduced to four days. There will be branch services with land-planes connecting with Kenya, Tanganyika, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, and Nyasaland, with a through service. There will be a branch land-plane service between the Union and Northern Rhodesia, and by means of these branch services the existing land route through Kenya, Tanganyika and Northern and Southern Rhodesia will be maintained in addition to the coast route of the main service. The agreement with Imperial Airways for the operation of this and other trunk Empire services will be for a period of years, commencing in 1937, and the subsidy payable will be on a descending scale, subject to periodic review of costs.

PACIFIC SERVICES. (Recd. Nov. 9, 10.30 a.m.). • LONDON, November 8. Simultaneously with news of the Pan-American Airways’ tentative reciprocal agreement with New Zealand, regarding a trans-Pacific service, by which British aircraft will be entitled to use American islands, the Imperial Airways announced: “The Br’tish air transport welcomes the opportunity of co-operating with the United States, which has special interests in the Pacciiic. It is hoped in due course that a British trans-Pacific service will operate in close co-operation with the PanAmerican Airways. It is considered probable that a British service will operate on the route Vancouver, New Zealand, Australia, and that the United States will fly to the Philippines. Naturally, it is the aim to establish an entirely British service around the world.” This is the first official intimation of British intentions in tlie Pacific in -which. the fact that Americans are likelv to have a substantial start, is

not regarded as an obstacle to an amicable division of the service. BRITISH GOVT’S. ATTITUDE. (Received November 9, 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, November 8. After what is described as advice to New Zealand regarding the proposed agreement with Pan-Ameri-can Airways, it is understood that the British Government now considers New Zealand has adequately safeguarded herself regarding the reciprocal use of America’s Pacific Islands. Nevertheless, Britain is ■anxious to place the agreement on a governmental footing, and is therefore awaiting Washington’s formal assurance that the Pacific Islands will he available if Britain undertakes a trans-Pacific service. The experience with the Matson steamships is undoubtedly the root of Britain’s concern. It is understood that the advice to New Zealand stressed the proposed service concerns Canada and Australia as well as England and New Zealand, urging the form of agreement should not prejudice the ultimate imperial scheme for a round the world airline. New Zealand is not blamed for taking advantage of the development of the American marine aircraft, but Britain does not regard the proposal with enthusiasm. The ”Sun-Herald” was informed that materialisation of the British round the world air service plan will enable a person to enter-a plane at Sydney, and circle the world via India, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, in a maximum of fourteen days. This is., likely : to be reduced later. Experts consider that the Pacific and Atlantic services may be established almost simultaneously, each requiring a similar type of flying boat, on which British aircraft engineers are at 'present experimenting.