ANDERSON’S FATE

Grey River Argus, 22 April 1929, Page 5

ANDERSON’S FATE

'• A TRAGIC END PLANE FOUND In Heart of Northern Territory Shortly before 10 o ’clock last night Greymouth listeners picked up a radio message from the Queensland Government Broadcasting Station at Brisbane announcing the diseov. ry of the Westland plane, “Kookaburra,” in which Keith Anderson and Hitchcock, two of Australia best-known airmen had set out in search for the Southern Cross'. Th Kookaburra was discovered yester-

A day in the centre of the Northern B Territory, and th ■ indications were those of a tragedy. One man, believed to be Anderson, was to be seen ben, lath the wing of the plane, whi. the other man was nowhere to be seen. The plane itself appeared to b> undamaged.

The discovery was made by « Quantas plane, the Atalalanta, ” pi lob.XI by Captain R. J. Brain. This plane was fitted up last week for the purpose by the Queensland Labour Go vernment, and. w*ds specially equipped with a powerful aerial wireless ■ending set, in order to join in the search for the Kookaburra. The news was thus radiord from Wave Hill Central Australia), to Brisbane, and was first made known through Sta- ■ tion 4 Q.G,. which interrupted » church service broadcast to make the announcement. It is now almost a fortnight since And irson (who was formerly a mate, with Smith and Ulm) set out with Hitchcock from, Sydney to search for the Southern Cross, travelling to Broken Hill, and thence to Alice Springs, after which trace of th n was lost. They proceeded north of Alice Springs, a distance of about 400 miles, for the place where the plans) was located proves to be a k tMMeh of desert country with dry rvwrtm growth situat nd eighty miles north west of Powell Creek, which is a few miles south of Newcastle Winters, which, in turn, is about 350 miles south-west of Wyndham. Ther had evidently been a fire in the scrub near the plane.

Captain Brain’s message stated:- . “ Atlanta located Kookaburra in desert 30 miles north by west of Pow--eK Creek. 1 flew very low down, aud observed a man lying under the wing of the pifpe, who appeared to be Anderson. He appeared to be dead, and apparently had been dead some days. I have dropped a can of water with a parachute. The plane, which appears to' be undamaged, is at the eastern edge of a large patch of the desert country, that has been burnt off, as it is still smoking. Have now returned to Wave Hill, where pack horses and black trackers, are being got ready to go out and look for Hitchcock, who was nowhero to be seen in the vicinity of the Kookaburra. I suggest that the search plapies out should be recalled, and engaged in an organised search for [Hitchcock. B The Federal Govcrnnient at Can

berm, according to the Amalgamated Wireless Cov., received last night confirmation of the report of the finding of Anderson's planet, but the Sydney radio stations did not. receive the details or direct news that was broadcast from the Brisbane station, who had a radio operator aboard the Atlanta. »T(he Kookaburra left Richmond Aerodrome on April 8, so that it had been out just over 13 days yesterday. A day or two previously Anderson had remarked that he would give anything to go and search for the boys. Another close friend of Kings ford Smith at once responded, saying. “Right! I’ll back yon!” Anderson rejoined: “I want no money! I would give anything to go.” So he left in the “Kookaburra,’ and thus drama tically gave further evidence tha* S true friendship burshos side an differences in the hour of need. It in safe to say that in the tragic expHoration historw of the Australian hinterland the sacrifice of Keith Anderson, should later news bear out the ’tragedy, Will take rank alo.ng with the fateful expedition of Burke and Wills as a memorable event.

SEABCII FOR ANDERSON. (Australian ft W.JT. Cable Assn.) ' SYDNEY, April 20. Hope of finding Anderson and Hitchqeck alivW is dying. While ad Blitting tli'jt there is not more than a remote chance of finding the men alive the Aijr Force officials propose to qontinue the so-rch. On leaving Alie>* Spring' the Kooka hurra carried only three fibttles and a packet of sandwiches. Seven aeroplanes will search today, including the Southern Cross. Three Air Ford 4 machines arrived at Alice Springs yesterday afternoon. A Queensland planed equipped with wireless, ailso joins the searck to-day. The Southern Cross leaves Derby at daylight fior Wyndham. The monoplane was given an oveihauj yesterday.

(Copyright to the Sydney ‘"Sun” throughout the world). DERBY, April 20. In a special interview, Kingsford Smith said: “Although we said to each other W' must eventually get: out of this ail right, nevertheless, 1 knew from own personal thoughts we all feared that the only thing found would be our dilapidated old bus and some bones. Whin we were sighted, latch end 1 with tears in our eyes,

hugged each other, and said 4 God bless old Les Holden.’' (Received April 21 at 5.5 SYDNEY, April 21. The Southern Cross yesterday spent a few hours in the air searching for Anderson’s plane on the locality fifty mil s north-east of Port Geohge and iu the country en loute to Wyndham. The search met with not the slightcs trace of Anderson and Hitchcock. An organised B‘arch by several aeroplanes of the West Australian and Queensland Airways Companies, in addition to Air Force machines, now proceeding from a base in Central Australia. The reports state that some of the country that has been searched i« des 'rt and more of it is spinifex covered, with ajn entire absence of water, while the heat there is t‘‘Tific below a height of three thousand feet.

SOUTHERN CROSS STORY. SMITH’S VERSION. PERTH. April 20. Kingsford Smith, before departing from Derby, told a brief story of thtf Southern Cross’s forced lauding to Ctolonel Mansfield. He reiterated a number of points disclosed in Ulin’s diary and went on to state: “We werj‘ flying blind for several hours, before we were forced down, when over Port George Mission. We had about an hour and a-half of PI itrol left, so we dropped a message asking which direction Wyndham was. A reply was made in figures on the ground, namjely one hundred and fifty miles, and the man pointed to at easterly direction. We thereupon flew n that direction approximately fifty minutes, then realising that the petrol was insufficient to get us there, we turned back for twenty-five minutes still in the rain-low clouds, and bad visibility, and being unable to sight the Mission we landed safely on a soft grassy swamp, with approximately ten minutes’ fuel supply. “■Our position was somewhat obcured from the rescuing plan; *s and owing to our weakness and damp fnei we were unable to make big fires. We were, however, always comforted by Mac’s efforts, receiving Sydney radio stations, which told of the attempts to find üb.”

MASE’S FLIGHT TO N.Z. LONDON,, April 19. Lady Bailey christen’d Mase’s lernnlane at Croydon, naming it the All Blazek. Maae received Sir J. Ward’s telegram wishing hi'm bon voyage. He carries the Hampshire Club’s greetings to the Auckland Club. Mase expects to set out in a few days. The machine is equipped with an 80 gallon tank «nd has a lopgeii ixtyigw than any other light aeroplane, and is capable of covering 2000 miles normal travel. It is also fitted with interchangeable wings, that may be reversed at will. On the last hop to N?-*w Zealand, he will have a hundred per cent, reserve of fuel thus reducing the hazard to a minimum.

LANCASTER’S INJURY.

NEW YORK, April 19. Lancaster, due to the crash on April 7, is reported to W in a critical con dition aboard the steamship Varban. which will dock at Hoboken to moi row, when an ambulance will mleet ‘the ship.