APPROACHING DEATH

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1935, Page 5

APPROACHING DEATH

UNIQUE RECORD Aeroplane Victim’s Diary (Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received August 11, at 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 10. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Amsterdam correspondent-, says: A unique diary in the history of aviation has just been published. It describes the approach of death, as seen by the Dutch journalist, Vanlanglen, who was a victim of the disaster on July 20th. It discloses that there was incessan't rain in the early stages. It records the plane climbing to escape the storm clouds'. and the seeing of blue sky at an altitude of thirteen thousand feet. The rain, however, recurred at fifteen thousand feet. The diary adds: “My watch says 12.30 a.m. An explosion! Rain? Rain! We are descending rapidly. The rain changes t’o snow. I can see nothing. Our height is now nine thousand feet. More snow! How we are dropping! Lightning shows the mountain peaks’. We are just above them! Lightning again! We are now 6.300.” ,■ It was at that height that the plame struck the hillside. The notes were begun in clear handwriting. This developed into a scrawl, and ended with a faint pencil mark, made at the moment of dearth.