DRAMATIC SCENES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 23 July 1928, Page 7

DRAMATIC SCENES

THE ITALIA’S SURVIVORS. RECEPTION AT KING’S BAY. FAMOUS RFID TENT PRESERVE®f (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) (Australian ,I'ress Association.) KING’S BAY, July 21. The Russian ice-breaker Krassin anchored at King’s Bay after an hour’s difficult manoeuvring, state a copyright message. On her deck bunting tv as displayed, and the red, flags of the Soviet were at the mastheads. Oa,plain Romagna, of the Cirta di Milano, boarded the Krassin and fifteen minutes’ suspense ensued. Then a_ pinnace sped towards the Citta di Milano the crew shouting excitedly as it identified the survivors of the 11 alia disaster therein. When, the name of Bekoumek, a Czechoslovak ia n scientist, was called out, his sister broke down and sobbed, while several sailors cried like children. The engineer of the Italia, who had been reported as dead, came stoutly aboard on crutches, scorning the sailors’ proffered assistance. General Nobile, who was on deck, looked very pale, and having embraced and patted Oecioni. on the back, he resumed his seat. ■. '

Viglieri, tall, lean and weary, approached and stood at attention before he shook hands with the leader of the expedition. General Nobile. Viglieri having greeted the crew amidst tense silence, Bekoumek rushed up with a jovial smile, exclaiming: “Here I am, back from my holidays.'’ Tie then turned to comfort his sister as she threw herself sobbing on his breast. t Biagi, pale and emaciated, kissed General Nobile without saying a word. Zappi, who was almost unrecognisably gaunt, followed, and then Professor Trojani, in Russian clothes and leggings, and wearing an airman’s badge. The Krassin’s crew was wonderfully kind in clothing and comforting the castaways. They even gave them a fountain pen apiece with which to write to their .relatives. Mnriani. whose foot' had had- to be amputated, boarded by a motor launch later. ■ \ An Italian cinematographer, grasping a heavy camera and tripod, unexpectedly fell into the sea and sank thrice before being rescued, still gripping his apparatus, amid hysterical laughter. . The survivors spent hours in their cabins reading family letters? and hundreds of messages from Italy. The Krassin landed the remains of the Italia’s control cabin and many objects found'at the camp. These included the famous red tent, the wireless set, to which the survivors owe their lives, and the broken framework of Lmi'diboirg’s seaplane, all of which will be shipped to Italy to be preserved as sacred mementos.

MONEY AND' LIVES

A. DEAR, SEARCH

Since the accident which befell General Nobile and his eighteen men in the ttaliaf airship on May 25, at least six European nations have sent the most modern rescue equipment at their disposal into the, Arctic to save the lives of the Italian party. What began as an apparently safe scientific expedition ,by air to the .Pole has developed into an Arctic drama which appears likely to cost the live,? of not only the lost explorers, but some of their would-be rescuers, too, apart from the thousands spent iii equipment. As soon as General Nobile and hal of his crew, flung from the airship .when is bumped on -the ice, were able to,communicate with the outer world, they told the base ship - at Spitsbergen of their predicament. / TWELVE OF CREAV MISSING.

.Seven of them, ineluding NWb’lp, were stranded on an ice floe, three men, including the Norwegian, Professor Malmgren, had .started across the ice pack for the base, and the airship, with nine men on board, had headed off into space. Of tlie airship with its crew of nine nothing has since been heard or seen. . ' Professor Malmgren and Jus companions uMiariano 'and Zappi trudged across the ice for fourteen days, Professor Malmgren became too. ill to rro oil and his Italian coihpa-nions 3oit him. . ■ • > , Meanwhile Nobile, in daily touch by wifeless, was able to direct the rescuers to his floe, released by the melting ice, and floating towards Spitsbergen, Italian, Swedish, and Norwegian 'airmen sought the party. The Italians located the tent of the stranded men, and then the Swede, Lundberg, made a thrilling descent on the ice floe. Nqibile, critically injured, was taken off in the Swedish ’plane and then Lunborg returned to pick up Ceccioni. The dangerous descent on the trickv ice could not be repeated; the ’.plane turned over and Lundborg, too, was now stranded. Later, a Moth ’plane succeeded in landing, and took Lundborg off. ' . , . Meanwhile several of those who had set out to rescue .the flyers had disappeared. Among these was Captain Sora and Van Dongen, who with a sledge had gone to search lor Malmrrren. No word of them was heard for weeks, then came the news that they had been found and rescued.

AMUNDSEN’S FATE. - Weeks ago Captain Roald Amundsen, the veteran Norwegian explorer, left. Norway in a French ’plane, with bis compatriot, Dietrichsen, and the French aviator Guilbaud. Ihe plane, carried fuel for thirty hours’ flying, and it was hoped to locate tlie lost airship. The rescuers themselves disappeared, and have not been heard of since, though they carried wireless They are thought to have laden into the sea. ______